Maintenance & Reliability
Valero Port Arthur refinery shuts large CDU, coker
Valero Energy Corp. shut the large crude distillation unit and a coking unit at the 335 Mbpd Port Arthur, Texas, refinery as part of an ongoing plant-wide overhaul.
Motiva to proceed with Port Arthur hydrocracker work
Motiva Enterprises will proceed with a two-month overhaul of the hydrocracker at the Port Arthur refinery at the end of September, instead of postponing the work.
Emerson awarded Shell Prelude FLNG contract
Shell Australia has chosen Emerson to provide automation maintenance and reliability services for Shell’s Prelude FLNG facility.
Reliability: Consider amended warranties for rotating equipment
If you have ever encountered a situation where an equipment manufacturer declined to offer warranties, allow us to share three case histories.
Design operations-and-maintenance-friendly pressure vessels—Part 2
In Part 1 of this article, the assistance provided by standardizations to gain improved vessel performance—vessel outer diameter (OD), component metallurgies, manways and saddles—was discussed.
Identify and correct coke drum foundation bolt failures
Coke drums in many operating plants experience foundation bolt failures.
Case study: Plan and execute a coke drum replacement project
The delayed coking unit is a critical part of a refinery’s crude oil process flow and profitability.
Indorama Ventures Louisiana ethane cracker refurbishment ahead of schedule
Indorama Ventures’ majority-owned Lake Charles, Louisiana gas cracker received an air permit from US authorities, signifying an important step forward in maintaining the plant’s startup schedule.
Rompetrol to perform scheduled maintenance work at Petromidia Refinery
Rompetrol has begun scheduled maintenance at its Petromidia refinery and conducting an investigation into the August 22 explosion.
Phillips 66 delays planned SRU maintenance at Borger, Texas refinery
Phillips 66 delayed a planned maintenance on a sulfur recovery unit that was scheduled for Friday at its Borger, Texas, refinery.
- 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
- Boeing, Israel's Technion to develop sustainable aviation fuel, as sector grapples with 2050 goal 1/30

