Process Optimization

Manage reliability and asset management performance by implementing a reliable operations committee program

This article examines how the author's company instituted a reliable operations committee program at its refinery in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The main goal of the program is to oversee the implementation and performance of maintenance and reliability programs to ensure a culture of optimum reliability and endorse new initiatives and programs that enhance maintenance performance in the facility.

Harness the power of asset performance management to transform reliability

As the energy industry navigates the shifting energy landscape and macroeconomic uncertainties, it must adopt collaborative and innovative solutions to enhance the productivity and quality of value chain operations, while also remaining focused on efficiency improvement projects that protect the bottom line. Spurred by this need for increased resilience and recent advancements in artificial intelligence, the market is seeing growth in the deployment of asset performance management (APM) solutions.

Synergize FCCUs and hydrocracking processing units to maximize refining margins—Part 2

Part 1 of this article appeared in the February issue. Part 2 here will explore the role of FCC and hydrocracking in crude-to-chemicals and the challenge of cracked feeds, among other topics. 

Driving operational excellence: Integrate digital solutions for a smarter supply chain

Siloed systems lead to isolated data and inefficiencies in decision-making due to a lack of visibility. To address these challenges, the authors' company built a strategic digital command and control center. The goal was to resolve daily operational issues by integrating various systems into a unified data ecosystem, enabling real-time, integrated decision-making and driving operational excellence.

Ningbo Refining & Chemical awards ECI a technology licensing contract for an EVA/LDPE plant in China

ECI Group announced a contract award from Ningbo Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company Limited (NZRCC) for a 200,000-tpy EVA/LDPE plant using ECI Group’s proprietary hybrid reactor technology.

INEOS CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe: Carbon tax and high energy costs are killing off manufacturing in Britain

thyssenkrupp Uhde, Praj Industries Ltd partner to revolutionize polylactic acid production and circular economy

thyssenkrupp Uhde’s polymer specialists Uhde Inventa-Fischer and Praj Industries Limited announced a strategic partnership to jointly offer an end-to-end integrated technology for the production of polylactic acid.

WastAway receives U.S. patent for its entire waste-to-fuel process

WastAway – a leading green tech company that converts municipal solid waste (MSW) to fuel – has won a U.S. patent for its entire waste-to-fuel process, bringing the total number of U.S. and international patents to 26.

Dow Chemical delays construction on multi-billion-dollar Path2Zero project in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada

After a reported Q1 loss, Dow Chemical plans to launch an action plan to further reduce spending and deliver $6 B in cash support. The plan includes delaying construction on the company's multi-billion-dollar Path2Zero project in Alberta, Canada.

Asahi Kasei, Nobian, Furuya Metal and Mastermelt commence joint project to recycle metals, signaling a milestone towards circularity in the chlor-alkali industry

Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei has started a joint demonstration with Nobian, Furuya Metal and Mastermelt on the recycling of metals, including precious metals, used in the cells and electrodes incorporated in electrolyzers used for the production of caustic soda.