Maintenance & Reliability
Reliability: Avoid pump shaft failures
We welcome and thrive on questions from reliability engineers and try to answer some as best we can.
Project Management: Protect operating margins with outsourced asset management
The oil and gas sector is under pressure to maintain operating margins. Although oil prices have stabilized in recent months, they have, nonetheless, fallen dramatically in the last year. This has bee..
Engineering Case Histories: Case 89: Cracking of welds due to weld fatigue
Pressure vessels, piping and fabricated structures adhering to recognized welding codes rarely fail in static loading, unless they are damaged or severely overloaded.
Troubleshoot operation of a steam ejector vacuum system
A crude vacuum unit operating properly generates high gasoil yield vs. low-value vacuum residue.
Improve facility safety by understanding process and personal safety
The lack of knowledge and understanding about process safety is still apparent in many industries where hazardous materials are processed and handled.
Control fouling on preheat trains with a two-stage approach
Fouling in heat exchanger preheat trains is a well-known problem in the refining industry.
Reliability: Interpreting API Standard 618 for reciprocating compressors
A rotating machinery engineer working for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor in India is often involved in selecting reciprocating compressors for hydrocarbon processing plants.
Engineering Case Histories: Case 88: Normal operating loads do not usually cause failures
Equipment of all types are designed for normal operating conditions, usually with some margin for unknowns.
HP Innovations
The FM-approved FireChek thermal shutoff valve with resettable memory shape alloy can now be used to automatically shut down a pneumatic control system when a nearby fire occurs, or when the ambient temperature reaches 135°F, 150°F or 165°F.
Use dynamic simulation to increase reliability of hydrogen generation
Through this plant study, a licensor demonstrates effective use of rigorous dynamic simulation tools to implement the new control schemes and configurations.
- ABB introduces Unification X to enable seamless control room integration 4/23
- PETRONAS Lubricants International launches flagship PETRONAS Pro Series lubricants to elevate global industrial performance 4/23
- Sir Jim Ratcliffe: “Will INEOS’ Project ONE be Europe’s last investment in the Petrochemicals industry?” 4/23
- Czechs discussing possible fuel supplies from Slovakia 4/23
- LOTTE Fine Chemical completes world’s first commercial-scale green ammonia import 4/23
- Siemens and Shomax expand U.S. fertilizer production with zero-carbon green ammonia 4/23

