Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

July 2016

Archive

Special Report: Refinery of the Future

Catalytic advances make chemical upgrading a reality for heavy sour feeds
Auterra Inc.: Burnett, E.  |  Litz, K.  |  Schmelzer, G.

For many years, industry researchers have worked to find more cost-effective alternative processes than traditional hydroprocessing for upgrading petroleum fractions.

An operations reference model for common refinery operations
BR&L Consulting Inc.: Brandl, D.
Schneider Electric: Turk, M. A.

Refineries are large, highly automated, complex systems involving hundreds of people, thousands of work processes, thousands of control loops and tens of thousands of input/output points.

Teaching an old plant new tricks: The rise of the methanol plant revamp
Jacobs Consultancy: Stanbridge, S.

The last time we saw such marked activity in the methanol industry was back in the 1990s and early 2000s, when methanol production in North America plummeted by almost two-thirds.

Process Control and Instrumentation

Minimize industrial cyber security risk in plants in 12 steps
Honeywell Industrial Cyber Security: Ayral, T.  |  O'Donnell, J.

Most companies and plants have taken steps to implement some degree of industrial cyber security control.

Process Engineering and Optimization

Secure the best benefit from C4 hydrocarbon processing—Part 2: Economic evaluation
thyssenkrupp Industrial Solutions AG: Streich, T.  |  Kömpel, H.  |  Geng, J.  |  Renger, M.

Summarizing the outcome of the technical evaluation in Part 1 of this technical study, a tailor-made process route should be chosen for proper C<sub>4</sub> hydrocarbon processing to obtain the best benefits from case to case.

Fluid Flow

Experimental study of flow-induced pipe vibrations with guided end conditions
Indian Institute of Chemical Technology: Sutar, S. M.  |  Radhakrishna, M.
University College of Engineering, Osmania University: Babu, P. R.

A study has been performed on the vibrations and stability of fluid-conveying pipes with guided ends. Guided ends are the most common type of pipe ends, as they enable the pipe to have free movement.

Water Management

Non-phosphorus corrosion inhibitor optimizes cooling tower uptime for environmental compliance
Baker Hughes: Felipe, M. J.  |  Nguyen, K.  |  Guo, B. B.  |  Sandu, C.  |  Fulmer, D.

Cooling water systems play a critical role in the efficient operation of hydrocarbon processing facilities.

Environment and Safety

Implement a competency management system for process safety
Primatech, Inc.: Baybutt, P.

Managing the competency of company personnel is a critical aspect of process safety.

Columns

Editorial Comment: Innovation in the downstream
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

In early June, Hydrocarbon Processing held its annual International Refining and Petrochemical Conference (IRPC). In its seventh year, the technical conference and exhibition returned to Italy for two full days of downstream technical presentations.

Reliability: Machinery quality assessment on twin-screw compressors
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Machinery quality assessment (MQA) is similar to bid conditioning, and both relate to structured efforts.

Automation Strategies: The benefits of safety lifecycle management
ARC Advisory Group: Cosman, E. C.

Industry standards mandate safety lifecycle management (SLM). Most industrial organizations are aware of and comply with those standards.

Refining: Tackle operational challenges in refining unconventional crudes
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Andrew, Bob

Fuel refineries in earlier decades would preferentially process light sweet crudes, for the right price, to maximize gasoline and distillate production and to meet sulfur specifications with less cost.

Engineering Case Histories: Case 91: Helping those interested in a technical career
Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

As engineers and managers, we are often approached by parents or friends interested in a technical career for their children or others.

Codes and Standards: Explore alternative engineering options for code requirements
The Augustus Group: Murti, D. G.

This article is the second under the “Codes and Standards” series.

Viewpoint: Envisioning a “future-proof” refinery of the future
Emerson Process Management: Carugo, M.

Trying to predict how global refining markets will look in 2026 is a losing proposition. The only thing we can count on with any real certainty is uncertainty.

Industry perspectives: IRPC 2016 keynotes, refinery tour highlight downstream progress

Day One of Hydrocarbon Processing’s annual International Refining and Petrochemical Conference (IRPC) featured a special tour of eni’s Sannazzaro de’Burgondi refinery.

Business Trends: Asia’s smaller downstream players have big plans
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

Most of the focus on Asian downstream capacity construction revolves around large consuming nations, such as China and India.

Industry Metrics
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

The impact of Canadian and French refinery outages caused margins to fall slightly in the Atlantic Basin and Europe, despite stronger gasoline demand and higher inventories.

Global Project Data
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

At present, Hydrocarbon Processing’s Construction Boxscore Database is tracking over 2,100 projects around the world.

Innovations
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Andrew, Bob

Appleton, an Emerson brand and a global supplier in hazardous-location electrical products, announced an expansion to the Areamaster LED series.

People
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

Dr. Alexander Horch has been named as the new head of development at HIMA Paul Hildebrandt GmbH.