December 2010

Advantages of removing H2S before the LPG unit and energy optimization of the LPG splitter

How to achieve all of your major capital investments objectives on budget and schedule

Epoxy system provides speed of application as well as environmental benefits for large storage tanks

Follow these guidelines to help execute the process

New simulation methods identify cost-effective advantages early

Today, the term project engineer is used in a very wide spectrum in the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) industry. Starting from an assistant to the project manager, engineering manager..

New developments, such as the organic Rankine cycle, help operations go ‘green’

This case study proves that a systematic approach for thermal design can identify substantial savings in projects

New technology can be used in existing tube bundles to enable higher flowrates without risk of tube damage

Application was used in a commercial ethylene glycol plant

Benefits exceeding the guarantee were realized through APC by simultaneously stabilizing and optimizing the plant in the presence of significant feed density variations that impact the entire plant operation

Here are some key topics calling for a conceptual change from the traditional DCS

Updates to global specifications address pump reliability and much more

In my April 2010 editorial, I initiated and justified a call for renewal of process control and IT practice in the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) with a review of the basics. In August 2010, I ..

The wide diversity of energy market requirements, potential power sources and enabling technologies drives strong demand for design/build/operate solutions for projects in the hydrocarbon processing i..

We don’t mind receiving and answering an occasional question. Questions allow us to assess the state of knowledge in industry. Sometimes, though, these questions indicate that the questioners hav..

After 20 years of advanced process control (APC) praise, a reckoning is now taking shape, with some challenging questions, such as: What happened to the original vision of “true real-time optimiz..

Cobalt Technologies has an agreement with the US Navy to develop technology for the conversion of biobutanol into full performance jet and diesel fuels. Under the agreement, n-biobutanol produced by C..

C&I Engineering has completed the startup of what is said to be the world’s only dimethyl sulfide (DMS) plant, which is a cooperative venture between Hunt Refining Co. and Gaylord Chemical Co. LL..

Ecopetrol has successfully started up two new units for producing ultra-low-sulfur diesel(Prime-D) and ultra-low-sulfur gasoline (Prime-G+), as part of its hydrotreating (HDT) project at its Barrancab..

Burckhardt Compression will deliver three process gas compressors to LUKOIL for its refinery-upgrade project in Volgograd, Russia. The compressors will be used as hydrogen-makeup compressors in the di..

Foster Wheeler USA Corp. has been awarded a project-management consultancy (PMC) contract by Carbon Holdings for a petrochemical complex in Ain Sokhna, Egypt, with a nameplate capacity to produce 1.35..

The Linde Group and Haldor Topsøe will supply the syngas treatment and methanation unit for POSCO’s synthetic natural gas (SNG) plant. The new plant will be erected in Gwangyang, South Korea..

CONCAWE has released a report that parses statistics on work-related personal injuries for the European downstream oil industry’s own employees, as well as contractors, for the year 2009. Data we..

The Fieldbus Foundation has registered the first FOUNDATION fieldbus devices incorporating advanced field diagnostics technology. The new registration requirements help to standardize how fieldbus dev..

Surging ethanol blending will undermine wholesale gasoline prices in the Atlantic Basin, starting in 2012, according to ESAI’s newly updated two-year outlook. The outlook says that ethanol will a..

Whether refiners like it or not, the drumbeat for renewable fuels grows daily. The building momentum for such fuels is boosted by government mandates and regulations. Unfortunately, the tidal wave for..

Lubricating oils and ULSD—new energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence application reports Various additives are formulated in base lube oil to enhance performance and create the desired lubrici..

Easy tank gauging New easy tank-gauge sensor and display for tank-level measurement are said to be easy to install, use, maintain and understand. The Levelese tank gauge installs with screw or fl..