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

Environment & Safety

Failure prevention—The ultimate asset management strategy

Small Hammer Inc.: Snider, B.

The primary cause for losses and lost opportunities at refineries, chemical complexes, pipeline networks and gas processing facilities is equipment failures.

Lifting of US crude export ban will impact process safety management

North Highland Worldwide Consulting: Molly, K.

Since the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s, the US government has restricted the export of crude oil to curb dependence on crude oil imports.

Engineering Case Histories: Case 90: Precautions when working near equipment

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

Most machines and pressure vessels are designed with safety in mind, but they can release large amounts of energy if not constructed, maintained or operated correctly.

Innovations

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Andrew, Bob

Planned shutdowns, turnarounds and outages (STOs) are often scheduled for preventive maintenance and new equipment installation that must be performed to keep a plant running and in regulatory compliance.

GE to provide wastewater treatment for Chinese coal-to-chemical plant

GE’s ZLD evaporator and crystallizer system will eliminate liquid discharge of waste and enable water reuse at the Shaanxi Future Energy Chemical Co. coal-to-chemical plant in China.

Death toll from Mexican chemical blast rises to 32

The massive explosion took place on Wednesday afternoon at the facility's chlorinate 3 plant in the Gulf state of Veracruz, sending a black cloud of smoke hundreds of meters into the air and giving off a powerful smell of ammonia.

Pemex petrochemical plant explosion kills dozens, injures hundreds

HP Editorial Staff: HP News Services

At least 32 people died and 136 were injured after a leak caused a deadly explosion at the plant, and the death toll could still rise further, according to the CEO of oil giant Pemex.

Petroecuador halts Esmeraldas refinery on quake

Petroecuador said it would assess when to restart operations during the day after verifying that no infrastructure was damaged by the 7.8 magnitude quake which struck off the country's Pacific coast.

Cheap oil is blunting drive for fuel efficiency

HP Editorial Staff: HP News Services

Now that the costs of transport fuel have dropped sharply and appear set to remain low for several years, the focus will shift from efficiency to speed, power and convenience.

API poll: High ethanol mandates worry US voters

“Across the political spectrum, voters are concerned about the significant damage the RFS mandate and higher ethanol blends could cause to automobiles, motorcycles and almost every type of gasoline powered engine,” said Frank Macchiarola, downstream group director at the API.