Primary sources of atmospheric sulfur dioxide are anthropogenic activities associated with the burning of fossil fuels and industrial processes that may have associations with various morbidities and mortalities. As s...Primary sources of atmospheric sulfur dioxide are anthropogenic activities associated with the burning of fossil fuels and industrial processes that may have associations with various morbidities and mortalities. As such, several regional and global regulatory agencies have recommended ambient air limits to reduce environmental exposures. The objectives of this study were to evaluate ambient levels of sulfur dioxide surrounding an oil refinery on the island of Cura?ao. Levels which were then compared to literature values and recommended public health guidelines to determine potential public health risks. Concentrations of sulfur dioxide in Curacao were found to be among the highest globally with an increasing trend over time. While the epidemiological evidence does not conclusively suggest there is a health risk from these levels of exposure, SO2 concentrations greatly exceed regulatory and guidance levels and suggest that further emissions control is warranted. Future recommendations include a more rigorous epidemiological study in Cura?ao and expand the air monitoring efforts to include areas upwind of the refinery as well as additional petrochemical emissions.展开更多
The slightly polluted wastewater from oil refinery contains some COD, oil pollutants and suspended solids (SS). A small-scale fixed film biological aerated filter (BAF) process was used to treat the wastewater. Th...The slightly polluted wastewater from oil refinery contains some COD, oil pollutants and suspended solids (SS). A small-scale fixed film biological aerated filter (BAF) process was used to treat the wastewater. The influences of hydraulic retention time (HRT), air/water volume flow ratio and backwashing cycle on treatment efficiencies were investigated. The wastewater was treated by the BAF process under optimal conditions: the HRT of 1.0 h, the air/water volume flow ratio of about 5 : 1 and the backwashing cycle of every 4-7 days. The results showed that the average removal efficiency of COD, oil pollutants and SS was 84.5%, 94.0% and 83.4%, respectively. And the average effluent concentration of COD, oil pollutants and SS was 12.5, 0.27, 14.5 mg·L^-1, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that the BAF process is a suitable and highly efficient method to treat the wastewater.展开更多
In order to evaluate the applicability of the organic polymeric flocculants(OPF) in the treatment of oil refinery sludge, experiments were conducted to show that OPF have better performance of flocculation than inorga...In order to evaluate the applicability of the organic polymeric flocculants(OPF) in the treatment of oil refinery sludge, experiments were conducted to show that OPF have better performance of flocculation than inorganic flocculants. Both the anionic and cationic OPF have satisfactory flocculation efficiency in oil sludge treatment, but the latter are more cost efficient. Among the over 20 types of flocculants tested, 2 OPF(CPAM 2 and HPAM 2) were selected as the treatment agents, based on their good treatment performances, oil resistance and economic feasibility. It was demonstrated in the industrial scale centrifugal dewatering experiments that the application of either CPAM 2 or HPAM 2 could achieve high treatment efficiency of the oil sludge dewatering and reduce the COD of centrifugal liquid to less than 1000 mg/L.展开更多
According to the Energy Information Administration, average retail gasoline prices tend to typically be higher in certain states than in others. Aside from taxes, the factors shown to contribute to regional and even l...According to the Energy Information Administration, average retail gasoline prices tend to typically be higher in certain states than in others. Aside from taxes, the factors shown to contribute to regional and even local differences in gasoline prices include proximity of supply, supply disruptions, competition in the local market and environmental programs. Of interest in this paper is proximity of supply. It has been hypothesized that areas farthest from the Gulf Coast (the source of nearly half of the gasoline produced in the United States and, thus, a major supplier to the rest of the country) tend to have higher prices. To test this hypothesis, the paper assembles state level monthly retail gasoline data for the period 1983 to 2007 for five states with oil refineries (Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana) and five states without refineries (Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida). The analysis employs dynamic correlation, regression, cointegration and vector autoregressive methods. Overall, the results show that retail gas prices in states with refineries and those without refineries tend to move in the same direction over time. The small differences observed over time may suggest that price shocks take a short time to be felt nationwide.展开更多
TOR (Tema oil refinery) is the only petroleum refinery in Ghana. To assess the quality of the wastewater, wastewater samples taken from three points of discharge into the treatment plant and the treated effluent wer...TOR (Tema oil refinery) is the only petroleum refinery in Ghana. To assess the quality of the wastewater, wastewater samples taken from three points of discharge into the treatment plant and the treated effluent were analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics. The levels of the pH, temperature, conductivity, COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), TSS (Total Suspended Solids) and phenol were assessed from January to June, 2011. The results obtained indicate varied levels of contaminants in both the untreated and treated wastewater. The average values of the treated effluent parameters analyzed were 38 ℃, 6,258 μs.cm-1, 314 mg-L-1, 115 mg.L-1, 2,689 mg-L-1 and 1 mg.L-1 for the temperature, conductivity, COD, TDS, TSS and phenol, respectively. The results suggest that both the raw wastewater and the treated effluent did not meet the discharge limit set by Ghana Environmental Protection Agency. Therefore, the treated effluent required additional treatment before it can be discharged into the environment. This suggests that the wastewater treatment plant of TOR is ineffective for the type of wastewater produced.展开更多
