July 2017

Since the flash zone is the first process undergone by the coke drum effluent vapor upon entering the column, the operation of the flash zone is critical to the operation of the entire coker fractionator column.

The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process remains one of the most important secondary conversion processes due to its inherent capability to upgrade residual streams and its flexibility to maximize the desired product, depending on market dynamics.

Vapor-liquid distributors are a crucial element of reactor internals for maximizing catalyst utilization of fixed-bed reactors.

With increasing global demand in the energy sector, heavy and extra-heavy oils and bitumen have attracted extensive attention, despite depressed oil pricing.

The 2017 Hydrocarbon Processing Awards honored the leading technologies in the downstream hydrocarbon processing industries, as well as outstanding personal contributions to the industry.

How sure would a terminal manager at a distribution terminal, or a line manager at a refinery or a chemical plant that has marine loading and unloading docks, be that those docks are being operated at a level that ensures long-term safe performance?

Coal seam gas (CSG) has been established as a viable source of natural gas. The monetization of CSG resources through LNG projects experienced rapid expansion in recent years as a result of increasing LNG prices.

Online monitoring and diagnostic systems are used by petrochemical plants and refineries worldwide for their critical machinery monitoring capabilities.

Centrifugal compressors are production-critical equipment in refineries, petrochemical plants, and offshore oil and gas production facilities.

This issue of Hydrocarbon Processing contains two features that are new to the publication. The first feature showcases the winners and finalists of Hydrocarbon Processing’s Awards program, which was held in Vienna in June. The other is a new segment called View/Alt-View.

Whether it is compressor selection, upgrading, routine maintenance, major maintenance, failure avoidance or failure analysis: Realize that the reciprocating compressor procurement and improvement options available today are surprisingly advantageous compared to the options of 30 yr ago.

Many analysts believe that Africa will remain a net importer of petroleum products for the foreseeable future. However, a few countries in the region have plans in place to build new refineries.

The term confirmation bias recently came up in a book I was reading,1 and it was then that I realized how relevant it was to engineering.

According to Dr. William Edwards Deming, engineer, statistician, professor, author, lecturer and management consultant, “Without data, you are just another person with an opinion.”

India is emerging as the world’s new oil demand center, with burgeoning consumption providing huge potential for downstream oil and gas growth. With a GDP ranked in the top 10 globally and a large, growing population, India has seen continuous increases in demand for energy in all forms.

Our publication often features a Viewpoint column, an executive-level short opinion piece that usually focuses on the author’s sector of the hydrocarbon processing industry. This month, we are featuring two columns back-to-back, presenting alternative views on a single topic. We use the word “alternative” deliberately—rather than “opposing”—as we wish to highlight views that present legitimately different perspectives.

Founded in 2009, Gulf Publishing Company and Hydrocarbon Processing’s International Refining and Petrochemical Conference (IRPC) provides a series of events for the international downstream industry covering technical innovations, and exploring both the challenges and opportunities found in today’s market.

The performance of capital project facility commissioning, startup and initial operations often falls short of expectations, and the opportunity for innovative commissioning and startup technologies has yet to be discussed extensively.

US gasoline crack spreads continued to rally, but were offset by supply-side pressure as higher refinery runs contributed to increased inventories.

The map shows a global market share analysis of new projects over the past three years. Since 2016, the Asia-Pacific region has accounted for the highest market share of newly announced projects.

John Flannery, the President and CEO of GE Healthcare, has been named CEO of the company, effective August 1, and Chairman and CEO effective in January 2018. Jeff Immelt, Chairman and CEO, will remain Chairman of the Board through his retirement at the end of the year.