August 2014

Elastomer-based O-rings are used as secondary sealing components in millions of fluid machines. Although O-ring seals are primarily intended for fluid containment between different but nonrotating com..

Although many olefin plants are making big investments in hardware and metallurgy to improve compressor performance and to extend run lengths, the reliability, efficiency and throughput capacity of the CGC are still key influences on plant profitability.

Liquid hydrocarbon storage facilities have used triple-offset valves (TOVs) in traditional tank farm applications for decades. Due to more stringent health, safety and environment (HSE) requirements, ..

A Middle East refinery installed a hydrogen plant that was designed to produce 20,000 Nm3/hr of pure hydrogen (H2) to support a diesel hydrotreater. The unit was commissioned in 2006. This H2 plant wa..

With prices pressured and stricter environmental legislation being implemented, refineries are being increasingly forced to look at new ways of processing heavy residues.

The increase in heavy crude production, together with the diversity of heavy crude characteristics and sources, leads to technical challenges in accurately predicting production and refining process performance.

ExxonMobil did not devote four full pages to operational excellence (OE) in its 2012 annual report because they had nothing else to talk about, but rather because they viewed it as one of their five k..

This case study demonstrates the potential maintenance-labor cost savings that can be obtained through the greater utilization of operations staff; such savings can justify OPPM program investment.

The recently published ISO 55000 series of standards aims to promote best practices in asset management. Other goals of this standard include: achieving tangible benefits through the effective managem..

Russia’s refining industry is set to make major changes to improve profitability and produce cleaner transportation fuels. Such changes will enable the refining industry to export cleaner fuels t..

It’s fair to assume that most employers strive to deliver quality results and maintain high safety standards in their plant operations. Recent research has shown that employing staff who share th..

ARC Advisory Group research indicates that, by applying appropriate energy management measures, energy-intensive companies can reduce their energy consumption by 30% to 40% over a 15-year timespan. Th..

Long service life and maintenance cost avoidance for equipment are of great interest to reliability professionals in the hydrocarbon processing industry. These goals are supported by a renowned gasket..

The role of the PM is evolving as new HPI projects are constructed across the world and enlist engineers and service companies scattered in different countries and regions. As discussed in Part 1, new..

Several companies are teaming up to develop technology to produce butadiene from the suddenly-abundant butane supplies from the US shale boom.

A process upset occurred that caused the gas temperature of a centrifugal compressor to increase from the design condition of Tstart = 300°F to Tinf = 600°F in t = 0.25 hours. Some engineers..

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are laying the foundation to attract foreign investment to develop their vast hydrocarbon reserves, as well as to develop their downstream processing infrastructure to meet rising demand and export opportunities.

Ensuring equipment integrity by conducting thorough maintenance provides multiple benefits, from maximizing machine uptime and minimizing process shutdowns, to prolonged equipment service life and imp..

Ethylene is the bellwether petrochemical. Almost all petrochemicals begin with ethylene and proceed to other major petrochemicals, including polyethylene (PE), ethylene dichloride, ethylbenzene and et..

Refining capacity in the US increases slightly At the beginning of 2014 in the US, there were 139 operating refineries and three idle refineries with total atmospheric crude oil distillation capacity ..

At mid-year, the global demand for oil remains steady, and growth is forecast to average about 1.13 million bpd (MMbpd). Analysts are more optimistic for greater demand increases in 2015 at 1.21MMbpd,..

Small-capacity SRUs available for petchemsPrincipal Technology offers sulfur recovery units (SRUs) (Fig. 1) specifically designed for small-capacity petrochemical plants. The SRUs are available in nam..

Energy Recovery has promoted Joel Gay to CFO, replacing Alex Buehler. Mr. Gay joined Energy Recovery in January 2012 and has held several positions at the company, serving as vice president of finance..

Elastomer compatibility ratings anytime, anywhereDuPont’s upgraded Chemical Resistance Guide (CRG) is now available online and offline for desktops, tablets and smart phones. This user-friendly t..

Electromechanical switches certified worldwide to meet demanding requirements The vibration-resistant 316 stainless steel 12 Series switch meets the requirements of hazardous-area applications wo..

For European refiners, the economic situation remains clouded. The 2008 global recession sent this region into a financial downward spiral. Conditions are improving, but they still lag behind other de..