April 2023

Archive

Special Focus: Maintenance and Reliability

How companies can take advantage of APM solutions to reduce planned maintenance
Brooks, M., AspenTech

According to Löfsten, “the costs of maintenance are estimated to be between 15% and 40% of production costs.” Consequently, efforts to reduce such costs without compromising risk to equipment, personnel safety and environmental integrity are welcomed.

Advanced compressor control and monitoring systems
Brun, K., Omatick, T., Elliott Group; Jacoby, J., Tri-Sen Turbomachinery Controls

Modern advanced control and monitoring systems for centrifugal compressors support compression plant operation at the highest possible efficiency, availability and reliability.

Steam-surface condensers: Lessons from the field
Lines, J., Graham Corp.

Steam-surface condensers are used throughout the refining, petrochemical and chemical industries.

Process Optimization

Select the right capacity control technique for centrifugal compressors: Refinery case studies
Pongboot, N., Avantium; Boonwong, K., Global R&D; Dyke, S., PetroQuantum

The centrifugal compressor has been the workhorse of the oil and gas industry for decades.

Digital Technologies

Maximizing profitability by operationalizing performance criteria
Parbhoo, R., Seeq

In the hydrocarbon and other process industries, engineering and operations teams have a fundamental responsibility to maximize asset profitability.

Environment and Safety

VOC reduction at Raffineria di Milazzo’s SRU complex—Part 2

Based on new environmental regulations focusing on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at the emissions point of a refinery’s sulfur recovery unit (SRU), Raffineria di Milazzo—a JV between Eni and Kuwait Petroleum Italia—carried out troubleshooting activities to identify and implement suitable actions to minimize the concentration of VOCs at the emissions point of the SRU complex.

Process Controls, Instrumentation, and Automation

How Bluetooth® technology extends the capabilities and connectivity of wired instrumentation
Wiens, M., Emerson

One day at a refinery, operators call an instrument tech to the control room and point to the screen.

Terminals and Storage

Variable-speed pumps and minimum flow control valves: Design and implementation
Lemmers, S. P. B., Hau, Y. F., Tan, P. C., Dialog E&C Sdn Bhd

Within hydrocarbon storage terminals, product pumps are the most vital rotating equipment for terminal operations and maintenance.

Columns

Editorial Comment
Nichols, Lee, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Maintenance is an integral part of refining and petrochemical plant operations.

Automation: Overhead automation and analytics lead to improved optimization of production and reliability
Choueri, W., Veolia Water Technologies & Solutions

The efficient operation of crude oil distillation units (CDUs) improves profits and distillate yield while optimizing production costs and reliability.

Valves, Pumps and Turbomachinery: Calculate flowrate through valves, fittings and pipe under a laminar flow regime
Garcia, I., University of Cienfuegos; Garcia, A., Kuraray America Inc. EVAL Plant

Calculating flowrate through long, straight pipe under laminar flow regime is easy using standard equations of fluid mechanics.

Digital Technologies: Do not just monitor bad actor machines: Start when they are healthy
Divita, R., ITT Goulds Pumps

Often, facilities hesitate to invest in monitoring rotating equipment until the machine fails. By that time, there is no background information, such as vibration or temperature data, to help site engineers diagnose the machine’s failure. However, by implementing a remote monitoring solution on healthy equipment, users can set a baseline of machine health to gain essential insights when the machine begins to fail.

Maintenance and Reliability: Non-standard flanges for catalytic cracking units
Knauf, M., Garlock

In more complex petroleum refineries, a secondary processing step may be implemented to produce more usable end products.

Business Trends: Optimize pump systems to save electrical energy
Schofield, S., British Pump Manufacturer’s Association Ltd. (BPMA)

Given the global rise in energy costs, there has never been a better time to review and assess the efficiency of pumping systems—whatever their size, complexity or sphere of operation.

People
Rhodes, Mike, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Motion announces executive officer promotions