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

January 2004

Archive

Special Report: Gas Processing Developments

New charts estimate acid gas solubility in TEG
Sogapro Engineering Ltd.: Wichert, E.
Penn West Petroleum LTd.: Wichert, G. C.

Process engineers can calculate absorption of H2S and CO2 in triethylene glycol to optimize operations

Optimize air compressor performance for GTL plants
Siemens Power Generation Industrial Applications: Ramdohr, M.

New mechanical advances enable compression solutions for evolving gas-to-liquids processes

Consider dual independent expander refrigeration for LNG production
ABB Lummus Global-Randall Gas Technologies: Foglietta, J. H,

New methodology may enable reducing cost to produce stranded gas

Select the correct LNG storage tank for your facility
Marathon Oil Co.: Agrawal, D.

Critical factors to consider in design options

Salt caverns bring security, economy and capacity to LNG receiving
Conversion Gas Imports, LP: McCall, M. M.

Combining storage and receiving offers advantages

Improve acid-gas removal of LPG contactors
INEOS Oxide GAS/ SPEC Technology Group: Sargent, A.  |  Seagraves, J.

Consider using these practical troubleshooting and design techniques when optimizing liquid/ liquid contactors

Instrumentation/Safety

Effective alarm management
Real Time Engineering Ltd.: Brown, N.

Follow these guidelines to reduce operator overload and mistakes

Heat Transfer/Rotating Eqiupment

Gas turbine fuel nozzle refurbishment
Fern Engineering, Inc.: Phillips, J. N.  |  Simas, P.

Follow these guidelines to improve reliability and reduce emissions

Rotating Equipment/Reliability

How piston ring design affects dry-running hydrogen compressor capacity
Burckhardt Compression AG: Feistel, N.

Tests reveal the best choices

Columns

HP Reliability: Upgrade your compressor antisurge control valves
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Compressor “surge” is a low-flowphenomenon known to exist in “dynamic,” i.e., centrifugal and axialcompressors found in petrochemical plants, liquefied natural gas(LNG) facilities ..

HP Automation Safety: Safety-certified field equipment
exida LLC: Goble, W.

I received an interesting question in a recent e-mail: "How can I design a safety instrumented function when I cannot buy safety-certified field equipment?" The designer went on to state that in his o..

HP Integration Strategies: Issues continue with IT in manufacturing
ARC Advisory Group: Hill, D.

Dick Hill,Contributing Editor       Comments? Write: editorial@Hydrocar..

HPIn Europe: Politics of oil – Russian style
European Refining & Marketing: Pitt, R.

After a year in which the Elf scandalwas finally laid to bed in Paris, eyes are now firmly focused onRussia. Observers continue to try to make sense of what ishappening there with regard to Yukos. Whi..

HP Innovations: HPInnovations

Thin, high-capacity flexible insulation for refineries Over the past 10 years, Aspen Aerogelshas perfected the science of aerogels, commercializing them in1996. Since then, the pro..

HPInformer
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Jackson, Kim M.

Exclusive sales agreement SimSci-Esscor, an Invensys plcoperating unit, has a 10-year exclusive agreement withKoch-Glitsch, a mass transfer and mist-elimination technologyprovider...

New Developments

Dispersers set standard for scalability, flexibility The IKA ULTRA TURRAX UTL 2000 single-stage dispersing machine claims to offer the refining and petrochemical industry a high degree of fl..

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

Enterprise Products Partners L.P.expanded its Norco natural gas liquids (NGL) fractionator capacityby 40% to accommodate larger volumes of mixed NGLs. Capacity wasincreased from 53,000 bpd to 75,000 b..

HP Construction: Africa
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Jackson, Kim M.

Foster Wheeler South Africa (Pty) Ltd.,a Foster Wheeler Ltd. subsidiary, has a $45 million engineering,procurement and construction management (EPCm) contract with SasolSynfuels (Pty) Ltd. (Sasol) for..

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

BP and China PetrochemicalInternational Co., a Sinopec Corp. unit, have an agreement tolicense BP’s Innovene gas phase polypropylene process technology.The process will be used to upgrade Sinopec..

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

CB&I has a lump-sum turnkeycontract valued at $50 million for all tankage at the grassrootsSohar refinery in Sohar, Oman. The refinery is owned jointly by theSultanate of Oman and the Oman Oil Co. CB&..

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

Estech GmbH & Co. KG, a jointventure between Celanese AG, Kronberg, Germany, and Hatco Corp.,Fords, New Jersey, started a synthetic ester plant in Oberhausen,Germany. The 7,000-metric-ton plant, which..

Free Literature

Made-to-order products and capabilities A new six-page brochureprofiles “made-to-order” (MTO) ball-bearing product capabilitiesand tech support available from MRC Bea..

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

  Improve maintenanceperformance ..

HP Impact: 'Renewed strength,' in economies forecast for OECDcountries
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

After a drawn-out period of fits andstarts, a palpable recovery has finally taken hold across membernations of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD). “The strong momentum..

HP Impact: Gas, LNG market to grow robustly
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Oil demand is forecast to drop by alittle over 1% by 2030. However, its consumption in absolute termswill increase from the current 77 million barrels/day (MMbpd) to120 MMbpd. To satisfy demand, a min..

HP Impact: China, India likely regions for bulk of new chemical investments
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

The worldwide market for plant-levelexpenditures in the chemical industry, which totaled more than $214billion in 2003, will reach almost $241 billion by the end of 2008.This totals a modest cumulativ..

HP Impact: Key strategies identified for meeting challenges of climate change
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

An effective international response toglobal climate change requires a more flexible approach so thatcountries can take on different types of commitments best suited totheir domestic circumstances, ac..

HP Impact: Propylene demand to grow 4.7%/yr; ethylene expansions required
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

In 2002, global propylene productionreached 52.8 million metric tons per year (MMtpy) and is valued at$17 billion. The bulk of propylene production and consumption isconcentrated in North America, Wes..

HP Impact: Enhancements to device description language
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Working collaboratively, three leadingorganizations dedicated to control network technology havecompleted the initial phase of development for key extensions toelectronic device descriptions (EDD). ..

HP Impact: Consumption of many key petrochemicals to exceed capacity
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

US oil and gas producers continue toenjoy relatively high prices for their production. “While this isbeneficial for the upstream industry, it is pressuring consumers ofenergy and feedstocks,&#148..

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Enhance control performance I am responding to “ Enhance process control performance,” (October 2003) by C. L. Smith, in particular to the second “Two-tank recycle pro..