Middle East
Achieve successful compressor startup by addressing dry-gas seal failure
A common root cause for compressor failure during first startup is a failure of the dry-gas seal (DGS) system. To avoid failures of gas compressors, the project team and end users must understand the importance and significance of the DGS very early in the basic design phase.
Without reliability, there can be no safety
Reliability and safety are complimentary concepts. For instance, unless process reliability at a plant is extraordinary, safety cannot be assured. Achieving the highest level of safety at a processing..
HP Editorial Comment: Alternative energy?
Alternative energy is a point-of-reference term. Natural gas is an alternative energy resource for transportation fuels. As more natural gas resources are developed, natural gas is displacing coal as ..
HP Reliability: Plan now to deal with stressed equipment later
The US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) “Today in Energy” brief evaluated how US refineries are processing record amounts of crude oil (Fig. 1), with Midwest and Gulf Co..
HP Automation Strategies: Control on the wire(less)
Since the industrial revolution, process/industrial control had relied on tightly coupled systems to transmit control signals. Industrial plants have used “modern” control via wired electron..
HP Project Management: German refinery successfully modernizes safety system
In September 2014, the Heide refinery in Germany used two weeks of planned downtime at its pyrolysis plant to migrate to new safety systems. The new system emphasized high plant/equipment availability..
HP News
Fuel cells to experience a bright future due to natural gasRising natural gas production is facilitating growth for both stationary fuel cells that provide power to business and the utility grid, as w..
HP Industry Metrics
Recent declines in oil pricing and the associated volatility in future pricing has created a difficult forecasting environment. Other factors are causing deviations, especially with regard to the resp..
HP People
The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) announced that Brendan Williams has been promoted to executive vice president, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Mr. Williams joined AFPM in 2007 as director of government relations and advanced to become senior vice president of advocacy in 2013.
Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil complete clean fuels project at Yanbu refinery
This refinery will produce ultra-low-sulfur gasoline and diesel and has cut complex emissions dramatically.
- ITT to acquire SPX Flow for > $4.77 B, expanding leadership in highly engineered components and adjacent flow technologies 12/5
- MOL Group introduces eco-friendly Bag-in-Box packaging for lubricants 12/5
- Addis Energy secures $8.3 MM to scale its transformative approach to low-cost ammonia production 12/5
- World Fuel Services supplies cruise line with waste-based biofuels 12/5
- Chevron announced $18 B-$19-B CAPEX budget for 2026 12/5
- Russia and India sign deal to build urea plant in Russia 12/5

