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

Pumps

HP Reliability: Trends from Texas A&M’s 43rd Turbomachinery and 30th Pump Symposia

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Many HP readers are very familiar with the Texas A&M Turbomachinery (TAMU Turbo) and Pump Symposia events. The Houston-based 2014 forum, held Sept. 21–25, set new records in both attendance and n..

Update on control and safety systems for turbomachinery

Compressor Controls Corp.: Staroselsky, S.
Compressor Controls: Jacobson, W.  |  McWhirter, J.

All plant workers want to reduce the safety risk associated with turbomachinery operation while avoiding nuisance trips. The goal is to run machines in an efficient manner. In this context, safety ris..

Raise profitability through continuous performance evaluations

Canadian Natural Resources Ltd.: Bhachu, U.

Reliability engineers use a wide variety of tools to support plant equipment and to optimize unit uptime and availability. Sound reliability programs assist organizations to be more competitive in the..

Improve monitoring and troubleshooting of reciprocating compressors

Consultant: Geitner, F. K.
Professional engineer: Bloch, H. P.

The terms surveillance and monitoring for reciprocating compressors can be used interchangeably. With few exceptions, the monitoring and/or surveillance tasks are assigned to the unit operators. They ..

HP Project Management: Pipeline expansion uses rerating to debottleneck services

Flowserve Corp.: Piripavel, M.  |  Schneider, S.

The Colonial Pipeline connects refineries primarily on the US Gulf Coast with customer service markets across the southern and eastern US. In 2010, Colonial’s 5,500-mi pipeline was transporting a..

HP News

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

IChemE awards highest professional honor to Shell The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) awarded its highest honor to Shell in recognition of the company’s worldwide skills and profession..

Update on secondary seals for fluid machines

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.
AESSEAL plc: Carmody, C.

Elastomer-based O-rings are used as secondary sealing components in millions of fluid machines. Although O-ring seals are primarily intended for fluid containment between different but nonrotating com..

Case history: Troubleshooting a leaking valve in a hydrogen unit

A Middle East refinery installed a hydrogen plant that was designed to produce 20,000 Nm3/hr of pure hydrogen (H2) to support a diesel hydrotreater. The unit was commissioned in 2006. This H2 plant wa..

HP Engineering Case Histories: Case 80: Sudden temperature change in a centrifugal compressor

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

A process upset occurred that caused the gas temperature of a centrifugal compressor to increase from the design condition of Tstart = 300°F to Tinf = 600°F in t = 0.25 hours. Some engineers..

HP Viewpoint: Optimize control systems with preventive maintenance

Compressor Controls Corp.: Parisi, P.

Ensuring equipment integrity by conducting thorough maintenance provides multiple benefits, from maximizing machine uptime and minimizing process shutdowns, to prolonged equipment service life and imp..