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FOREWORD

BEYOND THE SUCCESS (KAREEM EL-MAGHLOUB)

THE OBSTACLES ARE THE PATH (HOSSAM MAGDY)

THE LOST TREASURE OF MEXICO

MENNA EL-MANZALAWY

GASOLINE PRODUCTION

ENG. HAITHAM EL-WARDANY

INNOVATIONS IN WASTEWATER TREATMENT

KAREEM SALAH

MARGIN DRILLING FLUIDS MEET CHALLENGES IN

REACHING THE UNTAPPED RESERVOIRS

ENG. IHAB ZAKY

ENGINES CAN BE RUN ON . . . CORN!!

MAI KHALED

NEXOCTANE TECHNOLOGY

MOSTAFA KAMAL

REJECTED!

MOHAMED ABDEL-BASET

NATURAL GAS LIQUEFACTION

NADA IBRAHIM

GENDER EQUALITY

NESMA WAGIH

COSMIC HOLES IN A NUTSHELL

MOHAMED TAREK

02

04 05

08 10

11

12

14

15

16

17

OVERVIEW ON NGL RECOVERY THROUGH

TURBO-EXPANDER

ENG. HAITHAM DWEDAR

18

NEWS IN BRIEF

IBRAHIM RAGAB

22

Kareem El-Maghloub

AIChE SU SC President

“Beyond the Success”

2

No man is an island, especially in a business organization. Everyone in the organization needs someone

else’s help some time or another, either as a part of the regular work flow or during emergencies. Every

person in an organization has to consider themselves as a part of the team in order for a business to

function smoothly.

Being a small simulation for business organizations, the student chapters promote the importance of

teamwork concept. Teamwork is generally understood as the willingness of a group of people to work

together to achieve a common aim. At your workplace, having a team that works for a common vision is

the greatest advantage. If you are in charge of a team, there are many ways by which you can promote

better teamwork. Making each member feel valued and encouraging input are good places to start.

The most effective teamwork happens when the individuals harmonize their efforts and work toward a

common goal. Good teams don not typically happen by accident; hard work, commitment and some

struggle are usually involved in creating successful teams. Spark was an idea and a dream for every

member of AIChE which reflects the exact meaning of teamwork, Spark will allow us to show the true

meaning of AIChE Suez spirit and the result of relevant knowledge of groundwork.

Everyone in the team is the key to success; providing them with career growth opportunities and the

competitive benefits package are the missions of the team leader. Someone who will step up to their task

and complete it to the best. A leader does not exactly have to be the same person every time; he has to be

the most suitable person to the most critical situations.

Whether you've been tasked with setting up a new team or you are taking over an existing one, start by

defining the goal of your team. What is its ultimate purpose? What are your expectations? How will your

team contribute to your organization's goals and mission? Once you define your goals, and identify the

roles that you need to fill, make a list of the type of people that you want in your team. What strengths

should each person have? As well as what technical abilities should they also bring?

AIChE Suez Student Chapter is the castle of fortification. It supports the proper concept of teamwork by

accommodating the suitable conditions and situations to provide each AIChE Suez member with the most

effective characteristics.

Hossam Magdy

“The Obstacles are the Path”

3

“The obstacles are the path”, a proverb that was once said by a Chinese man from the school of Zen.

Regardless of what his beliefs really are, I believe that he hit the nail – right – on the head.

Most of people have always been thinking of any obstacle as a barrier that hinders their progress, but none

of them has realized the real fact. This fact is; if there are no obstacles, then something is going wrong and

– most probably – they are not on the right path!

Let’s think about that in another way. If you are willing to become a better person with much more skills;

which path do you think that you are supposed to take, the smooth paved one or the lumpy one?

Exactly, that’s the point! You can’t learn anything new if you keep staying in your comfort zone. You need

to step out of it. Take the risk and – believe me – you will be completely satisfied with the results.

Why did I say all of that? Actually, I started with this introduction specifically because that is what I have

done to take the responsibility of Spark team. Taking the decision to apply for that position was not easy at

all; I kept wondering if I was capable of doing it or not. I had started – then – thinking about what I might

gain and what I could give if I could carry this responsibility, and I realized that it was an irreplaceable

opportunity; so, I finally decided to take the lumpy path.

Through the next pages, you will see what could be achieved by taking the risk and putting trust in our

great team. Last but not least, I would like to take this chance to thank all Spark team members – especially

Ibrahim Ragab and Nesma Wagih – because if it were not for them, we would not get this far.

Editor-in-Chief

FIVE YEARS AFTER THE DISASTER

Menna El-Manzalawy

Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering

Suez University

Nearly five years ago, on April 20, 2010, an explosion aboard BP's the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of

Mexico sank the oil rig and created a leak that expelled millions of gallons of oil into the water. According

to the U.S Government, more than 4.9 million barrels were discharged after the explosion, making it the

worst offshore oil spill in the history of the United States, and one of the worst in history.

The explosion did not only harm the ecosystem of

the Gulf of Mexico, but it also killed 11 men. As

for the environmental consequences, the floating

oil extended over 68,000 square miles, while

subsurface plumes spread as far as 300 miles from

the wellhead. Five years after the spill, dolphins

and sea turtles in the area are still dying four times

higher than the average rate.

BP has already paid more than $42 billion in costs

for cleanup, fines, compensation for victims and a

research effort into the spill's consequences. In fact,

the money helped fund more than 450 scientific

studies.

According to the U.S. government, 17% of the

total estimated release was directly recovered

from the wellhead, 5% was burned, 3% was

skimmed, 16% was chemically dispersed, 13%

was naturally dispersed, 24% was evaporated or

dissolved and more than a million barrels – 22%

of the total estimated release - remain "missing".

