January 2000

Simpler control methods often provide better results

Using surface treatment for coalescer media, separator drainage capabilities can be significantly increased

  Lessons Learned Identification Sheet   Area of Interest(Circle One) ALARA / RP Facilities Radwaste Work Execution ..

An effective program facilitates fact-finding so that corrective actions can be applied throughout a project's life cycle

Modify this reciprocating compressor example for other types of machinery

Use these techniques to get more for your money

Here are facts and fallacies related to selecting, installing, operating and maintaining a variety of plant equipment

Facilities design tips improve maintenance

Closed-loop economic optimization of refineries and chemical units has been a dream in our industry for over four decades. There have been at least three waves of attack on this problem, but optimizat..

Let's go to Canada this month and visit an industry association that does a great job providing information and help to both the public and its members. You don't need to be in Canada to gain from thi..

Will the new millennium push the HPI into a new era? For many years, we have discussed how the HPI would become a global industry. Interestingly enough, it has evolved into a globalized industry. So, ..

As utility assets age, many plants must replace their demineralizers. Although some designers have been eager to use new technology such as reverse osmosis, it is not appropriate for every application..

At the beginning of December, I flew over to England. I was running a week's course in reliability and maintainability as part of a MSc degree in process safety. On the way over, I had an interesting ..

AC Technology Corp., Uxbridge, Massachusetts, has been acquired by Lenze GmbH, Hameln, Germany. AC Tech is a major U.S. manufacturer of industrial and commercial electronic-motor control products. ..

AEA Technology Engineering Software, New York, New York, has released MECHX, a dedicated program for the mechanical design of shell-and-tube heat exchangers. MECHX can be used for new equipment or fo..

PPG to double production capacity for Teslin sheet PPG Industries will add a second manufacturing unit at its Barberton, Ohio, chemical facility to produce Teslin sheet. When completed in late 2000..

Will refiners be able to meet consumers' demand for gasoline? Gasoline sulfur rule could affect gasoline supply, says NPRA. The recently announced rule from the U.S. EPA imposes California's current ..

Analysts and technology experts met recently to discuss the outlook for the global methanol industry. The following are two excerpts from papers presented at CMAI's annual World Methanol Conference, h..

Reading the media hype might convince enterprises that there are no unsuccessful e-business projects. Be aware that successful e-business projects are not a matter of luck. Although the Internet-paced..

Three new studies present trends in the U.S. pump, filter and catalyst arenas. Industrial research firm, The Freedonia Group, forecasts the following: Pumps. U.S. demand for fluid handling pumps is..

"Steadily rising U.S. oil and natural gas demand, combined with continued strong prices, has set in motion a seismic shift in the outlook for the oil and gas industry in 2000," according to Arthur And..

Field demonstrations of the Fieldbus Foundation's High Speed Ethernet (HSE) technology are scheduled at pilot plants located at Lee College in Baytown, Texas, and Singapore Polytechnic in Singapore. T..

Simple equations for pipe flow analysis In reference to the article "Simple equations for pipe flow analysis," by B. B. Gulyani, published in the August 1999 issue of Hydrocarbon Processing, I ha..

At the conclusion of a 1983 maintenance effectiveness audit at a petrochemical plant in Cologne, Germany, the plant manager asked for a "one-second summary" of how we viewed his facility. Our one-word..