April 2011

Machine health monitors can provide critical information to avoid unit and plant-wide shutdowns

Linear programming plays a vital role for ethylene producer

This petrochemical producer found improved output and became more energy efficient through new software

Petrochemical and refining complexes are significant consumers of industrial gases; here are some tips in planning process-gas needs

New approach rethinks operations of crude and vacuum distillation units to recover more distillate

New ways to calculate adiabatic saturation temperature

Case study accomplished 95% sequestration using methyldiethanolamine aqueous solution

Advanced analytic methods determine contributing factors in heat exchanger corrosion problem

Follow these guidelines for the best logical sequence for startup preparations

Facilities employing leak-detection and custody-transfer systems receive many benefits with this program

Here are the features you want in alarm management software

As you read this column, much additional data on the nuclear disaster on the east coast of Japan’s main island will have become available. But, the terms safety and reliability will still be on o..

ARC Advisory Group’s 15th Annual World Industry Forum in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 7-10, 2011, attracted more than 650 participants, representing 250 different organizations from 20 different countr..

These are nervous times in energy markets and on the bridges of oil tankers. Things are going belly up for oil users (which is everyone). And, as I fly home from International Petroleum (IP) week in L..

Eni recently presented its 2011–2014 strategic plan to the financial community in London. In the new plan, Eni confirms the consolidation of its leadership in the Italian and European gas markets..

Valero Energy has agreed to acquire Chevron’s Pembroke refinery in Wales, UK, as well as extensive marketing and logistics assets throughout the UK and Ireland, for $730 million, excluding working capital.

Technological advances in the production and transportation of natural gas are raising new opportunities for the fuel but also challenging traditional ways of doing business in gas markets, according to a new comprehensive report by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates (IHS CERA) and the World Economic Forum.

A new independent research report has presented industry with a practical way to measure the human factors health of their safety regimes, potentially opening the way to significant advances in workplace safety, environmental stewardship and operational efficiency.

Chevron Lubricants will construct a lubricants manufacturing facility at the company’s Pascagoula refinery. The $1.4 billion Pascagoula base-oil project is projected to generate approximately 1,0..

Braskem Idesa S.A.P.I., a joint venture of Braskem S.A. and Grupo Idesa S.A. de C.V., has selected LyondellBasell’s Lupotech T process technology for a new 300 kilotons/yr low-density polyethylen..

Technip has been awarded a lump-sum services contract by Burgasnefteproekt EOOD (a Lukoil engineering subsidiary) for phase 1 of a heavy-residue hydrocracking complex to be built at its refinery in Bu..

KBR has been awarded a contract by The Ministry of Mines, Industry and Energy of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea to provide a conceptual study and associated project-management services (PMS) for th..

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has a contract from Saudi Aramco Lubricating Oil Refining Co. (Luberef) to provide front-end engineering design (FEED) services to support an expansion project at its lub..

FasTech Srl has licensed its proprietary technology to manufacture high-cis polybutadiene rubber, based on the neodymium catalyst, to a petrochemical operator in East Asia. The license agreement inclu..

A joint venture between Qapco1 (63.63%), Total Petrochemicals France (36.36%) and QP (Qatar Petroleum)2 (0.01%) was established in June 2002 to implement the Qatofin project. This project includes participation in one of the world’s largest ethane crackers in Ras Laffan, a linear-low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) plant in Mesaiseed and the related ethylene pipeline linking both sites.

Product line extended on process gas compressors API 618Burckhardt Compression introduced its extended range of process gas compressors, enabling the company to offer a cost-effective compressor solut..

Solid-front test gauge  WIKA Instrument Corp.’s 332.34 direct-drive test gauge for the chemical, petrochemical and refining industries offers accuracy for rough service conditions that inclu..

Energy-efficient transformers for the petrochemical industry  Pacific Crest Transformers (PCT) customizes its efficient transformers for a wide range of petrochemical applications. These include ..

Future challenges in environment and product specifications involve more sophisticated catalyst systems

World demand for chemical synthesis, petroleum refining and polymerization catalysts will rise 6%/yr to $17.2 billion in 2014, reflecting a combination of healthy volume and price growth from a weak 2..

The success from catalysts depends on its structure and composition. Tremendous research has been devoted in fine-tuning the melding of structure and raw material makeup to provide efficient catalyst ..