Where did that oil go?

"It's not exactly missing," said biogeochemist

David Valentine in an interview with Scientific

American. "At the same time, we don't know

exactly where it is, either."

Much of that oil appears to have sunk to the

seafloor, and some made it to the shoreline of the

Gulf, extending to over 1,600 kilometers of coast.

However, the oil that sank to the bottom of the sea

will probably stay there forever.

According to a 2010 report by the Congressional

Research Service, it is uncertain whether the fate

of the remaining oil can be predicted precisely.

The report stated that "Multiple challenges hinder

this objective, such as the complexity of the Gulf

system, the resources required to collect data and

varied interpretations over the results and

observations. Moreover, as time progresses,

determining the fate of the oil will likely become

more difficult,".

4

“The Lost Treasure of Mexico”

GASOLINE PRODUCTION

Haitham El-Wardany

Head of Technical Studies Department in

Reforming and Gas Treatment

Suez Oil Processing Company

Gasoline is a mixture of volatile hydrocarbons with the boiling range of 30 to 200 °C, and is considered

the most important product derived from crude oil. Gasoline is used mainly as a fuel for cars (in the

internal combustion engine or motor).

5

How to get gasoline:

Gasoline produced from distillation towers is called

natural gasoline. It is in the heavy naphtha-range

with boiling range 40-200 °C and it has about 50 to

65 octane number. On average, we can get 250 ml of

gasoline per litre of crude oil.

To obtain gasoline within required octane number

speciation, gasoline blend is used. This is a mixture

of distillation naphtha, isomer naphtha, Reformat,

Alkylate and light naphtha cracker products.

The chemical composition of gasoline:

Gasoline contains more than 150 chemical

compound consists mainly of:

1- Alkanes from C4 to C13 branched and non-

branched.

2- Aromatic compounds.

3- Alkenes or olefins and alkynes (This is only

found in gasoline produced from cracking and

isomerization processes).

4- Cyclic compounds or Naphthenic.

5- Additives: This is used to improve the octane

number, and the degree of stability against

oxidation. It could also be used to control the

composition of the sediment in the internal

combustion engine.

Octane number:

When gasoline is exposed to a high temperature and

pressure in the presence of air in the internal

combustion engine (where the thermal energy is

converted to kinetic energy) a little explosion

occurs in the form of strange sound, and this

phenomenon waste energy obtained from the

fuel and may lead to the destruction of the

engine with time.

This happens as some gasoline components

auto ignite before the start the internal

combustion engine spark. The gasoline

resistance to this phenomenon is expressed in

numerical form and is named the octane

number; this gives an indication on the

quality of gasoline.

In 1927 the octane number was defined by

two components; Normal heptane

corresponds to octane zero and isooctane

(2.2.4 tri-methyl pentane) corresponds to

octane 100. Gasoline mixtures are compared

with a mixture of these two components to

determine the degree of nocking equivalent.

In general Aromatics have the highest octane

number. It was observed that the greater the

length of the straight chain paraffin, the

greater the nocking. On the other hand, as the

double bonds approaches the middle of the

chain, the nocking decreases.

There are two ways to measure the octane

number; Laboratory (RON, Research Octane

Number) and motor (MON, Motor Octane

Number). The second method is better and

more accurate.

6

How to improve the octane number of the

gasoline:

Octane number can be improved by increasing the

components of high octane rating in the gasoline,

and the following processes can do this:

1. Catalytic reforming process (Platforming): It is used to enhance the octane number of heavy

naphtha fractions. This is done at high temperature

with the aid of a suitable catalyst like platinum

loaded on zeolite or alumina. Gasoline produced in

this process is called Reformat, and it has octane

number (98-100) with high proportion of aromatics

and low olefins content. The catalytic reforming

reactions are shown in the figure above.

Platforming process variables:

a. Catalyst Type: Catalyst is chosen to meet the

refiner’s yield, activity, and the required stability.

Catalyst type will affect the temperature required to

meet a particular product quality.

b. Reactor Temperature: Higher temperature is

better. But very high temperatures, above 543°C,

may cause thermal reactions which will decrease

reformate yield and catalyst stability.

c. Space Velocity: Space velocity is a measure of

the amount of naphtha that is processed over a

given amount of catalyst over a set length of

time. The higher the space velocity, the lower

the product RON.

d. Reactor Pressure: Reactor pressure as high as

49 kg/cm2 and as low as 5.6 kg/cm2 is

applicable commercially. Decreasing the reactor

pressure will increase the amount of hydrogen

produced and the reformate yield. In addition it

will decrease the temperature requirement to

achieve the same product quality, but on the

other hand will increase catalyst coke formation

rate.

e. H2/HC Ratio: Increasing the moles of recycle

hydrogen per moles of naphtha charged to the

unit, will allow the naphtha to flow through the

reactor at a faster rate and will allow a greater

Figure: Shows the catalytic reforming reactions to enhance the octane

number of gasoline

7

heat sink for the endothermic heat of reaction. The

end result is increasing stability with little effect on

the product quality or yield.

f. Charge Stock Properties: Charge stocks with low

IBP’s 77°C will generally contain a significant

amount of C5+ material. Which cannot be

converted to aromatics and, therefore, these

pentanes will pass through unconverted, isomerized

and/or cracked to light ends. Because of their low

octane, they will dilute the overall reformate

octane. On the other hand, charge stocks with high

EP’s cause higher catalyst coking rates.

g. Feed Additives: Both chloride and water are

added to the feed in a sufficient quantity. This is

required to maintain the chloride balance on the

dual-function UOP Platforming catalyst, this will

ensure a dual function performance of the catalyst.

