November 2007

Consider these successful approaches that progressive businesses are implementing to ensure peak process safety performance

This often overlooked problem is manageable

New simulation tools allow engineers to fully investigate processing conditions in piping systems

How to determine if equipment should be considered wetted or unwetted when calculating fire relief load

Safety programs involve both protection systems and organization culture

Choosing the correct media bed can help lower emissions and operating costs

Microbes cause problems in plant condensers and coolers

Better water chemistry practices can increase reliability of sulfur recovery units

Identifying the root causes for poor performance saves operating costs and improves water quality

Advanced methods enable recycling process water for plant applications

Here's how to attain world-class operation that will result in large economic benefits

With today's evolving strategies for plant automation, many end users are asking: Should process control loops remain in a centralized distributed control system (DCS) or programmable logic controller..

A sales engineer visited a customer with different pieces of processing equipment that included an oven. The customer asked a lubrication-related question and received an answer from the sales enginee..

The transnational natural gas trade is expanding with growing liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Such expansions will require unprecedented resources including technical, managerial and financial, e..

The annual European Refining Technology Conference (ERTC) returns to Spain this month after six years of defining Industrial water systems require routine maintenance and repairs. As equipment ages, i..

The transparency of accessible information from anywhere at any time will be key to future hydrocarbon processing productivity. However, before we can enjoy these benefits, we need to go back to wher..

The annual European Refining Technology Conference (ERTC) returns to Spain this month after six years of defining change. In Madrid in 2001 we were still ruminating the endless redundancies that follo..

"HPIn Associations" offers event listings and keeps track of association leadership.  We interview professional staff and high-ranking advisory board members, asking about their goals, lobbying p..

New process upgrades heavy ends as refinery fuel Multiphase superfine atomized residue (MSAR) fuel is a liquid fuel consisting of very fine oil particles dispersed in a water carrier. Heavy residual f..

Asset management software RealityLINx version 5.0 is said to offer management-of-change features such as 3D modeling, improved laser-scanning image support and enhanced synchronization with popular CA..

  Bechtel Corp. has a detailed design and construction agreement with Motiva Enterprises LLC for a project that will add 325,000 bpd to Motiva's Port Arthur, Texas, refinery. A joint venture of B..

Total has sanctioned construction of a 1 million-tpy desulfurization unit at its Leuna refinery in Germany. Scheduled for commissioning in fall 2009, the new unit will supply the German domestic mark..

  Uhde has opened a new electrolysis plant for the production of chlorine and caustic soda at Vestolit in Marl, Germany. The plant was commissioned in April 2007 and has a production capacity of ..

  Praxair China has plans to build a new specialty gases facility in Nanjing, China. The plant, scheduled to start up in August 2008, will consist of a specialty gases laboratory, calibration equ..

    Biodiesel instrumentation details  AMETEK Petrolab's four-page brochure presents an overview of its complete line of instruments available for testing biodiesel fuels in ac..

Cyber-security standards Industry leaders from a number of major control system users and manufacturers have created an organization to establish a..

Average October 1 to March 31 prices and expenditures for all space-heating fuels are projected to be higher than winter 2006–2007. Residential natural gas prices are expected to average $13.14/t..

The US is experiencing the highest level of new investment in biofuels in recent years, making it the fastest expanding market in the world for biologically derived renewable fuel, according to recent..

Large oil and gas production projects worldwide are likely to continue to suffer delays owing to an expanding shortfall of qualified project engineering resources. Compared with the estimated number o..

By 2015, revenues for suppliers of air pollution control systems, services, consumables and components will reach $80 billion. The strong growth trend will not be slowed by global warming initiatives..

The politics of energy are changing fast. Energy is right at the top of the political agenda. "But now more than ever in our history, the future of our industry will be shaped by government policies a..

Investing in people knowledge I read your July 2007 "HPImpact" piece, "New world of work requires investment in people knowledge," with interest, as I've been a consultant and executive involved with..