Economics
Case history: Optimization of aromatics complex
Borealis Polymers executed an online optimization project at its phenol and aromatics plants in Porvoo. The plantwide application increased the output rate by 9% and greatly improved the stability of operations.
Improve the cracking of ethylene dichloride
The discovery and exploitation of shale gas in North America is providing a boost to the domestic petrochemical industry. In particular, commodity petrochemicals such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are e..
Consider new strategies in defining turnaround or construction contracts
As the use of contract labor to complete refinery turnarounds and construction projects is increasing, success of these projects hinges on the ability of owners and contractors to effectively collabor..
Major refinery uses reliable fiscal metering system
Reliance Industries Ltd., ranked 99th on the Fortune 500 list of the world’s major corporations, operates the largest refinery and petrochemical complex. Located in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India (Fig...
HP Automation Strategies: A new era emerging for incident prediction and avoidance solutions
“Inevitably, what you don’t know will ruin your day.” This often-voiced piece of wisdom is particularly true in the hydrocarbon processing industries, where operations staffs are being ..
HP Project Management: Better strategies avoid project delays—Part 1
Even when using 3D CAD, advanced project management systems and fast-track concepts, projects now take longer than they did two decades ago. Schedule overruns occur as frequently, despite the applicat..
HP Boxscore Construction Analysis: 2014 global construction outlook—Part 2
According to Hydrocarbon Processing’s HPI Market Data 2014, total capital spending is estimated to exceed $77 B. Part 2 of this outlook examines notable construction activities in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
HP Viewpoint: Ethylene production growth drives new global industry standards
Operators that understand global market drivers and the latest technologies will provide the best solutions to improve their profitability and comply with the latest HSE rules.
HP Industry Perspectives: It is not dirty oil, just oil with dirt in it
There are an estimated 8 trillion bbl of heavy oil reserves located throughout the world, as shown in Fig. 1. The quest now is how to cost-efficiently bring these reserves of “dirty oil” to ..
HP News
 Irving Oil refinery begins $60-million turnaroundA major turnaround is underway at Irving Oil’s refinery in Saint John, Canada. It began in early March and is expected to last until mid-Ap..

- Dow to close three European chemical plants, cut 800 jobs 7/10
- Indian Oil to upgrade Panipat refinery's diesel unit for green jet fuel production 7/10
- Gunvor plans to halt oil terminal activities at Europoort refinery 7/10
- EU to set up Critical Chemical Alliance to secure supply chains 7/10
- Greenergy proposes to close Immingham biodiesel plant in the UK 7/10
- Digital Exclusive: How to build cyber resilience in the oil and gas supply chain 7/10