2. Cracker: It means cracking high molecular weight fractions

from atmospheric and vacuum distillation and the

heavy naphtha with a high molecular weight, to

smaller compounds with low molecular weight

without losing any hydrogen from the hydrocarbon

chain (not like reforming), and there are two types

of it:

a. Thermal cracking; where the feedstock is

exposed to high temperature and high pressure.

b. Catalytic cracking; where the feedstock is

exposed to high temperature with a suitable

catalyst like zeolite (required to have an acidic

property) at atmospheric pressure. Through this

process 50% of the feedstock is converted to

gasoline. This gasoline has high-octane number

but not as high as that of reformate gasoline.

3. Isomerization process: In this process, we convert the long straight chain

paraffin to branched chains. In this process we

use high temperature and selected catalyst

(Aluminum chloride or platinum on aluminum

oxide layer) to get high octane number isomers.

Note: Sometimes isomerization occurs during the

cracking process, which increases the quality of

gasoline.

4. Alkylation process: In this process, we convert short alkanes to

branched chains alkanes in the presence of a

selected catalyst to get alkyls with high octane

number. This is achieved with the help of strong

acid catalyst (hydrochloric acid or hydrofluoric

acid).

The disadvantage of this process is that gasoline

contents may polymerize during operation

causing a blockage in the vehicle carburetor.

GS Caltex Catalytic Cracking Unit

INNOVATIONS IN WASTEWATER

TREATMENT

Treatment of wastewater from petrochemical plants can be a challenging and costly matter. Particularly

when needing to comply with the requirements of the operational permits and the national environmental

legislation. These legislations of permits govern the discharge of treated wastewater to community

treatment plants or natural water bodies such as rivers, lakes and oceans.

The segregation, collection and treatment of

wastewater play a vital part in the protection of

public health, water resources and wildlife.

Refining and petrochemical facilities, as part of

their permit to operate, must demonstrate that they

are able to treat all their pollution streams to the

appropriate standards.

One of the most widely used strategies to meet the

rising demand for water and increasingly strict

environmental regulations on water is through

improved water management and the investment in

technologies to preserve and recycle process

wastewater.

The refining industry converts crude oil and

associated petroleum gas (APG) into hundreds of

refined products, including petroleum, diesel fuel,

kerosene, aviation fuel, fuel oils, lubricating oils

and primary feedstock for the petrochemical

industry. By doing so, it employs a wide variety of

physical and chemical treatment processes in

which large volumes of water are utilized, after

which they become wastewater that need to be

treated before discharging into the aquatic

environment.

In a refinery wastewater treatment system, two

steps of oil removal are typically required to free

oil prior to feeding it to a biological system.

Oil removal is achieved by using an American

Petroleum Institute separator or an equivalent oil-

water separator followed by a dissolved air

flotation or induced air flotation unit. The

wastewater is then routed to the primary treatment

clarifier and to the aeration tank and secondary

clarifier, which constitutes the biological system.

The effluent from the clarifier is then sent to

tertiary treatment, if required, prior to discharge.

The activated sludge process is the most widely

used wastewater treatment technology for the

removal of soluble organic contaminants. Often

the pH of the raw wastewater needs to be reduced

before being fed to the bio-treatment stage, as high

pH could potentially kill the bacteria doing the

treatment.

In the early 1900’s, one of the world’s leading

petrochemical manufacturers, in compliance with

legislation at the time, had been discharging

wastewater from the plant into the local river

estuary. This was done after adjusting its pH using

mineral acids, such as sulfuric and hydrochloric.

Variability in the discharged wastewater pH and

the corrosive nature of strong mineral acids led to

concerns over potential harm this may cause to

aquatic wildlife in estuaries.

Kareem Salah

Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering

Suez University

8

At this stage, the company needs to find an

environmentally friendly solution that would give

it more robust control over the whole process. In

order to achieve the target pH range through the

use of mineral acids, the Industrial Gases Technology Company “BOC Ltd” – which is part

of The Linde Group in the UK – observed periods

of pH oscillation from too much acidity dosing,

requiring adjustment with additional alkalinity.

This, inevitably, leads to extra cost and operating

complexity arising from operating two pH

adjustment processes. The company ultimately

opted for a single process route involving CO2,

which preserves the natural alkalinity of the

wastewater and the process pH control is more

stable over the desired pH control range. BOC

was appointed to design the pH control systems

“two Solvocarb tanks” for the newly designed

wastewater treatment plant.

Owing to strict environmental permits, waste-

water may only be discharged into the outlet

channels if it is within a narrow pH range (usually

between 9 and 6). The Solvocarb method employs

gaseous CO2 to neutralize alkaline waters; this

CO2, after being dissolved in water, forms

carbonic acid which reacts with the alkaline to

form a salt. The neutralization reaction controls

the pH value to the appropriate discharge level. It

was critical for the wastewater to be neutralized in

the two tanks within the time available “six-hour

window between the two tides”, which called for

challenging process hydrodynamics. Large and

variable volumes of wastewater needed to be brought

within the correct pH range within a fixed time

frame. The wrong pH value could result in the

refinery being unable to discharge the wastewater,

causing potential bottlenecks and resulting delays in

the process chain. A significant amount of testing

was conducted before the team was satisfied that the

proposed system would operate to the required

parameters.

Today, the main driver for treating effluent high in

alkalinity prior to discharging to the outfall is the

strict regulation to protect the sensitive, biodiverse

ecosystem within the estuary. Using CO2 to

neutralize an alkali effluent avoids large swings in

the discharge pH, a vital component in creating a

sustainable and suitable environment for marine life.

