Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

November 2022

Archive

Special Focus: Process Controls, Instrumentation and Automation

Optimization of ethylene in the processing of hydrocarbons
DOW Chemical Co.: Hecker, H.
AMETEK Process Instruments: Kim, J.

The measurement of moisture or humidity is very important in most industries, including the petrochemicals sector. Excess moisture in instrument air can cause pipes to rust or pneumatic equipment to malfunction.

Shift focus to more open control technology
Emerson Automation Solutions: Chow, M.  |  Crews, A.

Plant control system modernizations that are necessary to meet today’s goals and strategies often come with organizational hurdles.

Integrated remote operations drive collaboration and autonomy
Yokogawa: Fiske, T.  |  Anderson, G.

Sensors, equipment and devices are becoming more intelligent, opening the door for autonomous operations, which is the ability for machines and processes to run while self-diagnosing and handling problems.

Reliability analysis of analyzers bridges the gap between assessing and addressing risk
Anvil Corporation: Taylor, B.
CHS: Martin, S.

For most refinery facility managers, the demands of running plants efficiently, meeting environmental regulations and maximizing returns on product specifications challenge even the most disciplined professionals.

Process Optimization

Implement advanced level control techniques to improve crude distillation unit stabilizer performance
Nayara Energy Ltd.: Mandal, K. K.

The performance of refinery operations depends on the stable operation of the plant.

Plant Design, Engineering, Construction and Commissioning

Leading capital projects in a VUCA environment
Graycor: Anderton, S.  |  Gallagher, B.

A convergence of events has disrupted the construction industry.

Maintenance and Reliability

Trip your turbine troubles: Optimize the reliability of steam-driven turbines
TLV Corp.: Risko, J.

Steam turbines are essential for successful operations in refining and petrochemical plants, such as at the wet gas compressor and regenerator air blower of a fluidized catalytic cracking unit (FCCU).

Development of novel epoxy closed-cell foam for personnel and corrosion protection—Part 2
Belzona Inc.: Oharriz, O.

Most industrial assets operating at elevated temperatures require thermal insulation for energy conservation, thermal protection or process stabilization.

Obsolescence management in a manufacturing unit
Contributing Writer: Bhattacharya, R.

Obsolescence is one of the most detrimental and worrisome issues in manufacturing units. This is predominantly because of rapid advancements in technology.

Heat Transfer

Decarbonizing your fired heaters with hydrogen fuel

Hydrogen has long been considered a high-value product, but not typically as a fuel for fired equipment.

Mechanical design challenges in high-temperature electric heaters
Contributing Editor: Pramanik, R.
China Petroleum Engineering Co. Ltd.: Srinath, N. R.
Fluor Canada Ltd.: Stefanovic, R.

Electric heaters are used in the process industries as an alternative to fired heaters or process heaters—where the heating medium is either steam or any heating fluid—for some specific applications where the process duties are low but fluids are heated to high temperature.

Plant Safety & Environment

Why sulfur plants fail: An in-depth study of sulfur recovery unit failures—Part 2
Sulphur Experts: Bohme, G. E.

Equipment malfunction or an unplanned shutdown of a sulfur recovery unit (SRU) can have a significant effect on a production company’s profitability, along with an equally serious impact on personnel safety and the environment.

Columns

Editorial Comment: Hydrocarbon Processing recognizes the latest innovations at its sixth-annual HP Awards
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

On October 12, <ital>Hydrocarbon Processing</ital> hosted its annual <ital>HP</ital> Awards at the Houstonian Hotel, Club and Spa in Houston, Texas.

Digital Technologies: The benefits of homomorphic encryption: A technological enabler for digital services to operations
Technip Energies: Rey, F.  |  Sanchez, M.
Université Paris-Saclay, CEA-List: Boudguiga, A.

Among the cryptographic technologies under development in various industries, homomorphic encryption (HE) possesses the attractive feature of allowing computation within the encrypted domain. Encrypted data cannot only be transferred and stored, but also used in the secure encrypted state.

Industry Perspectives
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

In late September, <ital>Hydrocarbon Processing</ital> hosted the International Refining and Petrochemical Conference (IRPC) in Houston, Texas (U.S.)—the first in-person IRPC in nearly 3 yr.

Construction
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

Anchorage Investments has shortlisted four companies to build its $2-B Anchor Benitoite petrochemical complex project in Ain Sokhna, Egypt.

Innovations
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

Anyone who has encountered foam clamshells for restaurant takeout food, white or green “peanut” packing to cushion shipments, or those thick foam blocks for protecting boxed furniture is familiar with expanded polystyrene (EPS).

People
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

Beckhoff USA names Daymon Thompson as Director of Product Management