Loss Prevention
Editorial Comment: The materials that advance modern life
Refineries and petrochemical plants contain some of the harshest environments on the planet.
Causes interact in industrial accidents and life
Before discussing failure causes, it is helpful to understand why the idea of process safety management (PSM) has taken hold in the past few decades.
EPC/construction contracting—Start with the end in mind
Large capital projects continue to be challenged by budget issues.
Best practices in boiler maintenance and replacement
Refineries cannot afford a sudden boiler failure (FIG. 1). Regularly assessing the condition of boilers is vital.
Resolving vibration problems in a crude booster pump
The pumps referred to in this article are 2,600-HP vertical pumps utilized as booster pumps for the shipment of crude oil.
Allocate new plant focus to steam system design—Part 2
Part 1 of this article, which appeared in the January 2019 issue of Hydrocarbon Processing, discussed how new plant construction includes expectations for optimized production performance to achieve targeted profitability.
Welded plate heat exchangers cut refinery process costs—Part 1
Plate and frame (P&F) heat exchangers were first manufactured 100 yr ago for use in the dairy industry.
Retrospective: Then and now— Looking toward the future
In 1982, I wrote an article called “Using process computers as robots for refining operations,” which was published in the May issue of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing.</i>
AI: How AI and machine learning benefit refineries and petrochemical plants
Embedding machines with artificial intelligence (AI) allows them to learn from their past experiences.
Turbomachinery: Increase rotating equipment uptime with laser shaft alignment
The cost of failing to properly align shafts or belts on rotating machinery adds up to more than the need to physically fix damaged machinery.

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