Compared with mineral acids commonly used in

previous years, CO2 offers many advantages,

amounting to the best economic and ecological

alternative. CO2 is not categorized as a substance that

is harmful to water and does not lead to the addition

of unwanted anions in the water environment such as

chlorides and sulfates. Moreover, there is no over-

acidification of the wastewater, due to the self-

buffering nature of CO2 in water. This produces a flat

neutralization curve and prevents the corrosion of the

system and equipment components. CO2 is also much

safer than the acids previously used. Simple to

handle, it is delivered as a liquid cryogen that is

stored in tanks on site and dosed automatically into

the process.

9

Bowling Green Plant

MARGIN DRILLING FLUIDS MEET CHALLENGES

IN REACHING THE UNTAPPED RESERVOIRS

Ihab Zaky

Senior Technical Professional

CFS/DFG Champ, Halliburton

10

As the demand for oil and gas increases, the challenges associated with drilling for these resource becomes

exaggerated at a larger rate. As we drill deeper to tap the previously unreachable reservoirs, temperatures

get hotter, pressures get higher and tolerances get smaller. As with any drilling operation, the difference

(margin) between the fracture and pore pressure dictates limitations on the drilling fluid. With that respect,

research and development has been keeping up with the ever decreasing drilling margins to help reach

these reservoirs.

Previously, Invert Emulsion Fluids (IEF) has been

utilized to drill in margins greater than (>) 1ppg.

With the introduction of high performance (HP)

clay-free IEF, enabled the industry to drill wells

with margins between 0.5 and 1.0ppg.

Now, narrow margin drilling fluids can effectively

drill through less than 0.5ppg equivalent

circulating density (ECD) windows. This can be

done by minimizing the fluctuations in rheological

properties of the fluid due to temperature and

pressure. Meaning, the fluid rheology and gel

strength does not change and more importantly

increase with an increase in temperature. The fluid

utilizes state of the art rheology enhancers and

suspension agents that enables the fluid to have the

proper carrying capacity without adversely

affecting the gel structure. Furthermore, the gel

structure is at a minimum and at the same time

enough to carry the barite at high angle wells or

prolonged static conditions. In other words,

minimal potential for sag with sag factors as low as

0.53 in 16 lb/gal fluids.

Additionally, small particle size (SPS) barite may

be employed as the weighting material instead of

the regular API standard barite. The difference

being the particle size distribution (PSD) of the

SPS barite which is 4 microns (d-50) compared to

11 microns (d-50) for regular barite. According to

Stoke’s Law, particle size has a strong influence

over the settling velocity of a particle. By

reducing the particle size of the inert solids in the

fluid, the resistance for sag is proportionally

maximized.

The ability of this fluid to push the limits of

narrow margin drilling is not dependent on only

one factor but rather all the above mentioned

innovative approaches to the fluid working

together and enhancing their effects for a fluid

system able to deliver when absolutely needed. It

is worth noting that such system has been applied

with great success in drilling operations

worldwide. Surprisingly, this system was also

applied in situations where running and cementing

liners in very low tolerances would have exceeded

the fracture pressures. The success of this system

is evident in the new reservoirs being reached

today.

Last but not least, the advances in simulation and

software modeling extend the ability to plan and

design fluids based on down-hole conditions well

before actual drilling. Not only so, software

simulation helps minimize drilling problems

associated with narrow margin drilling by

carefully monitoring all aspects of the drilling

fluid in direct conjunction with the drilling

parameters.

ENGINES ARE RUNNING ON . . . CORN!!

Mai Khaled

Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering

Suez University

11

Biofuels are fuels produced directly or indirectly from organic material biomass. Kernels of corn, mats of

algae and stalks of sugar cane are all biomass. Bioethanol (or Bioalcohol) is the most common type of

biofuels used around the world. It is produced by the fermentation reaction of micro-organisms over sugar.

It is used as fuel blend for automobiles as well as for heating purposes at home.

While Biodiesel, another type of biofuel, is

produced by transesterification of triglycerides.

The biggest consumer of Biodiesel is Europe.

Triglyceride, which is a component of fats, is

found in vegetables, animal fats and oils. While

manufacturing biofuels this triglyceride is

transformed into esters and glycerin through a

process called “transesterification”. The glycerin

settles down at the bottom while the biofuel at

the top.

Syngas can also be used in a number of

equipment as a fuel. Diesel engines, turbines and

combustible engines can use of syngas. It is

produced through partial combustion of biomass

and it contains gases, such as carbon monoxide

and hydrogen.

Biofuels are considered as a renewable energy

source because they are made from crops that can

be replanted. Fossils fuels, on the other hand, are

considered as a non-renewable one because they

are consumable, they cannot be produced.

Production of biofuels may lead to rising food

costs. For example, the most common feedstock

used to produce bioethanol is corn.

Corn is used in many types of manufactured

foods and more land will have to be cleared in

order to grow more crops as feed stock for

biofuels. This could lead to the destruction of

important ecosystems and cause soil erosion.

This is why algae is considered as an alternative

feedstock for biofuel. Algae can be grown using

land and water and are not consumed in food

production. A further benefit of algae is that algal

oil can be used for the production of a wide range

of fuels such as diesel, gasoline and jet fuel.

Biofuels Production

NEXOCTANE TECHNOLOGY FOR

ISOOCTANE PRODUCTION

The world of petroleum refining is ever-changing and always evolving. Refineries will always have to

adapt to accommodate changes in crude slates, the environment and the law. Operations become more

sophisticated through constant incremental changes, new technologies and approaches.

Mostafa Kamal

Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering

Suez University

12

An example of this evolution is how the refining

industry reacted to the decision of the US

government to ban the use of MTBE (methyl

tertiary-butyl ether) in producing isooctane due

to environmental concerns. Since the late 1990s,

concerns have arisen over the contamination of

drinking water with MTBE due to leaks from

underground tanks. This forced the US

government to take action and ban the use of

MTBE in California in 2003, and then it

completely eliminated in the USA in 2010.

