July 2007

Using LNG as feed stream provides opportunities to optimize methods for recovering intermediate components in gas processing

An alternative design to a land-based facility is a compact, modular construction resting on the seabed

How this facility is meeting stringent regulatory requirements and saving energy

Minimize the effect this element has on your processing systems

The race is on to expand liquefied natural gas capacity to meet growing demand

Growing vehicle population requires innovative solutions to curb air emissions

New correlations more accurately estimate properties for conventional and oil sands-derived middle distillates

Integrating binary power plants conserves heat energy and generates electricity for bitumen extraction site

Advanced methods use methanol as a valuable processing step to convert coal into various petrochemicals

Flow-induced vibration damage is a commom problem

Providing valve pressure drops at minimum, normal and maximum flows enables selecting the proper valve for the full operating range

API publishes the 4th Edition of API Standard 653

      Last month's column explained that truly world-class petrochemical and refining companies invest roughly 5% of the cost of equipment in pre-purchase reviews and reliability audits..

      For many years, a debate has been ongoing over random vs. systematic failures. Why all the fuss? In functional safety work, one must treat "systematic" failures very differently f..

Hydrocarbon processing manufacturers need more visibility into the field work activities that occur within their plants but outside of the control room (and often outside of the view of their process ..

It's been a year now since I wrote about my slow awakening to climate change and more than 18 months since I predicted that the G8 statement at Gleneagles would "change everything." What an amazing ye..

In September 2005, Phase I construction began on the Freeport LNG regasification terminal located on Quintana Island, approximately 70 mi. south of Houston, Texas. This project is the first and larges..

Licensed 'green' diesel process offers improved properties UOP LLC and Eni S.p.A. have developed a new processing technology to produce a high-quality diesel or diesel blendstock. The process, Green D..

Electromagnetic flowmeter delivers increased protection The OPTIFLUX 5000 with flanged connection is now available with high-tech ceramics for smaller meters. Ranging in sizes from DN 15 to DN 100, th..

  Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has a contract from Fort Hills Energy L.P. to provide engineering design and procurement services for the utilities and off-sites (U&O) component of the bitumen pr..

  Borealis is investing R$18 million in the acquisition of a new extrusion line to enlarge its Itatiba (SP) plant. Borealis has two production units in Brazil located in Itatiba (SP) and Triunfo..

  BASF started its expanded plant for medium molecular weight polyisobutene (MM PIB) in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The result is an increase in capacity of 6,000 metric tpy of MM PIB. The company no..

  Cryostar, a subsidiary of The Linde Group, has a contract with Samsung Heavy Industries to supply on-board boil-off gas reliquefaction plants for five LNG tankers to be built by 2008. The moder..

  BASF's new engineering plastics compounding plant at its Pudong site in Shanghai, China, came onstream in March 2007. It has a capacity of 45,000 tpy. With the new plant, BASF's total compoundi..

    Burner to reduce energy usage  The Envirojet burner from Hamworthy Peabody Combustion is said to provide low emission levels without the use of recirculated flue gas (RFG)...

  'Realities' of biofuels Ethanol and biodiesel production is rapidly increasing, "but the challenge of producing biofuels at a lower cost than..

The dramatic cost surge in the oil and gas industry continues, but the rate of growth shows some signs of slowing, according to the latest update of an upstream capital costs index (UCCI) from market ..

Demand for liquid natural gas will likely exceed supply in six or seven years, leading to significantly higher prices for Asian and other buyers, according to Frank Harris, head of global LNG at consu..

In the leading industrial nations, demand for chemical feedstocks is mainly satisfied by oil. With deep reserves, coal is an alternative source for chemical feedstocks gaining renewed interest. Analys..

After decades of "famine" the world's flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system suppliers are now "feasting" with global orders in 2006 reaching over $11 billion. So says new research from The McIlvaine C..

During China's 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-2005), the country's output for crude oil and refined products maintained a yearly increase. A recent study by FACTS Global Energy reviews key growth rates. Co..

Automation suppliers continue to benefit from strong demand for automation services across the entire spectrum of the plant lifecycle and the scope of nearly all automation products and applications. ..

The energy industry is increasingly seeking successful strategies for attracting and retaining a new pool of talented young people. At the same time, the valuable knowledge and lessons learned of seas..

Analyzing RCFA You made some very good points in your February 2007 "HPIn Reliability" column "When is a good practice a bad practice," but I think you also missed a few key issues. In 1999, during m..