October 2000

In this case history, efforts to minimize the hazard caused more problems and increased the risks to the task

Use these guidelines to improve availability

Identify, diagnose and solve related problems

MyPlant.com held a seminar for editors on September 21 - 23 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The purpose was to show the "press" what is available on the site today and discuss future plans in i..

Control systems for steam turbines driving process compressors now provide many more functions beyond speed control. These systems can be custom programmed to provide whatever extent of..

I had a hallway discussion at a recent safety standards committee meeting about how to implement the safety life cycle. One of the fundamental concepts in the safety life cycle is risk-..

Waste-heat boilers (WHBs) are found in many applications including petrochemical and ammonia manufacturing. Heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) is a special type of WHB; it uses the ho..

Aspen Technology, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, has closed a transaction to acquire ICARUS Corp., a market leader in providing software that is used by process manufacturing industries to estimate p..

ABB, Bloomfield, New Jersey, a global technology company, has entered a majority joint venture to acquire a polypropylene technology that will extend its petrochemicals business into a new, high-growt..

Balcke-Dürr awarded contract for plant revamp Israel's GADIV Petrochemical Industries Ltd. has awarded Balcke-Dürr a contract to revamp their phthalic anhydride plant with technolo..

Reviewing those troublesome gasoline taxes . . . In the U.S., gasoline sells for about $1.60/gal, of which taxes are about 40 cents/gal - roughly 25% of the retail price. The state and federal taxes a..

Most industry analysts foresee an upcoming tight natural gas market for North America. The wholesale price of natural gas has doubled since April and tripled since last summer. Market p..

Solid growth is projected through 2004 for polypropylene (PP) demand in the U.S. This 6%/yr increase will total 17 billion pounds, valued at $7.8 billion, according to market researcher..

During the past 10 months, consortium trading exchanges (CTEs) have formed in almost every industry. These ventures unite competitors to build open marketplaces for the buying and selli..

Global demand for detergent alkylate will grow 3%/yr, according to Colin A. Houston & Associates, a chemical consulting firm based in Pound Ridge, New York. This amounts to 2.5 million ..

A recent study from Charles River Associates, Inc. (CRAI) uses a new approach in analyzing the impact that proposed U.S. regulations will have on diesel supply and demand. The methodolo..

Sensational headlines may blare that oil industry profits have reached unconscionable levels, but the American Petroleum Institute (API) has issued its own statement. API's assessment i..

Responding to a request from the Alliance for the Polyurethanes Industry (API), OSHA has confirmed that air-purifying respirators are acceptable to protect workers from exposure to diis..

A recent workshop held in Lisbon, Portugal, and sponsored by CEFIC featured a look at "Responsible Care in Changing Times." The meeting's aim was to propose and receive input from the i..

Fig. 1. Fault-tolerant, digital control system for extraction steam turbine. (Courtesy of Woodward Governor Co., Loveland, Colorad..

Terry Wigglesworth, Guest Editor       Comments? Write: editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com For the past fou..

Fig. 1. The hydrocracker consists of three main units: first- and second-stage reactors, and a fractionator. ..

This refinery maximized jet fuel yield, while minimizing hydrogen consumption

Use these guidelines to improve availability

It has been eight years since CFR 1910.119 was passed. Are companies really reaping the full benefits from safety audits and management programs?

This method provides reliable, fail-to-safe operation

Employ the right expertise in all project phases