Maintenance & Reliability
Case study: Improve vacuum tower operation with VFD addition
The bottom pump in crude vacuum units is an area of concern for almost all petroleum oil refineries. The harsh operating parameters in which these pumps operate, including high product temperature and significant vacuum suction pressure, have resulted in frequent vacuum tower upsets and low mean time between failures (MTBF) for vacuum bottom pumps.
Innovations
Siemens has been working closely with the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on a cyber security project.
Reliability: Oil in galvanized containers poses undue risk
Professional advancement is often linked to obtaining certification. To prepare, the technician or engineer must study texts, culminating in taking a test or passing an exam that makes use of, or is based on, questions contributed by subject matter experts.
Mammoet performs complex shutdown in limited time with limited space
Mammoet, the world’s largest service provider specializing in engineered heavy lifting and transport, completed heavy lifting, transportation and rigging activities at Chevron South Africa in Cape Town for their annual scheduled maintenance.
WorleyParsons awarded framework agreement by Refining NZ
Refining NZ has awarded WorleyParsons a 5-yr framework agreement for performance of engineering, procurement, shutdown and construction management services (EPCm) at the Marsden Point Refinery.
Black Sea diesel plant upgrade delayed by a year to 2019
MOSCOW (Reuters) — Russia's Rosneft has postponed plans to upgrade a plant on the Black Sea by around a year, delaying the supply of an additional 5.5 MMt of Russian diesel per year, industry sources told Reuters.
California safety, health board approves new hazard regulations for refineries
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Department of Industrial Relations' (DIR) Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved a regulation to strengthen workplace safety and health at oil refineries across the state. The new regulation provides a framework for anticipating, preventing and responding to hazards at refineries.
Scott Safety releases reusable single gas monitor, docking station
MONROE, N.C. -- Scott Safety introduced the Protégé SG, a reusable single gas monitor, and the MasterDock II, an expandable docking station.
US agency: Weak safety standards led to Exxon refinery blast
HOUSTON (Reuters) -- The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has concluded that a 2015 explosion at a Torrance, California, refinery then owned by Exxon Mobil Corp could have been prevented, the agency concluded in a report issued on Wednesday.
Equipment critical analysis: The need for an effective maintenance program
Oil refineries and large petrochemical plants contain thousands of pieces of process and utilities equipment that are subject to wear, erosion, deterioration, aging, etc., resulting in increasing breakdowns and outages. Imagine being a maintenance engineer and receiving 50 work orders during an overhaul with a limited budget, time, labor, spare parts, tools, machines, etc. How does that engineer prioritize the work?
- Valero Energy Q4 profit beats estimates; shares surge 1/30
- Dow launches "Transform to Outperform" to raise the competitive industry benchmark for productivity and growth to enable improved returns 1/30
- Russian oil refineries' peak maintenance expected in January and September 1/30
- U.S. lifts some Venezuela sanctions to ease oil sales 1/30
- Keppel, Aster plan sustainable aviation fuel project in Singapore 1/30
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