October 1998

We have reported several times on the trend toward integrating process and machinery controls to improve asset management from the process control system perspective. Real-time machinery data can be u..

Earlier this year, I was teaching a course in "Reciprocating Compressor Reliability Optimization and Improvement" to a group of engineers and senior technicians at a U.S. oil production location. Reco..

The 17th Congress of the World Energy Council was held on September 13 – 18, 1998, in Houston, Texas. Industry and government leaders from over 100 nations discussed and debated the key issues th..

Risk is poorly understood by the general public and by many engineers. It is typified by two extreme attitudes that I call the Two Bomb and the Black Helicopter. The Two Bomb attitude is derived from ..

Over the past few years, gasoline prices in California (as well as other areas of the U.S.) have experienced occasional spikes. In some areas, most notably San Diego and San Francisco, these price spi..

A plant's success in meeting its strategically and competitively based production goals is measured as revenues. Revenues, along with cost per unit, total expenses, and working and capital investment ..

 Fig. 1   Process and equipment configur..

Deep-conversion technology will enable Russian refiners to compete in the global marketplace

Using a risk-based approach on processing systems, engineers can cost-effectively meet required safeguards without compromising operating safety

A workable scheme can satisfy management, plant personnel and regulating agencies that the system is properly designed and maintained

Research is developing technologies that mitigate unexpected process upsets – the ASM story

Olefins operator reduces maintenance costs by installing MACT sealing systems on compressors

Quick review highlights recent addendums to API 653

Use these guidelines and checklist to evaluate a fabricator's ability to deliver the specified product on time

Mapping system lowers as-built survey costs A powerful new 3D mapping, modeling and imaging tool has been introduced by Cyra Technologies, Inc. The Cyrax 3D Laser Mapping System is claimed to conduc..

Elliot Co., Jeannette, Pennsylvania, has acquired Turbine Specialties Inc., Salina, Kansas, and Harvey, Louisiana, and American Diesel Engineering, Yorktown, Virginia. These acquired facilities have b..

DSM Research, the R&D organization of the Dutch-based international chemicals and materials group – DSM N.V., and Cambridge Combinatorial, have reached an agreement regarding research cooperation..

Air-cooled probe shroud for high-temperature environments The Model 022 air-cooled probe shroud allows use of standard borescopes in high-temperature, high pressure and corrosive environments. Optic..

Amoco licenses gas phase technology for plant expansion Amoco Corp. and Chemopetrol have agreed on licensing Amoco's gas phase polypropylene process technology for the expansion of Chemopetrol's fac..

Portable scanning system New four-color bulletin covers Krautkramer's ANDSCAN – a portable scanning, data analysis and documentation system for generating critical-area inspection images. It ca..

Gas, oil industries anticipate on-time Y2K readiness. According to a recent survey of more than 800 gas and oil companies, nearly a third of respondents who provided dates expect to have their compute..

Hydrocarbon processing companies have been paying tax dollars to Superfund to finance cleanups of the worst hazardous sites. Promulgated in 1980, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation..

Oil company commodity chemical operations have closed the financial performance gap with petrochemical companies, according to a new study from New Vernon Associates, Inc., Parsippany, New Jersey. ..

An "Energy Advisory" from the East-West Center addresses the pre-existing potential for a supply surplus in the Asia-Pacific LNG industry. It examines some of the causes and also forecasts supply and ..

HPI owners, contractors, suppliers and business analysts convened recently to discuss critical issues of mutual interest. The 30th annual Engineering and Construction Contracting Conference, Scottsdal..

From 1998 through 2003, benzene is forecast to grow at 3.9%/yr to 35.1 million tons (MMton). Following growth of 1.6% in 1996, demand for benzene and its derivatives spurted during 1997 to a 6.2% grow..

An oversupply of crude oil has kept prices down in the U.S. throughout the summer, despite the seasonal high demands for gasoline. However, low gasoline prices could signal trouble ahead, warned the I..

The supply chain management (SCM) market will grow at a 50% compound annual growth rate over the next five years, reaching $13.6 billion in 2002. So says AMR Research, Inc., an industry and market ana..

A plan to clean up soil and groundwater contamination is frequently not easy to formulate, since the problem's effects are typically invisible. Soil and groundwater contamination are expensive remedia..

Loss prevention, as illustrated on this month's cover, is focused on avoiding fire and other catastrophic events. In the latest Marsh & McLennan survey,1 fires are cited as the second frequent cause o..