MTBE has provided a cheap and effective way of

raising the octane number of gasoline since 1979

due to its ability to replace lead as an octane

enhancer. This created a gap in the market after

the MTBE phased out. The US refiners were

faced with the challenge of replacing the lost

production volume and also exploiting the

unrecovered and underutilized capital of the

MTBE producers.

That’s when the NExOCTANE technology was

developed by Fortum oil, Gas Oy and Neste

Jacobs for the production of isooctane. It

successfully produces high-octane gasoline

blending components that are essential to

increase the compliance of motor gasolines with

the quality

quality specifications and projected quantity

demand. Furthermore it provides a

straightforward solution for conversion of the

capital assets left idle after the phase out of

(MTBE). The first commercial NExOCTANE

unit started operation in the third quarter of 2002.

The NExOCTANE process is divided into two

sections; the dimerization section and the

hydrogenation section. Isobutylene is fed into the

dimerization section allowing isooctene to be

produced; the isooctene is then fed into the

hydrogenation section yielding the isooctane. The

dimerization and hydrogenation sections are

independently operated. A simplified flow

diagram of the process is demonstrated below:

Dimerization

Dimerization

Isobutylene

Isooctene Isooctane

The NExOCTANE Process Flow Diagram

13

The isobutylene dimerization takes place in the

liquid phase in adiabatic reactors over fixed beds

of acidic ion-exchange resin catalyst. The actual

process has an extra step after the dimerization

step called (product recovery) in which alcohol is

retrieved and recycled into the dimerization

reactor. Alcohol is formed in the dimerization

reactors through the reaction of a small amount

of water with olefin present in the feed.

Since the amount of alcohol (inhibitor) dictates

the amount of TMP (Tri-Methyl Phosphate)

entering the reaction, then the quality of the

product is controlled by the amount of

recirculated alcohol from the product recovery

section to the reactors. The alcohol content in the

reactor feed is typically kept at a sufficient level

so that the isooctene produced contains less than

10 percent oligomers. The hydrogenation unit is

sometimes modified to be able to reduce sulfur

content in the product. The hydrogenation

section consists of trickle-bed hydrogenation

reactor and a product stabilizer. The stabilizer

operates by removing excess hydrogen and other

light components which would otherwise

produce an end-product with undesirable vapor

pressure. The commercial NExOCTANE

processing units are designed in a way that

makes them integrate into a refinery in a similar

way to the MTBE units.

The advantages of NExOCTANE technology

are: 1- Long Lasting Dimerization Catalyst: The

process uses a proprietary acidic ion exchange

catalyst that has a life expectancy double that of

a standard resin catalyst.

2- Low Cost Plant Design: Most of the

equipment used are standard non-proprietary

equipment; including the fixed-bed reactors and

the product recovery equipment are standard

fractionation equipment. Existing product

recovery equipment in MTBE units can easily be

configured and utilized in the process.

3- High Product Quality: Octane rating and

specific gravity of NExOCTANE process

products are better than those of products

produced with alternative catalyst systems or

competing technologies.

4- Greater Blending Flexibility: The isooctane

produced is easily blended with low grade

gasoline to maximize profits by increasing

production of higher grade gasoline.

5- Process Intensification: NExOCTANE

process is considered green engineering because

two or more unit operations are combined into a

single unit operation. This results in increased

efficiency reduced operating and capital costs,

and a reduction of waste streams.

Phoenix Equipment MTBE Plant

REJECTED!!

Mohamed Abdel-Baset

Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering

Suez University

You do not build a business, you build people and then these people build the business. Every company

needs to hire great people to be the most leading company in its field. Highly qualified employees with a

professional management and direction can make progress and lead their companies to the top. For most job

positions, a baseline technical competency is required; but there are so many other traits that can predict

whether an applicant will be a good fit for the job or not.

During my visits to many petroleum companies, I

deliberated to ask about the system of recruitment

and the selection criteria. What makes an applicant

get a job rather than another one if they are equal at

the technical competency? I have conducted many

dozens of meetings with many engineers to know

the answer of this question until I gained some

decent insight into why candidates fail to get the

job and it – often – comes down to some

interviewing skills. You may be a promising

applicant, but you might be getting rejected because

you do not have one of these skills. So, here are the

most top three reasons for rejecting applicants

according to the recruiting officials in many of

petroleum companies, regardless of the technical

competency of each applicant.

1- Failure to show any Passion

During the interview, you have to show your

enthusiasm, your passion to be successful in the job

you are applying for. If you look like you are about

to fall asleep in the interview, you are not giving

the interviewer the impression that you are going to

do your best when you get the job. Passion can be

demonstrated in your body language, inflection of

voice and the light in your eyes while you are

talking.

2- Failure to connect your skills with the job

During any interview, the interviewer is looking for

the skills required for the job in the applicant’s

personality. Many applicants spend most of the

interview time talking about skills and experiences

that have no relevance to the job. Does it really

matter

matter that so many applicants like reading,

watching movies and playing tennis? Obviously, it

does not! So, you do not have to mention your own

hobbies in your CV or during the interview. When

you are applying for any job, all you have to do is

to try to display your skills that are related to the

job. You can talk about your history in volunteering

work and social activities, awards you got and skills

you have gained. You can also market yourself by

telling a story about how did you save the day in a

critical situation.

3- Failure to answer or ask Questions Yes, you may be a promising applicant, your

experiences are relevant and your leadership, and

communication, skills appeared strong but, after all

of that, you find out that you were rejected!

During the interview, you have to persuade the

interviewer by the correctness of your answers; they

must possess a high degree of confidence and

clarity.

