Economics
Refining: Europe’s refineries: Walking dead or happy valley?
Unloved and increasingly unneeded, Europe’s oil refining sector has been under duress for an astonishing four decades.
Automation Strategies: Next-gen automation services support operational excellence and reduce project cost
Major suppliers are expanding their automation-related service capabilities from project and engineering services through services for operations and maintenance. This is happening partly in response to overall automation market conditions, but largely in response to evolving user challenges and requirements.
Use the right model to unlock utility system potential
Although we have entered a new era of low energy prices, energy still represents one of the largest, but most easily managed, operating costs in the hydrocarbon industries.
Reduce coke formation and save operating costs with optimization of DMDS into ethane cracking furnaces
Steam cracking furnaces produce olefins, which are high-value feeds in the petrochemical industry. Coke formation is an unavoidable part of a thermal cracking furnace.
Commercialization of pyrolysis oil in existing refineries—Part 1
In Part 1 of this article, the incentives and information needed to relax the constraints of being O<sub>2</sub>-free are outlined. The authors hope that this perspective provides new directions for improving the economics of using pyoil to produce advanced biofuels (ABFs).
Engineering Case Histories: Case 94: Why mentors are important for industry
When I started working in industry 50 years ago, it was management’s job to have a senior engineer watch over my work. Much of the quality of my analytical work and technical discipline were formed early in my career with help from these engineers.
Reliability: Reliability and the EPC contractor
In this column, I have often elaborated on critical information related to reliability thinking. However, reliability thinking is continually subverted by approaches that concentrate excessively on project cost and completion.
Business Trends: India’s natural gas demand—a welcome sign for LNG exporters
India is emerging as the world’s new oil demand center. Complementing its thirst for crude oil, the country has the potential to become a hotbed for natural gas consumption over the next few years.
Key design considerations for vacuum process condensers
The crude oil refining and petrochemical industries make extensive use of condensers that operate under vacuum (i.e., below atmospheric pressure). Distillation is the most common process using these condensers, either as a process precondenser ahead of an ejector system, or as an intercondenser within an ejector system.
Shift to gas: A contribution on the path to sustainability
The COP21 event left the world with new mandates to develop and implement low-emissions energy sources to power the global economy. To limit global warming, the world must increase the use of resources like natural gas, which offers a quick, relatively clean and inexpensive interim step in the global transition from high-emissions resources to renewable energy sources.
- Digital Exclusive: Root cause analysis on hydrochloric acid corrosion in a diesel hydrotreater unit 12/16
- Digital Feature: Enabling growth through strategic cost optimization for petrochemical and refining companies 12/16
- Rohm awards NextChem feasibility study for PMMA-polymer chemical recycling plant project 12/16
- Westlake to rationalize certain North American chlorovinyl and styrene assets 12/16
- Kumho Mitsui Chemicals to increase capacity of MDI production facilities 12/15
- ABS, Eneos, NYK Line and Seacor Holdings launch joint study to develop a methanol marine fuel supply network in the U.S. 12/15
