June 2008

Studies show that feedstock quality and severity on conversion impact the stability of visbreaker residue

Follow these three easy steps to find more flexibility in absorber systems

All projects contain risks and opportunities; responding to these uncertainties requires a structured approach to risk management

Increasing environmental regulations require better choices for commonly used valves with greater reliability and leak-tight seals

A model-predictive controller based on models derived from first-principles dynamic simulation as an alternative to empirical models identified from plant test data is presented

Dynamic simulation was used to evaluate two control schemes of a steam utility system

New regulations further limit this aromatic from the refinery blending pool

New approaches fine-tune methods to separate more diesel as product stream

The technology facilitates design by enabling interference checking, accurate parts prefabrication and visualization of results

Here's how the problem was diagnosed and solved

Use this method to determine when a vapor handling system is needed

Safety integrity level requirements are now being incorporated

What is the worst mistake? It is the one that is repeated in practically every refinery, and yet, we haven't managed to learn from it. I have chosen to discuss the very simple distillation column pres..

 In 2007, an engineer at a mid-western US refinery commented on flooded screw compressors. He said, "Every industrial service I have seen has had issues with oil contamination of the flood oil in..

Unlocking offshore gas reserves without investing in capital-intensive pipeline infrastructure, infield platforms and onshore infrastructure—while also minimizing exposure to geopolitical and sec..

The optimal blending of crude, gasoline and diesel fuel in refineries continues to be challenging, but the importance of blending is migrating downstream to terminals in the US and will likely increas..

A small, focused conference has its heart in the right place For the busy HPI professional, the calendar is jammed full of conferences to attend an..

Low-NOx regenerator technology Shell Global Solutions has developed a new regenerator design with catalyst and air distributions for the in situ reduction of nitrogen oxides (NOx ) emissions from flui..

Random packing for chemical applications Three-inch FLEXISADDLE low-pressure drop (LPD) random packing is offered for sulfuric acid (SO4?) towers, sulfite (SO3) converters and heat recovery system t..

IMV Projects has a $4.5 million contract with Korea National Oil Corp. to provide front-end engineering and design services for its 10,000-bpd steam-assisted gravity drainage facility to be built in ..

ENAP has submitted to the Nacional Environmental Commission (Conama) of Chile its environmental impact declaration for the building of a new distillation unit at its refinery in Aconcagua, Chile. The..

  WorleyParsons has a contract with Petrom S.A. for the front-end engineering and design (FEED) associated with the modernization and expansion of the Petrobrazi refinery in Ploesti, Romania. Wor..

  Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd., and Mitsui Chemicals, Inc., will participate alongside Kuwait Petroleum International and Petro Vietnam in the joint venture Nghi Son Refinery & Petrochemical Limited ..

  PetroSA's pre-feasibility study into the planned multibillion-rand crude oil refinery in Coega, South Africa, has been completed. The study, which was completed by KBR, in conjunction with Ilit..

CD Rom for biodiesel analysis New CD Rom for biodiesel analysis from Aspectrics, Inc., is intended to complement the Aspectrics Biodiesel Quality Analyzer (BQA 1000). It contains information related..

Some firms settle MTBE suits Oil and gas companies—including ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil, Chevron, BP America, Shell Oil Co. and Valero Energ..

Natural gas production in Canada, after two decades of continued growth, reached a plateau in recent years—and may be set to decline overall in the next two. Canada's crude oil and natural gas ar..

A recent report from EPRINC provides a summary of many of the key supply constraints that have led to $115+/barrel oil prices. World oil markets have experienced a perfect storm of bad luck over most ..

A new study finds that—contrary to consensus—global land usage is not going to constrain the supply of biofuels, but economic and technological issues will. In a new study, Wood Mackenzie f..

The market for wireless devices and equipment in process manufacturing will grow to over $1.1 billion in 2012. This is a 32%/yr growth rate, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study (www.arcweb.co..

With a new software implementation, project teams plan that each step taken will be successful—each attained goal building on preceding successful steps. But this is only part of the total equat..

International oil companies (IOCs) must improve their technological expertise to survive a trend of increasing nationalism among nations owning energy resources, according to Paolo Scaroni, CEO of En..

A new study challenges the conventional wisdom about what is really driving the rise in the cost of corn. Traditional thinking is that the increased cost of corn is a result of a number of complex fa..

Rohm and Haas Co. and Tasnee Sahara Olefins Co. (TSOC) plan to join together and produce 250,000 metric tons of acrylic acid and related esters in Jubail, Saudi Arabia, beginning in 2011. The resulti..

TIM LLOYD WRIGHT, European Editor    Comments? Write: editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com I think enough of us now are entertaining the notion that the in..