Praxair and Valero successfully implement patented CONOx technology  

Praxair, Inc. (Danbury, Conn.; www.praxair.com) and Valero have successfully implemented Praxair’s new CONOx emissions-control technology at Valero’s petroleum refinery in Ardmore, Oklahoma. This technology has helped the refinery meet its fluid-catalytic cracking (FCC) unit oxides-of-nitrogen (NOx) reduction target without requiring a shutdown for installation. FCC units convert petroleum crude oil feedstocks into more valuable products like gasoline. Praxair’s proprietary CONOx system is a practical, low-capital-cost technology for refiners searching for a way to reduce emissions. It also allows refiners more flexibility to modify the operation of the FCC unit as needed while ensuring FCC limits are always being met. After eight months of operation at the Ardmore facility, the CONOx system continues to meet Valero’s needs and provide necessary NOx reduction. “Praxair refining specialists have collaborated with refiners for decades and have extensive knowledge of FCC units,” says Subodh Ganguly, director of refinery and hydrogen applications for Praxair. “As one of the world’s leading industrial gas companies, we have many successful oxygen enrichment installations in refineries. Our…