The aim of the present work is to remove heavy metals (copper, manganese, and zinc) from industrial wastewater of Baiji refinery using GAC (granular activated carbon). The most important factors affecting adsorpti...The aim of the present work is to remove heavy metals (copper, manganese, and zinc) from industrial wastewater of Baiji refinery using GAC (granular activated carbon). The most important factors affecting adsorption process have been studied, which are granular activated carbon thickness, H, inlet pollutant concentration, Cv, and liquid hourly space velocity, LHSV. All experiments were performed under constant temperature at 25℃ and pH = 7. The experimental apparatus was designed and constructed to enable controlling of the operating conditions. Employing five levels for each of H and LHSV and three levels for Co required 75 runs for each metal. Box-Wilson method was used to reduce the number of experiments to 15 for each metal. The results indicated that copper, manganese, and zinc can be completely removed from wastewater using activated carbon. However, breakthrough time for zinc is low. It is also shown that breakthrough time (TB) and exhaustion time (TE) are inversely proportional with pollutant concentration and LHSV (liquid hour space velocity) while it is directly proportional with the thickness of activated carbon column.展开更多
Heat Integration has been established over the last decades as a proven chemical engineering methodol- ogy. Two design implementations are often used in the industry: grassroots and retrofit. Although various methods...Heat Integration has been established over the last decades as a proven chemical engineering methodol- ogy. Two design implementations are often used in the industry: grassroots and retrofit. Although various methods have been developed for retrofit, it still needs more development to ensure simultaneously thermodynamic feasibility and economic viability. In this paper, a novel graphical approach has been developed to facilitate the understanding of the current situation and scope of improvement. The Retrofit Tracing Grid Diagram presents all streams and heat exchangers in temperature scale and the heat exchangers are clearly separated from each other, enabling clear visualisation of the current state. The tool incorporates the previously developed Cross-Pinch Analysis as well as path approach for retrofit. Additionally, the non-vertical heat transfer can be evaluated. The application of the developed tool has been validated on an oil refinery case study. The applicability of the tool is evident as it can reveal additional options for modification that none of the previous methods considered.展开更多
An increasing number of novel and highly specialized computer-aided decision-making technologies for short-term production scheduling in oil refineries has emerged and evolved over the past two decades, thereby encour...An increasing number of novel and highly specialized computer-aided decision-making technologies for short-term production scheduling in oil refineries has emerged and evolved over the past two decades, thereby encouraging refiners to permanently rethink the way the refining business is operated and managed. In this report,we discuss the key lessons learned from one of the pioneering, yet daring, enterprise-wide programs entirely implemented in an energy company devoted to developing and implementing an advanced refinery production scheduling(RPS) technology, i.e., the RPS system of Petrobras. Apart from mathematical and information technology issues, the long-term sustainability of a successful RPS project is, we argue, the outcome of a virtuous cycle grounded on permanent actions devoted to improving technical education inside the organization,reinspecting organizational cultures and operational paradigms, and developing working processes.展开更多
基金the Environmental Fund Netherlands Antilles(MINA Fund)and Mote Marine Laboratory for the financial support of this work
文摘Primary sources of atmospheric sulfur dioxide are anthropogenic activities associated with the burning of fossil fuels and industrial processes that may have associations with various morbidities and mortalities. As such, several regional and global regulatory agencies have recommended ambient air limits to reduce environmental exposures. The objectives of this study were to evaluate ambient levels of sulfur dioxide surrounding an oil refinery on the island of Cura?ao. Levels which were then compared to literature values and recommended public health guidelines to determine potential public health risks. Concentrations of sulfur dioxide in Curacao were found to be among the highest globally with an increasing trend over time. While the epidemiological evidence does not conclusively suggest there is a health risk from these levels of exposure, SO2 concentrations greatly exceed regulatory and guidance levels and suggest that further emissions control is warranted. Future recommendations include a more rigorous epidemiological study in Cura?ao and expand the air monitoring efforts to include areas upwind of the refinery as well as additional petrochemical emissions.
基金Supported by the Foundation of Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province (2004B33301001)
文摘The slightly polluted wastewater from oil refinery contains some COD, oil pollutants and suspended solids (SS). A small-scale fixed film biological aerated filter (BAF) process was used to treat the wastewater. The influences of hydraulic retention time (HRT), air/water volume flow ratio and backwashing cycle on treatment efficiencies were investigated. The wastewater was treated by the BAF process under optimal conditions: the HRT of 1.0 h, the air/water volume flow ratio of about 5 : 1 and the backwashing cycle of every 4-7 days. The results showed that the average removal efficiency of COD, oil pollutants and SS was 84.5%, 94.0% and 83.4%, respectively. And the average effluent concentration of COD, oil pollutants and SS was 12.5, 0.27, 14.5 mg·L^-1, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that the BAF process is a suitable and highly efficient method to treat the wastewater.