At the end of any interview, there is a plenty of

time for questions. If you have none, that means

you do not show any bit of curiosity regarding how

the organization was structured, how the team

worked, what challenges the company has faced

and what targets they are aiming.

So, the next time you are preparing for an

interview, try to demonstrate your passion and

market yourself; connect your experiences and

skills with the job and prepare to some questions to

ask; this will surely increase your chance of

succeeding in getting the job.

14

IS NATURAL GAS LIQUEFACTION

REALLY THAT IMPORTANT?

Nada Ibrahim

Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering

Suez University

15

If we tried to think of a source of energy that is considered as the cleanest burning fossil fuel, we would –

definitely – choose natural gas.

Regardless of its preferred characteristics, it

cannot be delivered to many cities and towns

which are far from its origin because the

transportation process is uneconomical and

impractical. This problem can be solved by

liquefying it and producing liquefied natural gas

(LNG). Liquefied natural gas is a clear, non-toxic

liquid that can be transported more easily than

natural gas because it occupies 600 times less

space.

LNG was first made, in the 19th century, by

Michael Faraday while doing an experiment that

involves liquefying different types of gases and

mixing them together. The first LNG plant was

built in 1912 in West Virginia and started

operation in 1917.

Liquefied natural gas is produced by cooling

natural gas to a very low temperature (-160 oC)

after several processes. Then, it is purified from

impurities, and water is removed as they may

cause blockage while cooling. These two processes

are priorities before liquefying.

After several processes of filtration, LNG is stored

in tanks and shipped to its destination, where it is

converted back to the gaseous state by

regasification facilities. Now, it can be used at

homes and in industries.

Natural Gas Liquefaction

GENDER EQUALITY

The inevitable fact that can never be denied that absence of gender equality has led to radical problems and

continuously dilated gap in our community at five main aspects which are: Health, education, economic

opportunities, political participation, and human security.

Females' health omission is a result of the wrong

belief that females are not in need to the right

strong body building; whether by healthy diet or

practicing a sport. There is a prevalent conviction

that the importance of women is confined in the

mother role, neglecting the idea that health's

indifference badly affects every new born in our

community. Women's communities' education

about the importance of maternal health gives

women their social status to make health care

decisions and seek medical attention.

Increasing child mortality, fertility and AIDS

hinder the marital life's improvement;

consequently, it has been clearly shown that

mothers' education makes a big difference and that

the positive effects increase with each additional

year spent by the girl in the school. We are in a

great need for accelerating actions and revitalizing

concepts of importance of girls' education and

disadvantages of their ignorance. Women's limited

benefit from communication technologies is also

likely to reduce the competitiveness of the

countries in the global market.

"Girls' education, an investment in the future" is a

culture we need to spread by responsible

organizations stressing on the fact that girls have

the intellectual capacity to improve the

humanitarian situation substantially.

Talking about economic opportunities and political

participation, each woman in our society has to

multiply her efforts to hold a position compared by a

man trying to reach the same position; therefore, that

le-ads to the lack of participation of women in

decision-making in all areas of life and at all levels

of society which prevents the eradication of poverty

and stands against building democratic societies.

Human security is the most deteriorated issue in

women's rights. Statistics concerning this issue are

terrifying; in 2012, fifty percent of murdered women

were killed by partners or family, one in three

women has experienced physical or sexual violence

– mostly by an intimate partner-, and only 52

countries criminalize rape within marriage while two

and half billion women and girls live in countries

that don't.

For all mentioned problems, there should be

responsible organizations and initiatives that

advocate every individual in the society not to see

those problems just about women because men need

to recognize the part they play, too. We have to raise

and encourage our boys to think differently, respect

women, and treat them as equal so we can see a

generational change around the world. In addition,

raise our girls to speak up when they see or

experience physical, emotional or sexual harassment.

The society as whole should emphasize on the full

implementation of the rules aiming to the elimination

of all forms of discrimination against women as it's

not a good indication for a society to have half of its

population silenced, ignored or treated poorly.

Nesma Wagih

Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering

Suez University

16

COSMIC HOLES IN A NUTSHELL

Mohamed Tarek

Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering

Suez University

In this article we will discover the mysteries of black holes and theories about the existence of other kinds

of holes such as; "wormholes", gateways in hyperspace that connect points in space and time and possibly

lead to other dimensions.

A black hole is a region of space-time from which

gravity prevents anything, including light, from

escaping. Around a black hole, there is a

mathematically defined surface called an event

horizon that marks the point of no return. The

hole is called "black" because it absorbs all the

light that hits the horizon, reflecting nothing, just

like a perfect black body in thermodynamics.

Quantum field theory in curved space-time

predicts that event horizons emit radiation like a

black body with a finite temperature. This

temperature is inversely proportional to the mass

of the black hole, making it difficult to observe

this radiation for black holes of stellar mass or

greater.

A wormhole, also known as an Einstein-Rosen

Bridge is a hypothetical feature of space-time. For

a simple visual explanation of a wormhole,

consider space-time visualized as a two-

dimensional (2D) surface. If this surface is folded

along a third dimension, it allows one to picture a

wormhole "bridge". A wormhole is, in theory,

much like a tunnel with two ends each in separate

points in space-time.

The Birth of a Black Hole

17

OVERVIEW ON NGL RECOVERY

THROUGH TURBO-EXPANDER

PROCESSES

Gas processing covers a broad range of operations to prepare natural gas for market. This includes

processes for removal of contaminants such as H2S, CO2 and water and processes for recovering light

hydrocarbon liquids for sale.

