With varied challenges like economy changes, varying regulatory standards and process optimization, refineries world over are always on the lookout for solutions to maximize productivity while keeping costs at a minimum. Continuous technological advancements in refining and increasing energy demands has seen a lot of joint ventures in setting up new refineries or revamping current operations in existing refineries. Fleming Gulf through its Global Refining Technology Forum series, endeavors to bring together global refining experts under one roof to delve into new industry developments, network with peers and learn about new techniques to implement in their organizations. The fourth edition of Annual Global Refining Technology Forum got off to a great start today at the Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel in Qatar. Spanning over three days till the 17th September 2014, the forum saw attendees representing organizations like Qatar Petroleum, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Co. Ltd. (SAMREF), Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical Company (Petro Rabigh), Qatargas, Saudi Aramco, Sinopec, Borouge, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Kuwait Oil Company, Eni Refining & Marketing, Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Co. Ltd and Sasol.

Day one kicked off with keynote address by Dr. M R Riazi, Professor Chemical Engineering Department - Kuwait University; Editor in Chief for International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology who later also delivered a presentation on heavy oil characteristics and processing to produce middle distillates. Dr. Riazi has a vast experience in the field and has about 140 publications to his name. David Pullan, Group Downstream Development Senior Vice President - MOL Group followed Dr. Riazi to present on improvement of energy efficiency and operational reliability and investments related to it. Pullan has 23 years experience in the refining industry, having worked for companies like ExxonMobil Engineering and Petroplus.

A pre - lunch panel discussion on leveraging automation to drive process efficiencies saw participation from Dr. Yang Ling, Regional Marketing & Technology Representative - Sinopec Tech (Germany), Willem Carsten, Operational Excellence Consultant - SASOL, Fareed Khan, Vice President APC/RTO - Reliance Industries Limited (India), Rehan Ahmed, Chapter Chair - Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC), Harald Seidler, Senior Engineer and Head of Sales (Valves – Oil & Gas) - ARCA Valves GmbH and Dr. Riazi. Day one ended with a presentation on polyolefins and its use for industrial and petrochemical complexes by Mohamed Ali Awadh Jaber, Application Marketing Manager; Pipe - Borouge after which the floor was opened to the delegates for a quick question answer session.

Tomorrow speakers from Sinopec Tech, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, ARCA Valves GmbH, Petro Rabigh, Reliance Industries Limited and Kuwait Oil Company will present at the forum. One of the key highlights of day two will be a panel discussion on unlocking future roles of FCC and hydroprocessing units in modern refineries which will closely look at options to evaluate and improve hydrotreater profitability, incorporating biofeeds into existing hydrotreating units based on economic considerations and ways to enhance operational flexibility and increase returns on investment. Last day of the forum will see a workshop on advance steam condensate system; challenges and solutions conducted by Spirax Sarco, one of the sponsors at the forum. The forum is an excellent opportunity for delegates to share experiences with their peers and learn about new technological and industrial innovations.