April 2009
Special Report: Achema 2009/ Petrochemical Developments
New high-capacity trays enable retrofitting existing splitter superfractionator to expand unit capacity and conserve energy
Changes in bed support maintain lower pressure drop across shift reactor in ammonia processes
How safe is 'safe enough' when it comes to managing potentially risky processes in chemical plants?
Asset Management
The technology, from laser scanning to management of change, is mature, functional, cost-effective and proven
Computer Technology/Piping
The resulting model's predictions showed reasonably good agreement with the experimental data
Engineering Case Histories
Vibration can be detrimental to nearby equipment
Maintenance and Reliability
Apply root-cause failure analysis to recurring reliability problems
Safety
Take a closer look at advancements for emergency shutdown designs
Consider multiple relief valve designs
New analyzer determines trace level amounts quickly
ACHEMA 2009
Julian Ho, Executive Director, Energy, Chemicals and Engineering Services, Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)       Comments? Wr..
        Comments? Write:editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com Globalization is a world-spanning integration process that impacts..
Columns
Does your process piping have strainers located just upstream of the pump suction nozzles? Perhaps you are using them to protect pumps from unintended ingestion of tower packing, nuts, bolts and other..
In a popular European industry newsletter, I spotted an unsettling story—"Criminal proceedings have been commenced against Total UK Ltd., Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd., British Pipeline Agency L..
Industry is the number one power consumer, yet, as a whole, it has a remarkably poor sense of how much power is being used at different times across manufacturing processes. In the HPI, many potential..
Letters to the Editor
Past Letters to the Editor:   March | February  Give and take on molecular sieves I have read with interest the article, "Estimating water adsorption isotherms," in the Janu..
Trends and Resources
New process produces methanol from waste Isis Innovation, the technology transfer company for the University of Oxford, has announced that researchers in the school's chemistry department have discove..
Aker Solutions manager wins award in India Pothen Paul, Aker Solutions' India country manager, has been named the "business leader of the year for ..
 Lignol Energy Corp. recently provided an operational update on its fully integrated industrial-scale bio-refinery pilot plant in Burnaby, British Columbia. Construction of the pilot plant comme..
 Foster Wheeler Iberia, S.A.U., has a contract with YPF, S.A. to provide the basic design package for the new fractionation unit and gas plant for the new delayed coking unit at the La Plata ref..
 Fluor Corp. has an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for Galp Energia's Porto refinery conversion project in Portugal. Fluor began the front-end engineering and design (F..
 Technip has a €20 million plus contract with State Co. Oil Project (SCOP) for the front-end engineering design (FEED) of a new refinery to be built in Karbala, Iraq. The refinery will have..
     Foster Wheeler Energy Ltd. and Foster Wheeler (G.B.) Ltd. have a contract with Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. (IOCL) for a grassroots refinery in Paradip, Orissa, India. Foster Wheele..
Harnessing social networking Shell faces similar business challenges as its peers in the oil and gas industry, says Mike Hinkle, lead IT architect ..
The first half of 2008 saw polyolefins prices rising to record highs as industry supply and demand balances enabled producers to pass through extraordinary feedstock prices. In contrast, second-half 2..
Over the past decade, Asian demand growth has been a critical driver of the global oil market—typically accounting for about 40% to 50% of global incremental demand. In 2003–2004, a surge in..
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) assessment and control of toxic chemicals has been added to a "high-risk" category on a newly updated government report. Biennially, the US Government Accou..
Misc
TIM LLOYD WRIGHT, European Editor Comments? Write: editorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com As the voluminous correspondence on climate change sparked by E..
- Stamicarbon awarded licensing, PDP contracts for low-carbon fertilizer plant in Canada 12/30
- Shell shuts down Singapore oil processing unit to investigate leak 12/27
- Peru declares environmental emergency after oil spill 12/27
- New York (U.S.) to fine fossil fuel companies $75 B under new climate law 12/27
- BPCL plans $11-B refinery and petrochemical project in South India 12/26
- Mexico's new Olmeca refinery operated at 17% of capacity in November 12/26