Fuel laundering, fuel adulteration and fuel smuggling combine to create a global problem for governments around the world. Not only does it deprive them of hundreds of millions of dollars of taxation revenues, it poses a burden to the environment and also to innocent motorists whose vehicles incur long-lasting damage. The cost in terms of policing, dismantling discovered plants, clean-up operations and the safe disposal of dumped toxic sludge — a by-product from such illegal operations — is also considerable.

Topics: authentication, consumer protection, product quality, revenue protection, fiscal tax recovery, adulterated fuel, brand security, counterfeit detection, product protection, product authentication, fuel fraud, brand protection technology, brand authentication, brand protection, safeguard brand quality

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In many parts of the world, corruption is common and a part of everyday life. Apart from the corrosive effect this has on quality of service and availability of appropriate justice, this also has a negative effect on commerce. Reputable companies and people are unable to compete, so the market is left to others who are willing to ignore laws put in place to prevent corruption. Where this occurs, the economy suffers due to lack of investment which eventually contributes to poverty, pollution and poor health for the majority of the people who do not profit from corrupt activities. This is the type of environment where fuel fraud can flourish. In this latest blog, Tracerco will discuss how the implementation of a fuel marking program can help in the fight against fuel corruption

Topics: consumer protection, product quality, revenue protection, fiscal tax recovery, safeguard brand equity, adulterated fuel, brand security, counterfeit detection, authentication, product authentication, fuel fraud, brand protection technology, brand authentication, brand protection, counterfeiting, safeguard brand quality, brand, fuel marking, fuel marker, fuel marker technology, fuel adulteration, fuel smuggling, counterfeit fuel

Maintaining the integrity of subsea pipelines is essential for all oil and gas operators for a variety of reasons. This includes but is not limited to; ensuring the safety of offshore operations, limiting the risk of environmental damage, legally complying with strict regulations, and maximising production via operational efficiencies / extending asset life. Discovery^TM, the world’s only field proven subsea CT scanner, is a non-intrusive inspection instrument that enables offshore operators to quickly identify pipeline integrity flaws and obtain accurate wall thickness measurements without stopping or interrupting normal pipeline operations. In this blog, we will discuss three reasons why Discovery^TM is used by operators across the globe to ensure the integrity of their assets and learn the ins and outs of subsea pipeline inspection.

Topics: Discovery, pipeline integrity, Asset Integrity, Subsea Technologies, subsea pipelines, Subsea, Subsea Inspection, Subsea Integrity

Are you attending the 2019 AIChE Spring Meeting in New Orleans April 1- 4th? 

Tracerco will be highlighting case studies on how gamma scans were used to monitor fouling accumulation in packed towers at this year's AIChE 2019 Spring Meeting in New Orleans, LA.

Mark your schedule to sit in on the paper "Utilizing Gamma Scans To Monitor Fouling Accumulation in Packed Towers" presented by William Mixon - Market Manager - Process Diagnostics, Baton Rouge, LA and Lowell Pless -  Consultant for Tracerco. The presentation will provide actual case studies to illustrate how gamma scanning can be a very cost-effective way to monitor the rate of fouling accumulation and to aid in the planning of turnarounds.'

Read more to find out about all the presentation dates and times Tracerco will be presenting this year.  

Topics: Downstream, fouling deposits, Tru-Grid Scan, gamma scanning distillation columns, tower gamma scan, packed bed towers, packed bed performance analytics, trayed tower, manage turnaround costs, Depropanizer scan tray damage, turnaround critical path project, debutanizer, fouling accumulation

Tracerco technology provides our customers a "look" inside their process in real time.

A Tracerco Diagnostics™ Separator study complements other diagnostic tools and techniques available to production engineers. The technology is non-intrusive with preliminary results generated on-site. This allows a rapid understanding of fluid flow and mechanical integrity within a hydrocarbon separation train by essentially making the process transparent. This approach significantly eliminates guess work when trying to resolve process issues and allows accurate process data to be gathered providing information so that engineering decisions on process improvement or repair can be quickly made and implemented. If deemed necessary, immediate changes to a system can be made with further measurements to assess if improvements have resulted.

Read more and watch a short animated video to learn how Tracerco's tracer and scan investigations can help optimize separator performance.

Topics: Upstream, Separator, Damage to vessel internals, separator study, oil in water, Blockages in perforated plates, Flow distribution

Optimizing Desalter Performance is Just One of Tracerco's Specialties We Proudly Provide.

