December 2003

Selecting this strategy for plant services can lower maintenance costs and raise productivity

Following all the written codes and normal practices does not necessarily ensure a good finished product

It is more economical and less prone to leaks in many applications

An orderly procedure allows data to be organized and analyzed

Going beyond through-air technologies, they are suitable for difficult-to-measure liquids and solids

Here’s an overview of the issues and potential paybacks

Applying plant-wide pinch analysis for an existing facility often lowers CAPEX for expansions and retrofits

An integrated approach enables establishing base-industries complex for medium-sized plants at lower CAPEX

Here are the causes and how to remedy them

Hanger and spring support-relatedinstallation oversights are responsible for many excessive pipestress incidents. Piping-induced loads will often cause pumpcasings to deflect. Consequently, important ..

Increasingly, intelligent piping andinstrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) are entering the plantoperations arena. Improvements to the bottom line are drivinggrowing interest in what had previously been con..

A new slant appears to be emergingregarding the subject of computerization and information technology(IT) within refineries – the so-called “smart” refinery.Discussions at a recent Euro..

SO 3control applying SBS injection technology BELCO has developed a patented reagentinjection technology to control flue-gas SO 3emissions at refineries. The SBS injection technologywas intr..

Exclusive technology license BOC, Murray Hill, New Jersey, has anexclusive license with Belco Technologies Corp., Parsippany, NewJersey, to use its patented LoTOxnitrogen oxide (NO..

Low-cost data acquisition with GPS time stamping The PAR4CH and PARGPS modules – a newproduct line of low-cost data acquisition boards – combinemultichannel 24-bit A/D pe..

CB&Ihas a lump-sum turnkey contract valued at $80million for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal expansionproject in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Owned and operated by Trunkline LNG Co., a Southern Uni..

Ticona,Kronberg, Germany, Celanese AG’stechnical polymers business, is increasing itsEuropean capacity for ultra high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMW-PE) at its Oberhausen, Germany, site. The ..

Aker Kvaernerhas a contract to provide engineering,procurement and technical advisory support for two new pureterephthalic acid (PTA) plants located in the Asia-Pacific region.The $170 million agreeme..

Monsanto Enviro-Chem Systems Inc.,a Monsanto Co.wholly owned subsidiary, and Linde AG, have acontract to provide basic engineering services and proprietaryequipment supply to Dolphin Energy Ltd.,Abu D..

Techniphas an $80 million contract with Petrobrasto design and construct a natural gas plant inGuamaré, in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. This isclaimed to be the first onshore gas pro..

Wireless smart process instrumentation Claiming to be the next-generationinstrumentation revolution, integrated wireless Smart processinstrumentation systems can measure, monitor and ..

  Massive investments inenergy forecast ..

More than ever, there is tremendoustime pressure to complete projects faster and for less capital. “Inthe execution of these ultra-fast track projects, it is oftentempting to skip key steps in pr..

A first-of-its-kind program is beingestablished to provide credentials for process piping designers.The Society of Piping Engineers and Designers (SPED) isspearheading the multilevel certification pro..

In August, global activity chemicalbusinesses rose 1.4%, says a report from the American ChemistryCouncil. During August, the latest month for which statistics havebeen analyzed, activity rose in most..

“The industry will not develop along astraightforward course; it will have to weather disruptions andmake midcourse adjustments,” says well-known industry analyst andauthor Daniel Yergin. In..

Best practices, value-enhancingpractices, and value management and engineering are buzzwords usedthroughout the engineering and construction industry. Oftenconfusion and mystery surround the meaning o..

Recent advances in catalyst and processmethods for value-added polyolefins will have significantdisruptive impacts on current technologies and resins. So says anew study from The Catalyst Group Resour..

Aiming to identify what the energyindustry needs to focus its attention on, a new initiative is beingformed called the Centre for Hydrocarbon Business Innovation. Agroup of leaders from downstream and..

US greenhouse gas emissions grew muchslower than the economy in 2002. Greenhouse gas emissions increasedby 0.5% in 2002, from 6,829 million metric tons carbon dioxideequivalent (MMtCO2e) in 2..

Gail Powley,guest columnist       Comments? Write: LK@HydrocarbonProcessing.com ..