July 2008

Technical challenges of new plants will involve the sizing of trains, construction cost controls, onshore vs. offshore, energy efficiencies and environment

Modular liquefaction methods reduce construction and operating costs for smaller reserve developments

Recovery of greenhouse gases has potential positive economics benefits

Conversion of refinery bottom-of-the-barrel products can provide hydrogen and power requirements cost-effectively

An evaluation for mixing rules uncovers potential errors in fluid transportation of bitumen-based feeds

China's utilization of well-established gasification technology turns low-rank and waste coal into valuable feedstocks for high-demand products

A parametric finite element model was used to determine the most economical solution

Here are the considerations for applying this fieldbus in these applications

The pressure drop estimate may be on the unsafe side when using the traditional Moody chart

A new method can be used to create a learning curriculum, provide career guidance and build a knowledge repository

Apparently some of the climate scientists that are claiming the earth is going through a period of climate change/global warming caused primarily by human activity (mostly burning fossil fuels that pu..

 "Machine failed; how do we fix it?" As a consulting engineer, one often gets this type of request. Unfortunately, the client sometimes has neither the time nor the interest to elicit the consult..

 Many safety instrumented system (SIS) designers understand what happens when the process connection to a pressure transmitter gets plugged. The transmitter output will likely get very sluggish a..

SID SNITKIN, Contributing editor       Comments? Write: editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com Demand is at all time highs,..

I had an unsettling conversation at a conference in southern Europe recently with an American who works for a major European oil company. He's a likeable, positive guy whose role bridges term contract..

Since 1995, the volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) delivered have risen at a rate of over 7%/yr. Forecasts indicate that LNG deliveries will continue to grow at this rate over the foreseeable futu..

Handheld universal verbalizer multimeter The OMEGASAYS UV1000 is claimed to measure 0-Vdc to 10-Vdc voltage, 0-mA to 20-mA current and Type-K thermocouple inputs. It verbalizes them in any range with ..

Red Cavaney to retire Red Cavaney will step down November 1, 2008, from his role as president and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute (API). Ja..

URS Corp. has a contract with ExxonMobil to provide detailed engineering, procurement and construction management services for a commercial demonstration plant using ExxonMobil technology. The techno..

BG Group plc and Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (Petrobras) have signed two liquefied natural gas (LNG) agreements. Under the agreements, BG Group will supply the import terminals being built by Petrobras ..

Saudi Aramco and Total have awarded Axens a design package for the new 400,000 bpd full-conversion refinery in Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The refining and petrochemical complex is scheduled to start-up i..

BILLY THINNES, News Editor       Comments? Write: BT@HydrocarbonProcessing.com SK Energy is joining with China Petroleum & ..

Sensor selection resource Pepperl+Fuchs' 2008–2009 North American Sensor Catalog and Selection Guide details its complete family of capacitive, inductive, weld immune, special app..

BP's annual energy analysis The world's fossil fuel resource base remains sufficient to support growing levels of production, but industry continue..

In mid-May, a state-of-the-art vessel arrived at the new Northeast Gateway Deepwater LNG port, officially beginning the facility's commercial operations. Operating approximately 18 mi east of Boston i..

A new industry report examines whether planned investments in the midstream and downstream will be sufficient to accommodate growing volumes of Canadian oil sands production. The analysis, from Wood M..

New research from Purvin & Gertz analyzes demand for refined products in the context of emerging trends in biofuels, alternative fuels, vehicle preference and government mandates. Key conclusions of t..

3D plant design systems have fundamentally transformed the plant creation and operations business by enabling a greater number of smaller businesses to undertake large projects that previously were th..

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) regularly reviews various economic and statistical reports to keep a running tab on significant indicators—both positive and negative—impacting the hydro..

A newly created microbe produces cellulose that can be turned into ethanol and other biofuels, report scientists from The University of Texas at Austin. They say that the microbe could provide a signi..

The global market for biodiesel is poised for "explosive growth" in the next 10 years, according to a new outlook from Emerging Markets Online (www.emerging-markets.com). Although Europe represents 80..

A new white paper by Dr. Joseph A. Stanislaw, independent advisor to Deloitte's Energy & Resources group, explores the forces molding relations between countries and the private sector as they vie for..

On contract engineers Regarding the May 2008 "HPIn Reliability" column: very interesting text, especially from a side that is normally seen as specific equipment related! I'm a project engineer/proje..

Controlling heat exchanger cool-down increases efficiency and availability