Refining
Productivity in process plant engineering: Aspects and examples
For centuries, division of labor has been the recipe to improve productivity—dividing an organizational set of tasks into smaller tasksets, as assigned to individuals.
Impact of biofeed retrofits, co-processing on refinery amine units, SWSs and SRUs—Part 2
Producing diesel with a portion of biologically sourced carbon is being done at an increasing number of conventional crude oil refineries.
HP Flashback: Operations, processes and safety evolve and advance: Excerpts from the 1930s
The following is a mixture of technical articles, columns and headlines published in the 1930s by <i>The Refiner and Natural Gasoline Manufacturer</i>, the forerunner to <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i>.
Debottlenecking of an extractive distillation column for aromatics recovery: Effect of feed pre-vaporization
Extractive distillation is one of the most efficient techniques to separate aromatic and non-aromatic hydrocarbons by increasing the relative volatility of the mixture in the presence of a solvent.
Why robotic process automation is quickly becoming a must for downstream companies
For the refining operation that wants to relieve its planning team of mind-numbing manual data-management tasks, there are bots for that.
History of the HPI: The 1930s: Catalytic cracking, polyethylene, synthetic fibers, resins and jet engines
The hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) has a rich history of discovery, challenges, breakthroughs, trial and error, collaboration and success. <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> continues its reflection on the history of the HPI.
Process Controls, Instrumentation and Automation: Reduce maintenance costs by optimizing pressure transmitter calibration intervals
Pressure instrumentation is crucial for the functionality and safety of hydrocarbon processing facilities worldwide.
Executive Viewpoint: What is the future for the HPI?
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> sat down with Helion Sardina (HS), Chief Commercial Officer, Lummus Technology.
Engineering Case Histories: Case 115: A method for analyzing catastrophic type failures
A portion of my consulting career involved investigating catastrophic type failures on machines, pressure vessels and structures in the industry.
Case study: Challenges in the selection of a helical baffled exchanger
In a greenfield project, a proprietary heat exchanger<sup>a</sup> has been found to be preferable to conventional shell-and-tube (S&T) exchangers to optimize the total lifecycle cost (i.e., capital, operating, installation and maintenance costs).
- ADNOC, AIQ developing first-of-a-kind agentic AI solution for global energy transformation 11/4
- SEEC to use thyssenkrupp nucera’s electrolyzer for caustic soda production 11/4
- Oman's OQ to list up to 49% stake in methanol, ammonia and LPG arm 11/4
- U.S. exports of ethane and ethane-based petrochemicals rose 135% from 2014 to 2023 11/4
- Cannon Artes breaks ground on massive industrial wastewater treatment/water reuse plant in Qatar 11/4
- LyondellBasell to close Houston refinery (U.S.) in Q1 2025 11/4