February 2021
Special Focus: Digital Transformation
Oil and gas companies are looking for quick ways to reduce OPEX amid the pandemic and oil and gas market crises.
Machine condition monitoring has been playing an increasingly important role in industrial asset healthcare for many years.
A common misconception in largescale process manufacturing is that minimizing downtime by increasing reliability is the key to increasing profitability.
Refineries and chemical processing plants are complicated to model, control and optimize.
Smart manufacturing is a topic that has generated considerable discussions within industry and standards organizations.
Process Optimization
The authors’ company<sup>a</sup> licensed a two-drum delayed coking technology process unit to Grupa LOTOS in Gdansk, Poland.
Revamping an existing column in an operating plant for higher throughput is a challenge, especially when the column is already operating at its rated capacity.
A sour water stripper (SWS) system is a common process in petroleum refineries and other processes where hydrogen sulfide is present.
The increasing demand for more efficient and low-emissions fuels due to stringent environmental policies and growing environmental awareness is leading refiners to find options to enhance the research octane number (RON) of the final product.
Maintenance and Reliability
Crude oil is separated into more valuable products, such as naphtha, kerosene, light diesel, heavy diesel and atmospheric residue, in crude distillation units (CDUs).
Composite materials have been utilized for the repair of corroded or damaged piping in refineries, chemical plants and other highly aggressive operating and production plants around the world for decades.
Valves, Pumps and Turbomachinery
Valve automation in metering skids for the oil and gas industry is a challenging task.
Supply Chain
Inventory sharing, per se, is not a new concept; rather, it is a popular practice in the wholesale and distribution business.
Environment and Safety
Operational discipline (OD) describes human behavior in complying with required systems, every time, to consistently achieve organizational goals and overall operational excellence.<sup>1,2</sup>
Columns
The HPI has been going through a digital transformation, increasingly adopting digital technologies to improve existing processes and structures to improve performance.
DE, a retired former colleague of mine, recounted his experience as an expert witness for ABC in litigation against XYZ. (Note that I picked the letters A through M for the plaintiff’s side; N through Z are assigned to the defendants.)
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing </i> spoke with Andrew McCloskey, Chief Technology Officer and Head of R&D at AVEVA, about how digital twins and cloud-based services are used, their benefits and challenges, security issues, etc., as related to the downstream oil and gas, refining and petrochemicals industries.
How much time and costs can be saved by scheduling with an AI-powered solution?
Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D metallic printing, is identified as one of the game-changing technologies in recent years for the oil and gas industry.
As the COVID-19 pandemic forces businesses to rethink standard operations, many are considering how technologies can help in the upcoming period of recovery.
Trends and Resources
As announced in the January issue of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i>, Gulf Energy Information—publisher of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> and <i>Gas Processing & LNG</i>—has launched the publication <i>H2Tech</i>.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant, short-term disruption to the chemical industry, potentially leading to long-term impacts.
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database is tracking nearly 1,400 projects around the world.
Global refining margins showed mixed results.
Cowan Dynamics has made advancements to its “C-PAC Module” Pneumatic Manifold and launched the C-PAC store.
BCCK Holding Co. (BCCK) appoints Fraser McDowell as Director of strategy and business development (renewables)
- Neste strengthens chemical recycling logistics infrastructure in Europe with Tepsa Netherlands 10/4
- U.S. distillate fuel oil demand will increase in the fall due to agricultural harvest 10/4
- Woodside Energy: Fatality at Beaumont Clean Ammonia project 10/4
- StraightFlo™ reciprocating compressor valve provider rebrands as Atlas Copco 10/4
- Exxon's deal with unions at Port Jerome refinery to allow job-cutting plan to move ahead 10/4
- ARA gasoline exports to West Africa hit multi-year lows in September 10/3