May 2014
Special Report: Maintenance/Reliability
The pump’s behavior can be likened to that of a manual transmission in an automobile. While a car can be driven 80 mph in first gear, it would be a mistake to do this for an hour or so.
Reformer furnace tubes are designed to operate under high temperature and pressure. Historically, these tubes exhibit improved creep resistance at higher temperatures. The improvements in creep resist..
In a Canadian case study, new piping under construction suffered some settlement in the underground portion, as evidenced by soil movement and slight deflection of the above-ground section.
Environment
Generating N2 on-demand is a sustainable and energy-efficient approach.
HP Forum
Leading hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) executives and technical experts will come together June 24–26 in Verona, Italy, to share ideas, innovation and vision for the global downstream indu..
Petrochemical Processes
Hydrocarbon Processing's Petrochemical Processes 2014 handbook reflects the dynamic advancements available in licensed process technologies, catalysts and equipment. This handbook is an inclusive catalog of established and cutting-edge licensed technologies that can be applied to existing and grassroots facilities.
Process Design
By definition, a pressure vessel is a closed container that is designed to hold gases and/or liquids at pressures substantially different from ambient conditions. They are used in many applications su..
Refining Developments
Marathon Petroleum Co.’s (MPC’s) Catlettsburg fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) experienced a catalyst circulation constraint due to partial blockage of an intra-regenerator standpipe. Th..
Safety
Hazard analysis is a powerful and highly effective tool for identifying and evaluating potential hazards and control measures (Fig. 1). Its versatility provides an economical and insightful assessment..
Columns
Answering lube practice-related questions is important. These questions provide insight on the status of education and technology, along with trends in understanding equipment reliability, safety and ..
It might be human nature to feel that the professional challenges that we face every day are unique. However, while business and production objectives may vary greatly from company to company and from..
How can project managers avoid project schedule overruns? Part 1 discussed how to analyze the root causes for project delays. In Part 2, strategies to overcome project delays will be explored.Critical..
The 4-MMtpy Kirishi-2 refinery is anticipated to cost $3.14 B to construct. Plans call for the refinery to be expanded to a capacity of 12 MMtpy at a later date, at an additional cost of $5 B–$7 B.
Thanks to the availability of a steady supply of affordable natural gas as a feedstock, the ammonia and fertilizer industries in North America are experiencing a renaissance that has not been witnesse..
The Gastech 2014 Conference and Exhibition brought together a number of panelists from the buyer and seller sides to share their recommendations for securing Asia’s gas demand. The first panel session of the conference examined gas pricing, infrastructure requirements and market evolution, from a demand-side perspective.
Rising gas production is propelling Qatar to be a global leader in LNG exports and GTL technology, and it will play a key role in the future growth of Qatar’s downstream sector.
A number of significant forces are reshaping the global refining industry. However, what characteristics define the world’s best refineries? HSB Solomon Associates LLC’s recent “Fuels R..
Trends and Resources
Frank Popoff, retired chairman and CEO of the Dow Chemical Co., shared his insight on the petrochemical industry at the AFPM’s 2014 International Petrochemical Conference (IPC). With a career spa..
EU-US Energy Council discusses European energy security The EU-US Energy Council met recently in Brussels, Belgium. Following the gathering, the council issued a statement indicating that developments..
The OPEC Reference Basket for crudes fell $1.23 in March. Changes in the crude oil markets are attributed to a slowdown in China’s economy and reduced crude oil demand by refineries. Non-OPEC sup..
Wood Group Mustang has promoted Tim Griffin to vice president of industrial operations, leading the company’s North American industrial division based in Greenville, South Carolina. The division ..
Ensure equipment compliance in hazardous areas  METTLER TOLEDO offers a new white paper, ‟Competency is Key: Hazardous Area Regulations and Standards,” to help readers apply global, Eu..
Epoxy tank liner for severe chemical environments A 100% solids epoxy liner is available for use in transport tanks containing chemical blends or acids used in hydraulic fracturing (fracking). Se..
Misc
Many metrics can be used to define the top-performing downstream companies. Often, it includes financial (profits) results, environmental and safety performance, equipment availability and more. Howev..
Terminals and Storage Supplement
High-solids epoxy linings for the petrochemical terminal and pipeline market are gathering high interest as the need to efficiently return storage tanks back to service becomes more prevalent. Some co..
- SABIC opens ULTEM™ resin manufacturing facility in Singapore 11/8
- Catalyxx secures $5.8-MM Series A equity round to advance green chemistry technology 11/8
- Neste changes its guidance due to unplanned shutdown of Rotterdam refinery 11/8
- Repsol launches Nexa, the commercial brand of its 100% renewable premium diesel in service stations 11/8
- Opinion: Trump-led oil and gas export boom may go bust in Europe trade spat 11/8
- Indonesia proposes increase in biodiesel mix to 50% in 2028 11/7