July 1999

Applying new tools, refiners can optimize revamp, and modernize existing process units

Although enterprise and control systems have evolved down mostly separate paths, they have approached a point where they could meet and exchange data. With the proliferation of information technologies (IT) on the plant floor, today's control and enterprise systems share a common hardware and operating system base.

A number of useful textbooks dealing with machinery reliability and dozens of technical papers dealing with related subjects owe their existence to an interesting policy. Twenty-one years ago, one of ..

So, you finally bought that petroleum refinery you've been wanting for years. Many folks are buying them lately, why not? Now that you have it, you will need lots of information. Some of the best info..

Much of the HPI's processing improvements can be attributed to catalyst innovations. They are drivers that not only affect processing methodologies; they enable creating and modifying end-product tech..

The expression "lies for children" is sometimes used to refer to the simplified ideas that are introduced early in the student's development, paving the way for more sophisticated ideas, which will be..

ABB Lummus Global, Bloomfield, New Jersey, and China Petrochemical Technology Co. (SINOPEC TECH) have signed a cooperation agreement and formed a strategic alliance to develop and market new furnace t..

The Petroleum, Chemical and Consumer Group of ABB Automation, Norwalk, Connecticut, has signed a worldwide teaming agreement with InControl Technologies, Inc., Houston, Texas. Clients who use the comb..

ABB Lummus Global, SINOPEC TECH awarded plant expansion ABB Lummus Global has been awarded two projects by the Beijing Yanshan Petrochemical Group Co. The first is for the design of two new 100-Mtp..

World oil demand is on the rise again; the growth should help oil markets this year, says Peter Davies, vice president and chief economist of BP Amoco. Regional differences are responsible. In the mid..

The supply chain management (SCM) market is experiencing a "deceleration" that will be only temporary, according to an outlook from AMR Research, Boston, Massachusetts. The market is projected to rega..

U.S. demand for industrial valves is projected to increase 5.8%/yr to $13 billion in 2003. This gain is "prompted by rising construction expenditures by utilities and increasing production levels in k..

The following trends in worldwide natural gas usage and development are highlights from a recent market analysis by SRI International. Overall U.S. consumption for natural gas is expected to increa..

Major change in the petrochemical industry has been a constant this past decade. Restructuring, reengineering and market consolidation have been methods used by corporations to stay competitive. In..

"Electric power is the indispensable ingredient for a modern economy, and coal is the indispensable fuel for electric power." So says National Mining Association President and CEO Richard Lawson. A..

In the spirit of advancing the worldwide profession of project management, The Project Management Institute, Inc., is making available a document to promote the dissemination of organizational knowled..

• Production continues to rise in May, says a report from the Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA). U.S. production of chemicals and allied products rose 0.1% to 115.8% of its 1992 level..

Brainstorming The article, "Brainstorm with yourself, and others," March 1999, is very thought provoking. What contributes as a major hurdle in generating worthy ideas are the mental blocks and p..

Mass transfer and catalysis are the bases of all refinery processes. Therefore, these two areas are probably the most active in terms of the research and development of new products. These two areas a..