文摘In order to evaluate the applicability of the organic polymeric flocculants(OPF) in the treatment of oil refinery sludge, experiments were conducted to show that OPF have better performance of flocculation than inorganic flocculants. Both the anionic and cationic OPF have satisfactory flocculation efficiency in oil sludge treatment, but the latter are more cost efficient. Among the over 20 types of flocculants tested, 2 OPF(CPAM 2 and HPAM 2) were selected as the treatment agents, based on their good treatment performances, oil resistance and economic feasibility. It was demonstrated in the industrial scale centrifugal dewatering experiments that the application of either CPAM 2 or HPAM 2 could achieve high treatment efficiency of the oil sludge dewatering and reduce the COD of centrifugal liquid to less than 1000 mg/L.
文摘According to the Energy Information Administration, average retail gasoline prices tend to typically be higher in certain states than in others. Aside from taxes, the factors shown to contribute to regional and even local differences in gasoline prices include proximity of supply, supply disruptions, competition in the local market and environmental programs. Of interest in this paper is proximity of supply. It has been hypothesized that areas farthest from the Gulf Coast (the source of nearly half of the gasoline produced in the United States and, thus, a major supplier to the rest of the country) tend to have higher prices. To test this hypothesis, the paper assembles state level monthly retail gasoline data for the period 1983 to 2007 for five states with oil refineries (Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana) and five states without refineries (Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Florida). The analysis employs dynamic correlation, regression, cointegration and vector autoregressive methods. Overall, the results show that retail gas prices in states with refineries and those without refineries tend to move in the same direction over time. The small differences observed over time may suggest that price shocks take a short time to be felt nationwide.
文摘TOR (Tema oil refinery) is the only petroleum refinery in Ghana. To assess the quality of the wastewater, wastewater samples taken from three points of discharge into the treatment plant and the treated effluent were analyzed for physico-chemical characteristics. The levels of the pH, temperature, conductivity, COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), TDS (Total Dissolved Solids), TSS (Total Suspended Solids) and phenol were assessed from January to June, 2011. The results obtained indicate varied levels of contaminants in both the untreated and treated wastewater. The average values of the treated effluent parameters analyzed were 38 ℃, 6,258 μs.cm-1, 314 mg-L-1, 115 mg.L-1, 2,689 mg-L-1 and 1 mg.L-1 for the temperature, conductivity, COD, TDS, TSS and phenol, respectively. The results suggest that both the raw wastewater and the treated effluent did not meet the discharge limit set by Ghana Environmental Protection Agency. Therefore, the treated effluent required additional treatment before it can be discharged into the environment. This suggests that the wastewater treatment plant of TOR is ineffective for the type of wastewater produced.
文摘The aim of the present work is to remove heavy metals (copper, manganese, and zinc) from industrial wastewater of Baiji refinery using GAC (granular activated carbon). The most important factors affecting adsorption process have been studied, which are granular activated carbon thickness, H, inlet pollutant concentration, Cv, and liquid hourly space velocity, LHSV. All experiments were performed under constant temperature at 25℃ and pH = 7. The experimental apparatus was designed and constructed to enable controlling of the operating conditions. Employing five levels for each of H and LHSV and three levels for Co required 75 runs for each metal. Box-Wilson method was used to reduce the number of experiments to 15 for each metal. The results indicated that copper, manganese, and zinc can be completely removed from wastewater using activated carbon. However, breakthrough time for zinc is low. It is also shown that breakthrough time (TB) and exhaustion time (TE) are inversely proportional with pollutant concentration and LHSV (liquid hour space velocity) while it is directly proportional with the thickness of activated carbon column.
文摘Heat Integration has been established over the last decades as a proven chemical engineering methodol- ogy. Two design implementations are often used in the industry: grassroots and retrofit. Although various methods have been developed for retrofit, it still needs more development to ensure simultaneously thermodynamic feasibility and economic viability. In this paper, a novel graphical approach has been developed to facilitate the understanding of the current situation and scope of improvement. The Retrofit Tracing Grid Diagram presents all streams and heat exchangers in temperature scale and the heat exchangers are clearly separated from each other, enabling clear visualisation of the current state. The tool incorporates the previously developed Cross-Pinch Analysis as well as path approach for retrofit. Additionally, the non-vertical heat transfer can be evaluated. The application of the developed tool has been validated on an oil refinery case study. The applicability of the tool is evident as it can reveal additional options for modification that none of the previous methods considered.
文摘An increasing number of novel and highly specialized computer-aided decision-making technologies for short-term production scheduling in oil refineries has emerged and evolved over the past two decades, thereby encouraging refiners to permanently rethink the way the refining business is operated and managed. In this report,we discuss the key lessons learned from one of the pioneering, yet daring, enterprise-wide programs entirely implemented in an energy company devoted to developing and implementing an advanced refinery production scheduling(RPS) technology, i.e., the RPS system of Petrobras. Apart from mathematical and information technology issues, the long-term sustainability of a successful RPS project is, we argue, the outcome of a virtuous cycle grounded on permanent actions devoted to improving technical education inside the organization,reinspecting organizational cultures and operational paradigms, and developing working processes.