January 2016
Special Report: LNG, NGL and Alternative Feedstocks
Natural gas for diesel replacement is an excellent opportunity for mineable oil sands operations to realize considerable fuel savings.
Over the past decades, one engineering firm has been using discrete event simulation (DES) to study shipping and storage as an integral part of project execution throughout all phases of a process facility’s design, construction and operations.
Outlook: Industry Leaders’ Viewpoints
To kick off the new year, industry leaders and esteemed colleagues shared their viewpoints on 2016 and beyond with Hydrocarbon Processing.
Environment and Safety
The lack of knowledge and understanding about process safety is still apparent in many industries where hazardous materials are processed and handled.
Heat Transfer
Fouling in heat exchanger preheat trains is a well-known problem in the refining industry.
Process Engineering and Optimization
Process design engineers may occasionally become involved in the design of online analyzers and their associated sampling systems.
Columns
As we transition into 2016, we leave behind a year that saw dramatic changes in both the upstream and downstream industries.
A rotating machinery engineer working for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor in India is often involved in selecting reciprocating compressors for hydrocarbon processing plants.
Equipment of all types are designed for normal operating conditions, usually with some margin for unknowns.
North America’s vast oil and gas pipeline network spans more than 2.6 MM mi in the US alone, delivering fossil fuel feedstocks to refineries, gas processors and petrochemical manufacturers, and finished fuels to end users.
Trends and Resources
With both West Texas Intermediate (WTI) and Brent crude oil prices tumbling almost 50% from 2014 to 2015 due to a global supply glut, this past year was one of great uncertainty in the downstream sector.
Liquified natural gas is forecast to become one of the most valuable commodities in the world.
Asian margins showed a strong recovery due to higher winter heating fuel demand, supporting middle distillate crack spreads.
According to <i>Hydrocarbon Processing's</i> Construction Boxscore Database, new project announcements averaged approximately 25 per month in 2015.
Pepperl+Fuchs’ VisuNet RM Shell 4.0 remote monitor firmware for industrial thin client work stations offers significant enhancements through an optimized touchscreen user interface, advanced security features, Windows Embedded Standard 7 and plug-and-play startup capabilities.
The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Aberdeen Section board has elected Ian Phillips, chief executive of the Oil and Gas Innovation Centre (OGIC), as its new chairman.
- Technip Energies awarded two large contracts by BPCL for new units at Bina and Mumbai refineries in India 1/28
- ADNOC and TAQA announce 27-yr utilities agreement with TA’ZIZ, enabling world-scale chemicals production at Ruwais 1/28
- BASF to open global digital hub in India in Q1 2026 1/28
- Solvay inaugurates Europe’s first bio-circular silica facility in Italy 1/28
- Nikkiso’s next-generation marine fuel cryogenic pump skids to support dual-fuel vessel conversions 1/28
- Indian diesel exports to West Africa jump as EU bans Russian crude-derived fuel 1/28
