April 2012

New hydrocarbons will be needed to meet future demand

For smaller methanol units, new designs balance energy cost against capital cost for long-term profitability

This operating company used process models to find solutions to poor separation performance

System revamp reduces unloading time, boosts refinery operations

Use rigorous simulation to improve process efficiency

As more processes involve high-pressure, toxic, flammable, lethal or explosive pumping services, better knowledge of rotating equipment options can boost productivity.

New models eliminate vibration problems and improve process reliability

Creative problem solving was used to upgrade off-spec export products while minimizing tank storage

Laminar and turbulent jet theories provide strong support when addressing cold venting situations

Recognizing distinctive vulnerabilities in various refinery units

Under recent economic conditions, it is understandable that a control-system cyber-security audit is not the top priority for many plant operators. Less staff due to layoffs and deferred maintenance c..

Awareness of energy efficiency is one of the minimum job qualifications for reliability engineers. In the summer of 1994, Jack Lambley, then an intern at the Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) Rocksav..

Remaining profitable continues to be a critical issue for hydrocarbon processing facilities. Balancing new technology with government mandates is a thorny problem. Environmental issues add more cost t..

In downstream refining and marketing, the handoff between manufacturing operations and product distribution and marketing is often performed in a sub-optimal manner. Most process manufacturing compani..

Postcard from CERAWeekThe international availability of massive US shale gas resources could determine the fate of global gas prices over the next decade, said Paolo Scaroni, CEO of Italian oil and ga..

Having proved resilient throughout the recent recession compared to other sectors, the energy industry has the potential to be a key engine of economic growth and recovery, according to a new study by..

While large project orders helped maintain the market size of medium-voltage AC drives in 2009, it also resulted in low growth in 2010 compared to other automation product markets. However, 2010 was s..

Canadian oil sands producers have formed a new alliance named Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA), seeking to accelerate the pace of improving environmental performance in Canada’..

Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC) has signed a toluene di-isocyanate (TDI) and methylene di-phenyl isocyanate (MDI) technology license agreement with Mitsui Chemicals, under which Mitsui will provi..

Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, L.P. has selected Exterran to design, manufacture and construct a natural gas-processing plant in South Texas. The project includes engineering, procurement and constructi..

CB&I’s Lummus Technology business sector has been awarded two separate contracts by a client in Russia. The combined value of the contracts is approximately $120 million. The first contract was a..

Siemens Industry Automation Division is providing Abu Dhabi Oil Refining Co. (Takreer) with a Zimpro wet-air oxidation (WAO) system to treat refinery spent caustic as part of Takreer’s refinery e..

The Shaw Group Inc. has a contract to provide the technology license and process design package for the revamp of Star Petroleum Refining Co.’s residue fluid catalytic-cracking (RFCC) unit in Map..

Methanex plans to move at least one methanol plant from Chile to the US, seeking to capitalize on a trend of low natural gas prices and possible interest in gasoline alternatives.For now, the Canada-b..

Vessel monitoring system uses thermal cameras   Fig. 1.  This vessel monitoring software shows the exact   locations of imaging cameras. The Critical Vessel Monitoring System ..

Electronic ear muffs fit user-specific hearing-protection needs  MSA’s Left/RIGHT electronic hearing-protection ear muffs are different from other hearing protectors, as individual muffs are..

Communications platform enables global utilities to build and deploy grid-modernization systems The Grid IQ Network Communications Platform is an end-to-end, industrial-grade networking communications..

Here are several thoughts on how companies can adapt to—and profit from—the uncertain environment

CRANE Energy Flow Solutions, a global provider of highly-engineered fluid handling solutions, this week launched its Chinese website module. “The introduction of our website content in Chinese represents CRANE’s commitment to customer service and satisfaction,” said Pines Wang with CRANE China.