Refining
Advanced analytics drive IIoT success
Refineries and petrochemical plants face similar challenges in daily operations. Each must mitigate risk, anticipate maintenance, optimize operations and minimize expenses. To achieve these goals, plant personnel rely heavily on data to drive decisions.
OT/IT integration for profit-driven operation
Operational technology/information technology integration is required for sharing information among all levels of manufacturing organizations to achieve profit-driven operation, which helps process industry companies implement real-time production performance improvements that are aligned from the management level to the plant floor.
Innovations
Sphera has released a new Interactive piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) solution that helps organizations break down silos between their operations, maintenance and engineering departments while simplifying isolation planning.
Project Management: Four tips for navigating a shutdown, turnaround or outage successfully
In the oil and gas sector, managing a shutdown, turnaround, or even an outage is an unavoidable requirement.
Business Trends: Managing risk and uncertainty: The importance of optimizing your value chain
No doubt exists that COVID-19 is disrupting the oil and gas industry. Oil prices are falling, demand is down, supply is up, and storage capacity is limited. In these difficult times, the industry must swiftly act to keep business viable to come back strong when conditions improve.
Executive Viewpoint: How to develop a successful asset management strategy during the coronavirus downturn
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has disrupted all sectors of the oil and gas industry, including asset management.
People
The Marathon Petroleum Corp. board of directors has elected John P. Surma to serve as non-executive Chairman.
Industry Metrics
Refinery margins in the U.S. Atlantic basin rebounded. Deeper refinery intake cuts, as well as the low feedstock price environment, helped offset unappealing demand-side signals.
Advanced cooling tower water treatment—Part 1
Refineries, petrochemical plants and similar facilities rely on a significant number of heat exchangers for process control and product formulation throughout the plant.
Intensification of sulfur processing units by oxygen enrichment and process flowsheet optimization
The consistent global trend toward improvements in air quality and tighter regulations on emissions, as well as the International Maritime Organization’s shipping regulations, continue to mitigate sulfur levels—not only in conventional transport fuels (petrol and diesel), but also in jet fuels, fuel oils and other heavier distillates.

- Syensqo signs new multi-year Solef® PVDF contracts for battery materials 5/15
- Topsoe’s technology chosen by Zhongneng Yida for 400,000-tpy SAF plant in China 5/15
- Phillips 66 announces agreement to divest majority interest in Germany and Austria retail marketing business 5/15
- Carbon Clean announces successful test of CycloneCC C1 technology at commercial scale 5/15
- Asia's refined fuel imports drop, but margins still hold 5/15
- SP Chemicals plans to raise ethane use at eastern China petchem plant 5/15