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

Maintenance & Reliability

Novel use of sulfiding agent prevents refinery shutdown

Lubrizol: Frank, T.
Coastal Chemical Co.: Bridges, W.

When an insufficient supply of acid gas threatened to shut down operations at a US refinery, quick thinking, along with the novel use of a sulfiding agent and a strong supply chain made all the difference.

HP Reliability: Leaders must allocate time for technology updates

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Just as a good medical doctor is expected to have wide knowledge on modern treatment options, we would expect reliability professionals to be equally informed on technology advances. There are numerou..

HP Innovations: Innovations

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Blume, Adrienne

Noncorrosive bearings have high load capacityEDT Corp. has added Type E Solution bearings (Fig. 1) to its Solution line of severe service bearings. Type E Solution bearings have high load capacity and..

Optimize your compressor maintenance program

Consultant: Geitner, F. K.

One deviation alone might not be enough to bring on a compressor failure, but, when several more deviations combine, the failure risk is known to increase exponentially.

Case history: Failure analysis of a syngas compressor

SABIC Technology Centre: van Zyl, G.  |  Al-Zahrani, E.  |  Al-Meshari, A.  |  Al-Haroon, M.

A first-stage impeller in a synthetic gas compressor failed after 20 years of service. The compressor is a six-stage centrifugal compressor driven by a steam turbine. This case history discusses the i..

Improve pressure drop calculations for saturated water lines

When saturated water flows through pipes and components, it flashes—thus increasing its specific volume and limiting the fluid flowrate. Due to these conditions, the calculation and design for pi..

World’s largest GTL facility turns to LIMS for enhanced operations

Thermo Fisher Scientific: Thurston, C.

Pearl GTL is using a new laboratory information management system (LIMS) to manage, analyze and integrate data that keeps the plant functioning securely and efficiently.

HP Reliability: Four-stage, low-flow process centrifugal compressor can fill important industry gaps

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

In the 1970s and 1980s, multistage centrifugal compressors in the 3,000 acfm (about 5,000m3/hr) and lower flow ranges were largely confined to instrument and plant air duties. Three stages with interc..

HP Engineering Case Histories: Case 74: How to determine impact forces when troubleshooting

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

When troubleshooting failures, it is not unusual for the metallurgical report to indicate that the failure was the result of an impact type of force. The investigator who receives this information mus..

HP Brief

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

Train accident raises concerns on safetyThe train derailment that killed at least 38 people in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, has heightened safety concerns about crude oil shipments by rail. It has been ..