ERTC 2020 Call for Papers

Topics

Please be advised that the ERTC call for papers closed on the 30th of March 2020. For any enquiries please contact our team.

Sandil Sanmugam

Sandil Sanmugam

Portfolio Director, Europe

t:+44 207 384 7744

Sarah Casey

Sarah Casey

Project Director

t: +44 207 384 7955

Operational Excellence, Process Optimisation & Margin Improvement

With increasing global competition and regulatory shifts, refiners and producers continue to seek the means in which to capture value and gain margin improvements.  Leveraging technology and techniques to enhance reliability, flexibility and smarten operations must continue to be a priority for Europe’s ageing assets.

Clean Fuels, Biofuels & Alternative Fuel Production

The ability to produce biofuels and the security of renewable feedstock is likely to play crucial role in the survival of EU refineries. The production of advanced biofuels will affect refinery configuration and put pressure on existing catalysts, with today’s refiners now seeking novel solutions for biomass conversion and clear pathways for the utilisation of existing refinery assets. New technologies and approaches to co-processing are also welcome under this topic, as are technologies or future strategies to convert waste products in the refinery of the future.

Energy Efficiency

As the single largest spend after crude, minimizing energy losses is a fundamental that will never go away for Europe’s refiners and producers. Technologies that transform or reduce energy loss are always important considerations.

Maintenance and Reliability

As regional refineries age, the maintenance and reliability of them continue to be an important issue. We welcome papers on asset maintenance, turnarounds and technologies aimed at maximising value and the life cycle of refinery equipment – as well as key ROI indicators.

Refining-Petchem Integration and New Routes to Olefins / Aromatics

Higher efficiency internal combustion engines, increasing hybridisation and the rise of e-mobility are eroding transport fuel demand, leaving refiners to seek ways to transform naphtha and diesel into more valuable products. The future profit for refiners will be very much influenced by their petrochemical production capacity, and as such must route more streams from fuel products to petrochemical products in order to maximize margins. Adding flexibility and petrochemical integration is a key survival strategy for European refiners.

Topics can include olefins and aromatics production, crude to chemical technologies and any petrochemical advancements

Global Demand & the Role of Refineries in the Energy Transition and the circular economy

The most pressing issue for European refineries is establishing their role in the energy transition and creating the optimal strategy to support global demand, while being cost-competitive with their Indian and Middle Eastern counterparts. In this topic we are looking for exciting papers that could outline the potential options for European refineries to remain successful in the long-term- whether discussing future financial forecasts or European legislation.

Refinery Configuration and Conversion Technologies

Changing bunker fuel specifications and the rise of electric vehicles are driving the requirement for real molecular management. Europe’s refiners are looking to re-configure and invest in residue upgrading, hydrocracking and heavy oil conversion processes, as well as maximize their middle distillates.

Digitalisation Technologies

Today, digitalisation has become the differentiator between successful and unsuccessful refiners and producers, and a direct enabler of enhanced productivity, improved safety and competitiveness. It is important to see how robotic process automation, IT systems and automation can support refinery engineers with their day-to-day onsite processes. This of course also includes big data, IOT and cyber security considerations.

Carbon capture, GHG reduction and other clean technologies

Decarbonisation is driving the need for Carbon capture, GHG reduction technologies and advancements. As refiners look at ways to offset emissions, we will look at CCUS technologies- those that are in use today and those coming in the near future.

Catalyst Technologies

Catalysts will always be essential to the profitability, sustainability and environmental compliance of refineries. Here we will look at the latest advances in catalyst technologies and assess how they can be integrated into European refiners’ strategies. The use of catalysts in co-processing and the production of petrochemical products are also welcomed.