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

August 2007

Archive

Special Report: Fluid Flow and Rotating Equipment

Use liquid ultrasonic meters for custody transfer
Daniel Division, Emerson Process Management: Seiler, D.  |  Syrnyk, P.

This technology is gaining widespread acceptance in the field

Visualize pump and control valve interaction easily
Kuwait Oil Co.: Unnkikrishnan, G.

Use these steps to set up a spreadsheet to visualize the system behavior

Performance testing guidelines for centrifugal compressors
Chevron Energy Technology Co.: Wilcox, E.

Here are the variables to measure and necessary instrumentation

Pump vibration, rotor balance and effect on bearing life
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Rules-of-thumb and experience for optimally scheduling pump overhauls

Coriolis flowmeters improve hydrogen production
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.: Hoglen, W.
Emerson Process Management: Valentine, J.

Accurate steam-to-carbon ratio control provided efficient operation

Maximize equipment performance with continuous torque monitoring
Kop-Flex, Inc. Emerson Power Transmission: Meier, B.

The data can pinpoint declining turbine or compressor efficiency and increased fuel consumption

New compressor control system saves gas plant energy and increases production
Saudi Aramco, Ju'aymah Gas Plant: Gunther, K.  |  Mathew, V.
SpectraSensors: Miller, S.

Here are the advanced strategies used and project implementation

Special Report: Liquefied Natural Gas Developments

New floating-ring seals push the 'uptime envelope'
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

The three-face design handles severe wet-fluid pumping

Heat Transfer

Optimize energy savings on steam generation
Fluor Corp.: Sutikno, T.

Steam-turbine selection involves evaluating heat duty vs. work requirements in critical service units

Maintenance

Maintaining instruments used to determine biodiesel quality
PerkinElmer Inc.: Armstrong, D.

Using these necessary steps will assure proper analysis of B100

Maintenance/Heat Transfer

Prevent leaks in heat exchangers
Reliance Industries Ltd.: Rajkumar, R.

Changes in design code lead to solutions for chronic leaking glycol exchanger

Process Developments

Fine-tune catalyst addition rates
Bharat Petroleum Corp. Ltd.: Choudary, N. V.  |  Gokak, D. T.  |  Murali, C.  |  Ravichander, N.  |  Voolapalli, R. K.
Engineered Project Services LLC: Siddiqui, A.

Simple method dynamically optimizes E-catalyst activity in fluid catalytic crackers

Process Safety

Choosing the wrong flame arrestor can prevent capacity enhancement
Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's: Abdi, M. A.
National Iranian Oil Co.: Golkar, M. M.

This Iranian gas facility debottlenecked its process and increased production

Columns

HP Reliability: Cost justification for advanced steam traps
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

      Steam traps are found in virtually every industrial steam system. They allow separating steam from condensate and are indispensable for equipment reliability and thermally optimiz..

HP Integration Strategies: Automation services growing rapidly
ARC Advisory Group: O'Brien, L.

The automation services market is the fastest-growing segment of the business. ARC's recently published study, Automation Supplier Provided Services, shows that the total services market served by the..

HPIn Europe: A changing perspective blows in
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Wright, Tim L.

I've been sitting through energy industry conferences for the past 10 years, but the one I attended last week was a bit different. At an SKF maintenance conference held in Gothenburg, Sweden, the equi..

HPIn LNG: LNG pricing mechanism— old and new
Consultant: Mokhatab, S.

Over the past five years, higher prices for pipeline gas now make liquefied natural gas (LNG) a competitively priced alternative. At the same time, technology costs for LNG have fallen by 30%. In term..

HP Water Management: Strategies to manage reliability of utility water systems - Part 3: Audits to benchmark system performance
MarTech Systems, Inc.: Huchler, L. A.

In industrial plants, an audit is a systematic review of equipment and/or operating and monitoring practices for a specific purpose. Often, plant personnel use audits to conduct a gap analysis—id..

HP Innovations

Resilient flare ignition system rapidly detects outages With the increasing attention given to safety and environmental impacts, flaring and combustion equipment operators want a dependable product th..

New Developments

Acoustic wave transmitters for various industries The new SULTAN series nonintrusive acoustic wave transmitter features noncontact measurement and low installation costs. The series is claimed to with..

HP Construction: Europe
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

Aker Kvaerner and SKF have established a partnership for condition-based maintenance for the offshore and onshore oil and gas industry. The agreement integrates Aker Kvaerner's expertise in engineeri..

HP Construction: South America
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  Fluor Daniel South America Limited has announced it will lead a consortium with J. Ray McDermott to provide program management, engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the 4,..

HP Construction: Middle East
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  GE Water & Process Technologies has announced the construction of a new chemical manufacturing facility in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. The new 7,500-m2 chemical blending plant will bring over 10,000 ..

HP Construction: Asia-Pacific
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  GE Energy has a licensing agreement with CJSC Nizhnekamsk refinery to provide gasification technology for a new oil refining and petrochemical complex in Nizhnekamsk, Republic of Tatarstan, Rus..

HP Construction: Africa
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  Marathon Oil Corporation and its partners announced the delivery of the first cargo of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from their Train 1 LNG project on Bioko Island, Equatorial Guinea. The $1.5 bi..

HP Construction: North America
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

  GE Oil & Gas has an approximate $80 million contract to provide North West Upgrading Inc. with centrifugal and reciprocating compressors, centrifugal pumps and air coolers for a new heavy oil u..

Free Literature

    Aeration diffuser/mixer  Tideflex Technologies describes its Tubeflex fine-bubble and TFA coarse-bubble diffusers and a patented Combination Aeration System in its eight-pa..

HP In Brief: HPIn Brief
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

  Japan's energy diplomacy Japan's energy policy always emphasizes the country's goal to reduce its reliance on Middle East oil. "However, geog..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Massive growth forecast in global LNG expenditures
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Natural gas accounts for nearly a quarter of the world's energy use, and major growth in gas consumption is forecast. Gas currently accounts for nearly a quarter of all energy use. The International E..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Review: Crude runs echo regional demand upswings in 2006
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

The year 2006 presented another 12 months of high and volatile energy prices. But despite elevated costs, world energy consumption growth remained above average, continuing the trend of recent years..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Experience not necessarily desired core competency in chemical mergers
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

Chemical company consolidations are expected at high levels in the next one to two years, related to the current profit upcycle in the sector. Corporations intending to participate need to learn from ..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Chemicals output to increase 4.7% worldwide in 2007
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

At mid-point 2007, the global economy remains relatively strong and is rebalancing. Much of Western Europe has accelerated, Japan features sustained growth, and China, India and many other emerging ma..

HP Impact: HPImpact: New API refinery guidelines focus on portable buildings
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

The American Petroleum Institute (API), the national trade association of the US oil and natural gas industry, has issued a new recommended practice that provides guidance for reducing the risk to per..

HP Impact: HPImpact: Boutique product mix strains retailers' profitability
Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Weirauch, Wendy

While the upstream oil industry is amassing revenues, the retail business is fiercely competing for profits. Although many consumers think that their local gas stations are pulling in big profits, thi..

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor

Toyo correction Thank you for including the news regarding our agreement to provide Mangalore Petrochemicals Ltd. with project management consultant services in the "HPIn Construction" section of the..

Misc

Viewpoint: Focusing on a 'secure' energy future
American Petroleum Institute (API): Cavaney, R.

<!-- Begin - Site: Hydrocarbon Processing Zone: HP SubscribePromo_100 --><!-- End - Site: Hydrocarbon Processing Zone: HP SubscribePromo_100 --> Since 1980, American importation of petroleum has ris..