June 2012

The right tools can improve refinery APC applications

Consider five core elements to develop secure plant automation networks.

Advanced ceramic fiber veneer insulation reduces heat losses and is more resilient

Catalytic technology aids in removal of acetylenes, NOx and oxygen

Here are lessons learned from a Russian methanol plant

This simplified approach facilitates screening of crude oil baskets for refiners.

Avoid future incidents by learning the full impact of unreliable plant machinery.

Improvement in process simulation can assist in relief load and valve sizing.

World War II was one of the defining events that drove innovation for the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI). During the 1940s, solutions were needed to resolve shortages of transportation fuels an..

In the 2012 June issue of Hydrocarbon Processing, our readers will find a highly informative article that should remind equipment specialists of their professional and ethical responsibilities. These ..

The global process industries lose $20 billion, or 5% annual production, due to unscheduled downtime and poor quality. ARC estimates that almost 80% of these losses are preventable. In fact, 40% of th..

Your company is planning an expansion—building a new process unit or constructing an entire new plant. Regardless of the scope, the facility staff will specify project requirements, complete the ..

Hess resolves pollution dispute Hess Corp. has agreed to pay an $850,000 civil penalty and to spend more than $45 million in new pollution controls to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its refinery ..

In a move that surprised observers in two industries, Delta Air Lines and its subsidiary Monroe Energy reached an agreement with Phillips 66 to acquire the Trainer refinery complex south of Philadelph..

In March, US Homeland Security’s Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) identified an active series of cyber intrusions targeting natural gas pipeline sector companie..

The current oil boom is creating economic benefits for the US, but it won’t shield the country from the price volatility that is inherent in the global oil market, according to a new report from ..

World demand for diesel engines is projected to grow 6.7% per year through 2015 to $197.5 billion (Table 1). Product sales will be driven by an increase in the production of motor vehicles, particular..

Linde debuts hydrogen for fuel-cell vehiclesThe Linde Group’s hydrogen (H2) for fuel-cell vehicles—a byproduct of biodiesel production at Linde’s pilot plant in Leuna, Germany—rece..

Foster Wheeler’s Global Engineering and Construction Group has signed a strategic umbrella agreement with The Dow Chemical Co. to provide project management, consulting, engineering, procurement,..

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has a contract from Afipsky Refinery, located in the Krasnodarskij Region of Russia, to develop a basic-engineering package for an amine regenerator unit, a sour-water st..

ABB has started up a new lube-oil blending plant (LOBP) built by Oryx Lubrifiants Togo SA, an affiliate of Oryx Oil and Gas, part of the Addax and Oryx Group, in Togo, West Africa. Located in the free..

The Linde Group and Sadara Chemical Co. have signed a long-term contract that will see Linde supply Sadara with carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2) and ammonia (NH3) at a chemical complex now being bu..

Fluor Corp. has a contract award from PETRONAS Gas Berhad, a subsidiary of PETRONAS, to provide front-end engineering design (FEED) services for a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) regasification termin..

Full-body construction harness emphasizes comfort and ease of useBreathable padding with moisture-wicking material, to keep users cooler, and no-binding-edge shoulder padding, to prevent neck chaffing..

Honeywell’s UOP has been selected by Haldor Topsoe to provide technology to purify hydrogen from a steam reforming unit to be installed at the Antipinsky refinery in Tyumen, Russia. The new hydrogen unit, scheduled to start up in 2013, is part of the refinery's plan to raise capacity by up to 7 million tpy.

Jacobs Engineering Group was awarded a contract from Solutia to provide engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) services for the Kuantan resin plant in Kuantan, Malaysia. The companies noted that the project is scheduled to be completed in 2013.

Recommended practices can better scrutinize performance issues such as design, packing and metallurgy to mitigate failures.