April 2008

Here's what needs to be done to solve the problem

Bigger is better, when planning future ethylene processing capacity

Growing concerns on climate change require the petrochemical industry to measure and to monitor carbon dioxide and other listed gases

Improved resin performance and new applications require next-generation polymer advances

Rising manufacturing costs are just part of the challenges confronting this industry

Improved inhibitor programs mitigate polymer formation and reduce unscheduled downtime for olefin units

Compare conventional calculation methodology with dynamic simulation

Many factors are reshaping the economics of this industry—many beyond the control of manufacturers

Innovative catalyst systems enable higher propylene make from liquid feedstocks

Here are suggestions on how plant owner/operators can get more value out of these technical professionals

Understand the differences to get the most effective product for the application

This novel zero-discharge method can reduce your operating costs

It is no longer if climate change is occurring. Rather, it is now more when, where and how governments will address climate change. Several climate scientists have linked climate change to increasing ..

This is the second part of my interview with Greg Martin about simple control techniques, unjustifiably retired. In this part we address single-input, single-output (SISO) predictors and simple engine..

Our October 2007 column touched on the subject of tracking mean-time-between-failures (MTBFs) of general-purpose machinery. It was noted that, to achieve high MTBF, some unit managers used frequent in..

I can just imagine the debate and opinions that arise regarding design mistakes. So, what is the biggest design mistake in safety instrumented systems (SISs)? Some would quickly explain that the great..

TOM FISKE, Contributing editor       Comments? Write: editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com Critical conditions emanate f..

Quoting Martin Luther King, J.F. Kennedy and the Bhagavad Gita, the chairman of Indian Oil Corp. said we need to urgently change the way we live—in a presentation in London that addressed peak oi..

  The Carbon Capture and Storage Association (CCSA) is based in London. Judith Konigshofer is a policy officer for the organization. Hydrocarb..

Industrial security solution for control engineers In 2003, the Slammer worm interrupted power distribution SCADA systems, infected the safety parameter display system and process computers in a nucle..

Sulfur testing on-the-go Portable sulfur analyzer is said to provide reliable quality results?—from ultra-low-sulfur diesel and gasoline, to marine fuels and crudes. The SINDIE 7039 OTG dual-use ..

Hunt Refining Co. has selected UOP LLC to supply technology, basic engineering services and equipment as part of Hunt's plan to double its gasoline and diesel output for the southeastern US. Hunt wil..

Galp Energia will use Chevron Lummus Global's (CLG's) deep-conversion Isocracking technology as a part of its approximately $1.4 billion investment plan to boost margins and increase production for i..

Winfield Resources, Ltd., has received a license to refine oil in Mauritania. This license is a result of Winfield's application to build, own and operate a new 300,000-bpd oil refinery at the Port o..

PetroChina Petrochemical Co. has selected Dow's polypropylene process technology for its new 300-ktpy polypropylene facility, and Aker Kvaerner will provide the extended process design package and te..

Wireless communications Dilbert Bluecat New Horizons in Wireless Communications Version No. 24, available from Omega Engineering, Inc., contains over 95 full-color pages of the latest information and ..

Companies involved in the petrochemicals sector are dealing with the dual challenges of high cost and low margins. Careful reaction to fast-changing but elevated value chain economics will thus be imp..

Global refining capacity is having difficulty keeping pace with the increasing demand for petroleum products. Therefore, many refiners are planning major expansions in crude oil distillation and conve..

Like many other industry stakeholders, Shell Oil Co. has been frustrated by the level of misinformation and mistrust in the marketplace. The oil major recognized that the oil and gas industry has bee..

Investment decisions finalized several years ago assure that Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is set to become a more freely traded flexible worldwide commodity, and will reshape the global market's tradi..

Nearly two-thirds of supply chain professionals in the chemicals industry say their companies have no formal processes for identifying and sharing supply chain best practices, according to a recent s..

OPEC ministers meeting in Vienna agreed to hold output steady. They said that record-high oil prices were driven by factors beyond their control, arguing that the market was pushed higher by a weak d..

While the US is increasing its investment in renewable electricity generation, European countries are far ahead in terms of production and generation. A study from the Equipment Leasing and Finance A..

Revisiting the TVP and RVP exchange I am writing regarding the TVP and RVP exchange in the January 2008 "Letters to the Editor" section. The responses do not fully explain the issue and appear to neg..

US refiner shares his insights Lynn Westfall, the chief economist for Tesoro Corp., discussed the status of the refining industry, new technology a..