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Maintenance & Reliability

EIA: Planned refinery outages through first half of 2017 not expected to affect availability

The US Energy Information Administration's (EIA) latest analysis of planned refinery outages during the first half of 2017 finds that such outages are not expected to cause a shortfall in the supply of petroleum products including gasoline, jet fuel, and distillate fuel, relative to expected demand, either nationally or within any US region. This result occurs despite the current high level of US gasoline demand, which in 2016 was as high as or higher than in any past year.

Driving innovation in the downstream: IRPC returns to New Delhi

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Adrienne Blume

Gulf Publishing Company and Hydrocarbon Processing are pleased to announce that IRPC 2017 will be held April 18–20 in New Delhi.

Engineering Case Histories: Case 95—How to avoid becoming overwhelmed in a failure situation

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

When you are involved with a major failure and find yourself staring at pieces of debris scattered all over the area, it can be easy to become overwhelmed.

Editorial Comment: Corrosion prevention starts at fabrication

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Andrew, Bob

Preventing corrosion begins with the choice of materials and methods used to fabricate the equipment, piping, valves and instruments that will be exposed to varying process conditions and weather. At present, designers and fabricators can select from a multitude of modern materials and methods. Once in service, effective asset integrity programs will use smart condition monitoring and, where needed, a treatment regime to sustain the useful working life of all components. In the Special Focus section of this issue, we provide several articles that illustrate good practices in vessel fabrication, corrosivity analysis and corrosion prevention treatment.

Neste Jacobs to deliver simulators to catalytic cracking unit, FCC gas recovery unit

Neste Jacobs, a technology, engineering and project management company and Neste, the world's largest producer of renewable diesel and producer of high-quality oil products, have signed an agreement regarding deliveries of NAPCON Simulators to Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit and FCC Gas Recovery Unit to Porvoo refinery.

Gazprom Neft implementing advanced process control systems at Moscow refinery

An advanced process control (APC) system is being implemented at the Gazprom Neft Moscow Refinery, directed at increasing effectiveness and optimizing the operation of the plant’s production facilities. The new system has been installed throughout 2016 at the plant’s crude distillation units, catalytic reforming units, gas fractionating facilities, gas-fractionation and hydrotreatment facilities for diesel fuels.

Fire hits California refinery; local gasoline prices could rise

(Reuters) -- An explosion and fire at an oil refinery in Torrance, California, on Saturday forced the partial shutdown of the plant, leading oil traders to expect a spike this week in West Coast gasoline prices.

Japan's JX says cuts crude refining target due to "problem"

TOKYO (Reuters) -- Japan's JX Nippon Oil & Energy Corp has cut the amount of crude oil it expects to refine in February by about 4% from an earlier target due to unspecified problems with secondary units at multiple refineries.

DuPont, Lundberg to offer pollution control systems for refineries, petchem plants

PARSIPPANY, N.J. – Belco Technologies Corporation, a DuPont company, and Lundberg, LLC, a Dustex company, have signed an agreement to collaborate on the supply of air pollution control systems on an exclusive basis around the world. The partnership applies to air pollution control systems for refining and petrochemical plants, as well as to coke calciners associated with refining and petrochemical plants, and is valid for 10 years.

Chile regulator eyes refinery sanction over environmental failures

SANTIAGO (Reuters) -- Chile's environmental regulator, the SMA, said on Tuesday that it was considering sanctions of state-run energy producer ENAP after finding infractions relating to emissions and noise at its Aconcagua oil refinery.