Desalter vessels are a refinery’s first line of defense to reduce the amount of unwanted salts present in the feed inventory. Prior to crude oil entering a refinery processing stream it undergoes a water washing stage where the water used during this process is separated using Desalter vessels. In these vessels the oil and water mixture separate from each other using gravity and high voltage coalescing plates. The water phase contains the washed salts as well as other suspended solids. Desalting and separation prevents water and salts from entering the crude unit furnaces, distillation towers and other downstream equipment. Salts, sediment, and other solids will foul the process and can undergo chemical change to produce corrosive chemicals that cause damage to process metallurgy. It is therefore important to efficiently separate wastewater from crude feedstock within the Desalter vessels.

Tracerco Tru-Scan™ technology provides you detailed data on where the oil/water interface level is, determines if there is a significant “rag” or emulsion layer or detects how many solids are built up in the bottom of the Desalter. In addition to performing these applications our advanced tracer studies are used to provide residence times of the oil and water phases and distribution within the vessel. Further to our scanning and tracer technologies that can aid plant personnel in optimizing your process, our award winning Tracerco Profiler™ HTX instrument provides accurate phase measurement including oil, emulsion (rag), water and solids/sludge in real time. The installation of the Tracerco Profiler™ HTX can eliminate unplanned Desalter shutdowns, reduce chemical usage, increase fluid throughput and provide the capability to handle more challenging crude blends.

Read more to learn how Tracerco helped our customer determine what was actually happening within their Desalter.

Topics: desalting, Flow distribution, desalter optimization, desalter, desalter maldistribution, distribution study

Tracerco Insight Vol. 8 Ed. 2 newsletter is now available.

The Tracerco Insight newsletter featuring some of our latest case studies illustrating how Tracerco was able to provide our customers the necessary data that allowed the operations staff to make informed decisions for troubleshooting and optimising their process. Read more to see what's inside the latest issue.

This issue contains the following articles:

• Optimizing Desalter Performance Is Just One of Tracerco's Specialties We Proudly Provide. 
• Crude Vacuum Tower Wash Bed Optimization.
• Application Note - ThruVision™
• Manage and Control Your Turnaround Costs to Avoid Possible Surprises.
• New Product Announcement: PED-ER and PED-ER+

Read more on how to download the latest issue.

Topics: nucleonic instrumentation, Tru-Scan, process diagnostics technologies, gamma scan, monitor wash bed coking, tracer technology, Tracer Study, catalyst bed wash, desalter optimization, wash bed optimization, manage turnaround costs, Depropanizer scan tray damage, desalter, Tracerco Profiler, crude vacuum tower, turnaround critical path project, pre-turnaround scans

 "Measure the Difficult to Measure"

2019 Innovative Process Diagnostics Symposium

May 21, 2019 in Deer Park, Texas, USA - 8:00 am - 3:30 pm

May 23, 2019 in Gonzales, Louisiana, USA - 8:00 am - 3:30 pm

Reserve your space today.

 

 

Tracerco is happy to announce that we have rescheduled our symposium "Measuring the Difficult to Measure" to be held in Deer Park, Texas and Gonzales, Louisiana. These new dates allow both our refining and petrochemical customers the ability to schedule their time to attend the symposium. Read more to learn about the topics of discussion.

Topics: solids buildup, exchangers, gamma scanning distillation columns, pipeline blockage, flare gas meter, Flow Study, fccu studies, flare flow measurement, fugitive flare flow, verify flow meters, flare flowrate data, flow rate calculations, Process Diagnostics Technology, tray fouling, gamma scan, fcc services, level detection devices, packing mal-distribution, liquid distribution, quantitative analysis pack beds, PackView Analysis, packed bed towers, packed bed scan, monitor wash bed coking, tomography scan, off spec product, online leak detection, chemical leak test, feed/effluent heat exchangers, exchanger bundle leak testing, Tracer Study, packed bed performance analytics, Damage to vessel internals, trayed tower, mass transfer diagnostics

Underestimating the time and resource required to correctly transport NORM (Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) or TENORM (Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material) during decommissioning could prove to be costly, not least because it is likely to cause delays in shipping. It is clear that there are many considerations required to managing the transport of NORM and TENORM. Consultation with experts at the very early stages will be essential and could lead to significant cost saving benefits.

Topics: Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material, NORM Detection, NORM, NORM Management, Decommissioning, Radiation Waste Adviser, TENORM, Radiation Protection, Radiation Protection Adviser

Topics: leaking exchangers, Liquid maldistribution, optimising plant production, Suspected maldistribution in packed beds, Flow Study, fcc diagnostics, flare system tracers, flare flow, excessive flare flow, fcc troubleshooting, fcc unit process, fluid catalytic cracking unit, fugitive flare flow, verify flow meters, flare lines, gas meter proving techniques, fcc services, coke drum, coker optimization, delayed coke drum, liquid distribution, tomography scan, off spec product, online leak detection, chemical leak test, feed/effluent heat exchangers, exchanger bundle leak testing, Tracer Study, density of liquid