Lowering sulphur levels in finished fuels is a common practice going back to the 1990s, in an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. With the introduction of new hydroprocessing technologies, Refineries have always been able to adapt to these new standards. However, new regulation changes pose new challenges for the industry.
With global regulations becoming increasingly more stringent, refineries are being forced to run their assets under more severe conditions to meet these new vehicle and environmental standards, increasing unit 'stress', causing the industry to experience more widespread fouling issues.
