Safety
Rethink fired heater design for emissions
As environmental regulations are becoming more stringent on reduced nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions, burner designs are changing to meet revised regulations. The heater design must complement the chosen burner for optimal performance. Although design duty is considered to be the main focus of the heater design, the range of heater operation and its impact on heater safety and emissions needs are often neglected.
Process Safety: Process safety in a connected world
Traditionally, conversations around automation and safety have focused largely on logic solvers and instrumentation. However, new disruptive technologies and a rapid expansion in networking and computing resources have broadened the scope of automation’s reach. These transformative technologies and approaches promise to reduce incidents and increase production in ways industry could only imagine in the past; but while the “pieces” are available, organizational silos and entrenched cultures stand in the way.
Inspection: Best practices for inspecting guyed structures
Guyed structures are common in petrochemicals, oil and gas and chemical industries. Half of the installed flare structures at many facilities are guyed. Various routine inspection programs are in place to examine these structures. This work describes some very basic checks, which should be in place to maintain their mechanical integrity.
Editorial Comment: Honoring the industry’s best … take 2!
Due to Tropical Storm Imelda, Hydrocarbon Processing issued its first force majeure in postponing the third annual HP Awards.
Improved cooling system performance begins with data
Refineries consume large amounts of energy and water to refine crude oil into products. Up to 10% of crude oil’s energy content is consumed during processing, and it takes 1.5 bbl of water to process one barrel of crude oil. Refining processes also generate large quantities of excess thermal energy that needs to be expelled into the environment using a once-through or recirculating cooling system.
When digital transformation hits all four sustainability buckets
Sustainability is emerging as a critical business topic, as many companies focus resources toward lowering emissions, waste and energy use in their production processes. This important concept can apply broadly to company operations, especially when considering the expansive view of the triple bottom line that measures the impact of company operations on profits, people and the planet.
Hydrocarbon Processing Awards Winners
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing,</i> the downstream processing sector’s leading technical publication, has announced the winners for its third annual awards. The <i>HP</i> Awards celebrate innovative technologies and people that have been instrumental in improving facility operations over the past year.
Pay attention: LockerGoga and Trisis/Triton demand an improved cybersecurity strategy
The need for a solid cybersecurity strategy has been discussed and debated for nearly half a century. However, the basic worm-type attacks first documented in 1972 are still with us today. Why? The reason is because even the most basic measures to protect control systems from these types of attacks are still not systematically employed.
Building industrial networks to serve IIoT and digitalization
Two of the terms growing in popularity over the past few years are “digital native” and “digital immigrant.” Natives are those individuals young enough to have known computers and the internet since childhood. For them, such technologies have always existed. Immigrants, either through age or circumstance, had no exposure until later in life. Hopefully, for them, such technologies are a welcome addition to work and life, but they can remember times when most activities were more manual, local and isolated.
Business Trends: One downstream—Strategic imperatives for the evolving refining and chemical sectors
Downstream executives will remember the present decade as a golden age for the industry, driven by low feedstock prices and healthy end-use demand.
- Emerson's Aspen Technology business releases new software with expanded AI capabilities, enhanced visualization and simplified workflows 5/13
- LanzaJet and BioD announce feasibility study for SAF plant in Colombia 5/13
- U.S. House targets big climate, clean energy rollbacks in budget proposal 5/13
- Chevron attempting to restart El Segundo, California refinery after taking units offline last week 5/13
- Mexico's Pemex plans to export less crude oil as new refinery starts up 5/13
- BASF is expanding its portfolio of raw materials for the production of concrete superplasticizers for the construction industry in the European market 5/13
