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

Refining

Composite ionic liquid alkylation technology gives high product yield and selectivity

China University of Petroleum: Liu, Z.  |  Zhang, R.  |  Meng, X.  |  Liu, H.  |  Xu, C.
Beijing Zhongshi Aojie Petroleum Technology Co. Ltd.: Zhang, X.
Well Resources Inc.: Chung, W.

Global sentiment has been moving toward a call to develop innovative technologies that address environmental preservation and limit the use of hazardous materials.

How the “LLF” condition monitoring technique can improve manufactured product profitability

Bahrain Petroleum Co. (Bapco): Das, S.

Technological advances have allowed predictive maintenance (i.e., condition-based maintenance) to overtake preventive maintenance in plant operations. “Look, listen and feel (LLF)” is a condition monitoring technique that improves the reliability of equipment and machinery in manifolds.

Metallurgy solution to prevent polythionic acid stress corrosion cracking in hydroprocessing

Honeywell UOP: Hoehn, R. K.  |  Bradley, S. A.  |  Mucek, M. W.
Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metal Corp.: Anada, H.  |  Osuki, T.

Hydrotreating is a staple process found in nearly every refinery. The process removes undesirable feed contaminants, such as sulfur, nitrogen and metals, and saturates olefins and/or aromatics to produce high-quality products.

Reliability: Include pump wear rings in your upgrade efforts

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Most centrifugal pump designs include replaceable rotating wear rings on the impeller (impeller wear rings) and stationary wear rings inside the casing (case wear rings). Although pump wear rings are simple components, they can have profound impacts on pump reliability, efficiency and safety. These wear rings serve three purposes:

Editorial Comment: It’s all in the makeup of things

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

This issue of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> features a topic that has been addressed in sections of the magazine for several decades, but has never been a focal point of the publication. That topic is materials manufacturing.

People

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

Amy Hebert has joined Haldor Topsoe A/S as Deputy CEO and Executive VP (EVP), Chemicals.

Global Project Data

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

<i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database is tracking more than 1,700 projects around the world.

Industry Metrics

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

Record low temperatures in the eastern US strengthened the diesel market but extended the downward trend in refining margins.

Evaluate structural stiffness for piping stress analysis

Reliance Engineering Group (REG): Choudhury, M. G.  |  Tripathi, R.

Hydrocarbon plants use a system of pipes of various sizes, pressures and temperatures. Sometimes these pipes have pulsating flows that result in piping system vibration. These piping systems must be designed for a high degree of reliability, which requires a comprehensive piping stress analysis for thermal, sustained, occasional and dynamic loading conditions.

Consider pitot tube pumps for low-flow, high-head applications

Saudi Aramco: Alshaye, A.

Low-flow, high-head pumping requirements in refining and petrochemical plants make up less than 2% of the total pump population. This minor percentage is creating significant reliability concerns, which result in low mean-time between failures (MTBF), as well as high maintenance costs.