Haitham Dwedar

Process Engineer

United Gas Derivatives Company (UGDC)

18

The recovery of light hydrocarbon liquids from

natural gas streams can range from simple dew

point control to deep ethane extraction. The

desired degree of liquid recovery has a

profound effect on process selection,

complexity, and cost of the processing facility.

The term NGL (natural gas liquids) is a general

term which applies to liquids recovered from

natural gas and as such refers to ethane and

heavier products (C2+). Typically, modern gas

processing facilities produce a single ethane

plus a product (normally called Y-grade) which

is often sent offsite for further fractionation and

processing. Whether accomplished on-site or at

another facility, the mixed product will be further

fractionated to make products such as purity

ethane, ethane-propane (EP), commercial

propane, Propane-butane mixtures (LPG) , normal

butane, mixed butanes, butane-gasoline (BG),

and de-butanized natural gasoline (DNG or

stabilized condensate).

The degree of fractionation which occurs is

market and geographically dependent. In Egypt

NGL plant produce ethane-propane mixtures or

commercial propane as a feedstock for

petrochemical industry. In addition, propane-

butane mixture (LPG) is produced which was

considered as the only source of energy in

Egyptians domestic use. Recently the government

has implemented an ambitious plan for availing

natural gas as the predominant source of energy

in domestic uses.

Early efforts in the 20th century for liquid

recovery involved compression and cooling of the

gas stream and stabilization of a gasoline product. The lean oil absorption process was developed in

the 1920s to increase recovery of gasoline and

produce products with increasing quantities of

butane. These gasoline products were, and still

are, sold on a Reid vapor pressure (RVP)

specification.

Gas Processing

19

In order to further increase production of liquids,

refrigerated lean oil absorption was developed in

the 1950s. By cooling the oil and the gas with

refrigeration, propane product can be recovered.

With the production of propane from lean oil

plants, a market developed for LPG as a portable

liquid fuel.

Recently, the use of straight refrigeration

typically results in a much more economical

processing facility. The refrigeration of the gas

can be accomplished with mechanical

refrigeration, absorption refrigeration, expansion

through a J-T valve, or a combination.

Straight refrigeration units that most often use

propane as refrigerant or low temperature

separations units have proven to be economical

and reliable , but their operating temperatures

limits deep extraction for all NGL in natural gas

stream.

In order to achieve still lower processing

temperatures, cascade refrigeration, mixed

refrigerants, and turbo-expander technologies

have been developed and applied.

With these technologies, recoveries of liquids

can be significantly increased to achieve deep

ethane recoveries. Early ethane recovery

facilities targeted about 50 % ethane recovery.

As processes developed, ethane recovery

efficiencies have increased to well over 90%.

In some instances, heavy hydrocarbons are

removed to control the hydrocarbon dew point of

the gas and prevent liquid from condensing in

pipeline transmission and fuel systems. In this

case the liquids are a byproduct of the processing

and if no market exists for the liquids, they may

be used as fuel. Alternatively, the liquids may be

stabilized and marketed as condensate.

• Turboexpander Processing

The process which dominates ethane recovery

facility design is the turbo-expander process. This

process uses the feed gas pressure to produce

needed refrigeration by expansion across a turbine

(turbo-expander). The turbo-expander recovers

useful work from this gas expansion. Typically

the expander is linked to a centrifugal compressor

to recompress the residue gas from the process.

Because the expansion is near isentropic, the

turbo-expander lowers the gas temperature

significantly more than expansion across a J-T

valve.

The process as originally conceived utilized a top

feed, non-refluxed demethanizer. As higher and

higher recovery levels have been desired,

alternative designs have been developed.

The focus of these designs is to produce reflux

for the demethanizer to attain lower overhead

temperatures and higher ethane recovery.

The turboexpander process has been applied to a

wide range of process conditions and, in addition

to ethane recovery projects, is often used as a

process for high propane recovery. The process

can be designed to switch from ethane recovery

to ethane rejection operation with minimal

operating changes.

• Types of Turbo-expander process

1- Conventional Process It is the original turboexpander process, where

dry feed gas is first cooled against the residue gas

and used for side heating of the demethanizer.

Additionally, with richer gas feeds, mechanical

refrigeration is often needed to supplement the

gas chilling. The chilled gas is sent to the cold

separator where the condensed liquid is

separated, flashed and fed to the middle part of

the demethanizer. The vapor flows through the

turboexpander and feeds the top of the column.

A J-T valve is installed in parallel with the

expander. This valve can be used to handle

excess gas flow beyond the design of the

expander or can be used for the full flow if the

expander is out of service.

Conventional Expander

20

In this configuration the ethane recovery is

limited to about 80% or less. Also, the cold

separator is operated at a low temperature to

maximize recovery.

2- Residue Recycle Process (RRP) To increase the ethane recovery beyond the 80%

achievable with the conventional design, a source

of reflux must be developed for the demethanizer.

One of the methods is to recycle a portion of the

residue gas, after recompression, back to the top

of the column. As shown in the following figure,

the process flow is similar to the conventional

design except that a portion of the residue is

brought back through the inlet heat exchange. At

this point the stream is totally condensed and is at

the residue gas pipeline pressure. The stream is

then flashed to the top of the demethanizer to

provide reflux. The expander outlet stream is sent

a few trays down in the tower rather than to the

top of the column. The reflux provides more

refrigeration to the system and allows very high

ethane recovery to be realized. The recovery level

is a function of the quantity of recycle in the

design.

The RR process can be used for very high ethane

recoveries limited only by the quantity of

horsepower provided.

3- Gas Subcooled Process (GSP) The Gas Subcooled Process (GSP) was developed

to over-come the problems encountered with the

conventional expander process. This process,

shown in the following figure, alters the

conventional

conventional process in several ways. A portion

of the gas from the cold separator is sent to a heat

exchanger where it is totally condensed with the

overhead stream. This stream is then flashed to

top of the demethanizer providing reflux to the

demethanizer.

