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

December 2003

Archive

Special Report: Plant Design and Engineering

Performance-based contracting
Fluor Corp.: Cunic, B.

Selecting this strategy for plant services can lower maintenance costs and raise productivity

Plant design team: Think outside the box
Consultant: Pennock J. O.

Following all the written codes and normal practices does not necessarily ensure a good finished product

Consider tubing solutions to enhance plant efficiency
Swagelok Company: Holt, R.

It is more economical and less prone to leaks in many applications

Engineering Case Histories

Case 18: Problem-solving technique
Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

An orderly procedure allows data to be organized and analyzed

Instrumentation

Guided-wave radar transmitters measure level under harsh conditions
K-TEK: Fauveau, E.  |  Hambrice, K.

Going beyond through-air technologies, they are suitable for difficult-to-measure liquids and solids

Plant Design and Engineering

Migrating digital plant data from design into operations
AVEVA Engineering/IT: Botterill, E.

Here’s an overview of the issues and potential paybacks

Process Technology/Heat Transfer

Using an integrated approach conserves energy andhydrogen
Linnhoff March: Bealing, C.
eni S.p.A. Refining and Marketing Division: Ricci, G.

Applying plant-wide pinch analysis for an existing facility often lowers CAPEX for expansions and retrofits

Process Technology/Refining

'MIX' concept links refining operations with power and construction industries
JGC Corp.: Natsuo, T.  |  Yagi, T.

An integrated approach enables establishing base-industries complex for medium-sized plants at lower CAPEX

Rotating Equipment/Reliability

Integral gas engine compressor failures and solutions
Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

Here are the causes and how to remedy them

Columns

HP Reliability: Pay attention to pipe spring hangers and supports
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Hanger and spring support-relatedinstallation oversights are responsible for many excessive pipestress incidents. Piping-induced loads will often cause pumpcasings to deflect. Consequently, important ..

HP Integration Strategies: Smart operators utilize intelligent P&IDs
ARC Advisory Group: Novak, R.

Increasingly, intelligent piping andinstrumentation diagrams (P&IDs) are entering the plantoperations arena. Improvements to the bottom line are drivinggrowing interest in what had previously been con..

HPIn Europe: The intelligent refinery – or is it?
European Refining & Marketing: Pitt, R.

A new slant appears to be emergingregarding the subject of computerization and information technology(IT) within refineries – the so-called “smart” refinery.Discussions at a recent Euro..

HP Innovations: HPInnovations

SO 3control applying SBS injection technology BELCO has developed a patented reagentinjection technology to control flue-gas SO 3emissions at refineries. The SBS injection technologywas intr..

HPInformer
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Jackson, Kim M.

Exclusive technology license BOC, Murray Hill, New Jersey, has anexclusive license with Belco Technologies Corp., Parsippany, NewJersey, to use its patented LoTOxnitrogen oxide (NO..

New Developments

Low-cost data acquisition with GPS time stamping The PAR4CH and PARGPS modules – a newproduct line of low-cost data acquisition boards – combinemultichannel 24-bit A/D pe..

HP Construction: North America
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Jackson, Kim M.

CB&Ihas a lump-sum turnkey contract valued at $80million for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal expansionproject in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Owned and operated by Trunkline LNG Co., a Southern Uni..

HP Impact: Europe
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Jackson, Kim M.

Ticona,Kronberg, Germany, Celanese AG’stechnical polymers business, is increasing itsEuropean capacity for ultra high molecular weight polyethylene(UHMW-PE) at its Oberhausen, Germany, site. The ..

HP Construction: Asia-Pacific
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Jackson, Kim M.

Aker Kvaernerhas a contract to provide engineering,procurement and technical advisory support for two new pureterephthalic acid (PTA) plants located in the Asia-Pacific region.The $170 million agreeme..

HP Construction: Middle East
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Jackson, Kim M.

Monsanto Enviro-Chem Systems Inc.,a Monsanto Co.wholly owned subsidiary, and Linde AG, have acontract to provide basic engineering services and proprietaryequipment supply to Dolphin Energy Ltd.,Abu D..

HP Construction: South America
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Jackson, Kim M.

Techniphas an $80 million contract with Petrobrasto design and construct a natural gas plant inGuamaré, in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. This isclaimed to be the first onshore gas pro..

Free Literature

Wireless smart process instrumentation Claiming to be the next-generationinstrumentation revolution, integrated wireless Smart processinstrumentation systems can measure, monitor and ..

HP In Brief: HPIn Brief
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

  Massive investments inenergy forecast ..

HP Impact: Use front end loading correctly to enhance project outcome
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

More than ever, there is tremendoustime pressure to complete projects faster and for less capital. “Inthe execution of these ultra-fast track projects, it is oftentempting to skip key steps in pr..

HP Impact: Society drafts certification program for piping designers
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

A first-of-its-kind program is beingestablished to provide credentials for process piping designers.The Society of Piping Engineers and Designers (SPED) isspearheading the multilevel certification pro..

HP Impact: Production activity rising in many global chemical regions
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

In August, global activity chemicalbusinesses rose 1.4%, says a report from the American ChemistryCouncil. During August, the latest month for which statistics havebeen analyzed, activity rose in most..

HP Impact: Global gas market faces need to make midcourse adjustments
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

“The industry will not develop along astraightforward course; it will have to weather disruptions andmake midcourse adjustments,” says well-known industry analyst andauthor Daniel Yergin. In..

HP Impact: Web-based value management toolkit
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Best practices, value-enhancingpractices, and value management and engineering are buzzwords usedthroughout the engineering and construction industry. Oftenconfusion and mystery surround the meaning o..

HP Impact: Integrated catalyst technologies benefit polyolefins production
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Recent advances in catalyst and processmethods for value-added polyolefins will have significantdisruptive impacts on current technologies and resins. So says anew study from The Catalyst Group Resour..

HP Impact: New group to tackle future innovation needs in the HPI
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Aiming to identify what the energyindustry needs to focus its attention on, a new initiative is beingformed called the Centre for Hydrocarbon Business Innovation. Agroup of leaders from downstream and..

HP Impact: Miscellany of note from the US DOE
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

US greenhouse gas emissions grew muchslower than the economy in 2002. Greenhouse gas emissions increasedby 0.5% in 2002, from 6,829 million metric tons carbon dioxideequivalent (MMtCO2e) in 2..

Misc

Performance visibility and the road to sustainable profitability

Gail Powley,guest columnist       Comments? Write: LK@HydrocarbonProcessing.com ..