March 2008

Archive

Special Report: Instruments and Networks

Online transfer from an analog electronic control system to a modern DCS
Ali, R., Anwar, Z., Fauji Fertilizer Co. Ltd.

Proper planning, personnel training and interdepartmental communications were keys to the success of this project

Fieldbus in your future: Training overcomes complexity issues
Carter, C., Fieldbus Center, Lee College

A comprehensive instruction program can help plant management prepare personnel for the new era of digital process control

Satisfying safety standard competency requirements
Goble, W., exida LLC

Deploying a robust, IEC conformant safety instrumented system requires uncompromised competency in every step of the process

Using Industrial Ethernet for process automation
Henning, C., PROFIBUS Trade Organization

Two standards organizations provide this capability

Novel approach for process plant monitoring
Al-Baiyaa, M., Lenka, C., Jubail United Petrochemical Co., Sabic; Khalfe, N., Lahiri, S. K., National Institute of Technology

Using statistical data compression important process changes can be quickly detected and identified

Chromatographic methods to analyze ethanol and gasoline/ethanol blends
Mott, J., Taylor, M., Shimadzu Scientific Instruments, Inc.

These techniques offer better process control and can improve the bottom line

Connecting fieldbus—selecting the system to match the task
Verhappen, I., MTL Inc.

Power supplies, cables and connectors are critical to project success

Bonus Report: Heat Transfer Developments

Case 43: Containing a failed impeller
Sofronas, A., Consulting Engineer

A quick analysis can help direct further efforts

Optimize heat transfer networks
Al-Azri, N., El-Halwagi, M., Texas A&M University; Thubaiti, M., Saudi Aramco

An innovative method applies heat integration to cost-effectively retrofit bottlenecks in utility systems

Consider heat integration to improve separation performance
Horiuchi, K. I., Iwakabe, K., Matsuda, K., Nakaiwa, M., Nakanishi, T., Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology; Huang, K., Beijing University of Chemical Technology

Innovative approaches gain efficiency for distillation operations

Fuzzy approach for cascaded refrigeration synthesis
Aly, S., Awad, M., Rabea, F., Suez Canal University, Department of Chemical and Refining Engineering

The proposed method provides accurate results with less computation

How to select the best reboiler for your processing operation
Tammami, B., Fluor Corp.

Guidelines streamline choosing a heat exchanger to maximize process efficiencies

Columns

HP Control: Part 1—What happened to simple useful APC techniques?
Friedman, Y. Z., Petrocontrol

Advanced process control (APC) is labor intensive, requiring about one experienced engineer per three major units, a level of effort rarely matched, even in well-run plants. And to do the job right, ..

HP Reliability: Vent gas compressor selection
Bloch, Heinz P., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Energy conservation is of ever-increasing importance to process plants from the smallest to the largest. Gas streams that were flared a decade ago are now often recompressed and recycled back to the ..

HPIn LNG: Keeping the path clear for LNG
Cooper, B., Center for Liquefied Natural Gas

There is no question about it. With a growing national population, the US must make critical decisions now about how it will address the increasing demand for energy. As the cleanest burning fossil fu..

HP Integration Strategies: Leveraging portals for team productivity
Hill, D., ARC Advisory Group

Portals are readily available for organizations to take advantage of their ease-of-use and inherent collaboration potential. In many ways, the technology is "right for the times." Portals make use of..

HPIn Europe: Reluctantly hauling aboard the peak oil train
Wright, Tim L., Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

BP's volte-face investment in oil sands, Shell's ominous allusions to a decline in gas, all this emperor's clothes nonsense in Alberta, supermajor share buybacks and the rise of the financial players ..

HP Associations: FIATECH supports technology development across industries
Thinnes, Billy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

 BILLY THINNES, News Editor       Comments? Write: BT@HydrocarbonProcessing.com   ..

HP Innovations

Low-sludge batch reactor system offers significant power savings Siemens Water Technologies' OMNIFLO interchange sequencing batch reactor (ISBR) system is claimed to provide the most energy-efficient ..

HP Construction: North America
Thinnes, Billy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Fluor Corp. will provide integrated engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for Marathon Oil Corp.'s projected $1.9 billion expansion and upgrade of the company's Detroit, Michigan, refinery...

HP Construction: South America
Thinnes, Billy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

PetroquímicaSuape started construction of a purified terefthalic acid (PTA) plant, to be built at Suape, in Ipojuca, Brazil. The plant is expected to be able to produce 640,000 tpy. The predicte..

HP Construction: Europe
Thinnes, Billy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

  Foster Wheeler Energía, S.A. has a contract for a heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) with Sener, Ingeniería y Sistemas, S.A. for Petronor. The boiler will be integrated in a cogene..

HP Impact: Middle East
Thinnes, Billy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

The Qatar Fertilizer Co. (QAFCO) has an agreement with GE Oil & Gas for the supply of gas turbine and compressor technology for a fertilizer plant expansion project. The GE equipment will be used for..

HP Construction: Asia-Pacific
Thinnes, Billy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

  CB&I has a contract in excess of $60 million with Star Petroleum Refining Co. Ltd. to build a new jet fuel processing plant and related storage and shipping systems in Rayong Province, Thailand..

HP Construction: Africa
Thinnes, Billy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

A consortium of AMEC, JAGAL and NETCO has been awarded a five-year contract by Mobil Producing Nigeria (MPN) for the upgrade and expansion of offshore and onshore oil and gas production facilities in..

Free Literature

A wireless way to free trapped data For most of the field devices in all but the newest plants, operators have a treasure trove of smart digital data that cannot be readily accessed and put to good us..

HP Impact: HPImpact: China leads world in methanol fuel blending
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

In 2007, China became the world's largest methanol producer and consumer. China also leads the world in the use of methanol as an alternative transportation fuel, blending nearly 1 billion gallons of ..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Process safety incident evaluation tool launched
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

Occupational injury and illness metrics aren't optimal for gauging the effectiveness of a company's process safety program. The Baker Panel that investigated the 2005 BP refinery disaster in Texas Cit..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Volatility impels update to rules of thumb for cost estimations
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

During the early stages of a project, engineers and estimators use rules of thumb to rapidly establish defensible cost estimates. These guidelines are usually based on historical breakdowns of cost co..

HP Impact: HPImpact: New report finds 'plenty of potential' in Alaska fields
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a comprehensive new report examining the potential for Arctic Alaska to remain a major contributor to US domestic energy supply. Key findings indicate tha..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Refining margins, product prices boost major's earnings
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

ConocoPhillips (CP) reported a higher net income for fourth-quarter 2007 as compared to the same quarter in 2006 in its most recent filing. The company announced a net income of $4,371 million vs. $3,..

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Ranking global coal resources I have been a regular reader of your very informative magazine. But, I would like to comment on an "HP Impact" item that ran in June 2007 ("Economic realities push coal'..

Misc

Allowable vapor control valve pressure drops
Yu, F., Jacobs Engineering

Understand the relationship between the pressure drop and the process system

HPIn Brief
Weirauch, Wendy, Hydrocarbon Processing Staff

US energy market outlook The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has recently been tasked to evaluate trends in the international trade of pe..