As with the RR process, the expander feed is sent

to the tower several stages below the top of the

column. Because of this modification, the cold

separator operates at much warmer conditions

well away from the system critical. Additionally,

the residue recompression is less than with the

conventional expander process. The horsepower is

typically lower than the RR process at recovery

levels below 92%.

4- The Cold Residue Recycle (CRR) The Cold Residue Recycle (CRR) process is a

modification of the GSP process to achieve

higher ethane recovery levels. The process flow

is similar to the GSP except that a compressor

and condenser have been added to the overhead

system to take a portion of the residue gas and

provide additional reflux for the demethanizer.

Residue Recycle

Gas Subcooled Process

Cold Residue Recycle Process

21

This process is attractive for extremely high

ethane recovery. Recovery levels above 98% are

achievable with this process. This process is also

excellent for extremely high propane recovery

while rejecting essentially all the ethane.

5- High Propane Recovery Processes The previous processes are processes which can

recover ethane in the presence of CO2. They can

also be configured to reject ethane and recover a

reasonable level of propane. The processes are

equilibrium limited in the overhead reflux stream

to achieve high propane recovery.

Other process configurations have been developed

which focus on high propane recovery. These are

especially attractive in locations where ethane

recovery is not contemplated.

One such process is the OverHead Recycle

process (OHR). This process configuration uses

an absorber column and deethanizer column to

achieve the desired separation. The overhead from

the deethanizer is condensed and used to absorb

propane from the expander outlet stream. This

configuration provides more efficient recovery of

propane but is not suitable for ethane recovery.

This process can be reconfigured to the GSP if

ethane recovery is desired.

The OHR process has been improved to make

better use of the refrigeration available in the feed

streams. The Improved Overhead Reflux (IOR)

process shown in the figure above makes a few

strategic changes from the OHR process. In this

process the reflux for the deethanizer is produced

in the absorber over-head system which produces

reflux for both towers. The absorber bottomsis

heated against the feed before being sent to the

deethanizer. The use of the two columns results in

a propane recovery of over 99% while the ethane

recovery is set to produce the desired purity

propane in the deethanizer bot-toms. This basic

IOR setup has been modified by combining the

absorber and deethanizer into a single column

with a side draw to produce reflux.

IOR process is the latest proven technology for

turboexpander processing used in Egypt, other

processes were innovated by the continuous

development for IOR process, but these

technologies are used in US, Canada and Arab

Gulf region.

OHR Process

IOR Process

22

LOCAL

- BP has signed an agreement to invest $12 billion in Egypt that will produce 3

billion barrels of oil equivalent, a joint statement from the company and the

government said on Saturday. The agreement will include a West Nile Delta

project, exploration and resource appraisal activities, East Nile Delta operations

and operations in the Gulf of Suez.

- The Ministry of Petroleum has assigned importing the liquefied natural gas (LNG)

needed for power plants during fiscal year (FY) 2015/2016 to the Egyptian

General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC). The corporation would pay for the

imported gas from its own resources. The EGPC budget will include around

$2.5bn to import LNG shipments, as well as paying for regasification ship,

according to Tarek El-Mulla, Chairman of EGPC. EGAS, The Egyptian Natural

Gas Holding Company, has already agreed with Norwegian oil company HOG on

renting a regasification ship at an exchange rate of 31 cents for each 1m thermal

units. The agreement stipulated that around 500m cubic feet of gas would be

converted daily.

- Last October, Egypt proposed a tender to import LNG, with four international

companies including British Petroleum (BP) and multinational Vitol winning the

tender. This would provide around 40 shipments of LNG annually. An initial

agreement with Russian Gazprom was reached to import 35 shipments of LNG

over the next five years, in addition to six shipments from Algerian Sonatrach

during 2015, according to Minister of Petroleum, Sherif Ismail.

23

GLOBAL

BP has announced that Iain Conn, group

managing director and chief executive for

Downstream, is leaving the company and is

to step down from BP’s board by the end of

the year. Conn has worked for BP for 29

years, serving on the board for the past 10

years and in his current downstream role for

the past seven.

BP and the China National Offshore Oil

Corporation (CNOOC) have signed a heads

of agreement for the supply of up to 1.5

million tons of liquefied natural gas (LNG)

per year over 20 years, starting in 2019.

BP and Tokyo Electric Power Company

(TEPCO) have signed a sales and purchase

agreement for LNG. Under the agreement,

TEPCO will purchase from BP up to 1.2

million tons of LNG per year for 17 years,

starting in 2017. This is the first long-term

portfolio contract for TEPCO. It is also BP’s

first long-term contract with TEPCO where

BP is the sole supplier.

Aviation purchase Air BP has announced

its agreement to purchase the aviation

fuel business, Statoil Fuel & Retail

Aviation AS (SFR Aviation), from

Canadian company Alimentation

Couche-Tard Inc. The deal will add

around 73 new airports in the Nordic

countries and northern Europe to Air

BP’s 600-strong global fuels network.

England

China

Japan

Europe

Ibrahim Ragab Faculty of Petroleum and

Mining Engineering

Suez University

Hossam Magdy

Editor-in-Chief

Faculty of Petroleum and

Mining Engineering

Nesma Wagih

Publisher

Faculty of Petroleum and

Mining Engineering

Ibrahim Ragab

Managing Editor

Faculty of Petroleum and

Mining Engineering

Menna El-Manzalawy

Associate Editor

Faculty of Petroleum and

Mining Engineering

Ahmed Mokhtar

Designer

Faculty of Petroleum and

Mining Engineering

24

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