Safety
HP Reliability: Four-stage, low-flow process centrifugal compressor can fill important industry gaps
In the 1970s and 1980s, multistage centrifugal compressors in the 3,000 acfm (about 5,000m3/hr) and lower flow ranges were largely confined to instrument and plant air duties. Three stages with interc..
HP Integration Strategies: Consider procedural automation at a commercial-scale pilot plant
“All processes are batch processes to some degree. Even in ‘continuous’ process plants, processing units will need to be shut down at some point and then restarted to resume production...
HP Engineering Case Histories: Case 74: How to determine impact forces when troubleshooting
When troubleshooting failures, it is not unusual for the metallurgical report to indicate that the failure was the result of an impact type of force. The investigator who receives this information mus..
HP Industry Perspectives: US oil and gas executives energized for the year ahead
A recent survey of US executives by the KPMG Global Energy Institute supports growing optimism in the domestic energy and manufacturing industries. Much of the renewed enthusiasm is strongly linked to..
HP Brief
Train accident raises concerns on safetyThe train derailment that killed at least 38 people in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, has heightened safety concerns about crude oil shipments by rail. It has been ..
HP Impact: Canada takes steps to enhance its pipeline system
Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources recently announced the government’s plan to further enhance the country’s pipeline system by requiring companies operating major pipelines to have..
Dropped tools are a dangerous problem
Explosions, car wrecks and workplace violence: these are events that grab headlines. What is interesting, however, is that the most mundane things are often the most dangerous. In the realm of hydroca..
Exxon Arkansas pipeline rupture blamed on defect
An independent report found that a rupture in an ExxonMobil pipeline that spilled thousands of barrels of oil in Arkansas earlier this year was caused by defects dating back to when the pipe was built in the 1940s.
HP Reliability: Expect adversity, but plan for success
Consider that a major oil refinery was planning a substantial modernization project in 2008. Energy efficiency gains and the ability to process a more readily available crude slate were key motivating..
HP Integration Strategies: Virtualization goes mainstream
Virtualization, a computing approach that decouples hardware and software, is rapidly gaining traction in the traditionally conservative automation and control industry. With its roots in the informat..
- Shell shuts down Singapore oil processing unit to investigate leak 12/27
- Peru declares environmental emergency after oil spill 12/27
- New York (U.S.) to fine fossil fuel companies $75 B under new climate law 12/27
- BPCL plans $11-B refinery and petrochemical project in South India 12/26
- Mexico's new Olmeca refinery operated at 17% of capacity in November 12/26
- Relevant Industrial announces acquisition of Loy Instrument Inc. 12/26
