Refining
Industry Perspectives: Save the date: Hydrocarbon Processing’s Top Projects Awards
Over the past several years, <ital>Hydrocarbon Processing</ital> has honored the feats of capital project excellence with its Top Projects Awards. The winners and nominees encapsulate important contributions to the global hydrocarbon processing industry, whether that is through significant capital intensity, diversifying product offerings or adding a significant amount of refining and/or petrochemical processing capacity.
Digital: Five best practices for adopting new digital technologies in the HPI
There is much discussion and information about digital transformation, but many HPI companies are taking a different approach to integrating new digital technologies and to differentiate themselves from their peers, and are seeing truly transformative business results. HPI digital technology leaders reveal the following five best practices.
Supply Chain: How to reduce piping inventory
Piping represents a significant part of the plant cost, ranging from 15%–25%.1 Materials stored in warehouses or storage facilities cost companies in terms of personnel, materials, time, space, insurance, risk, etc. This article proposes cost-saving strategies for inventory reduction. Further, it emphasizes consistent naming conventions to avoid creating duplicate/redundant items.
Project Management: Reduce installation schedule for column trays
The implementation of a project schedule must avoid slippage, which can lead to budget overruns and delays in commissioning and production. Conversely, a reduction in project schedule results in an early startup of the plant, creating advantage for stakeholders. Customers often demand reductions in schedule timelines, which can be difficult for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractors to implement. New innovations like concurrent engineering, modular construction, prefabricated pipe racks and structures, etc., are already in practice.
Editorial Comment: Optimizing operations and recognizing achievements
Over the next two months, <ital>Hydrocarbon Processing</ital> will host two separate events for a global audience. One will gather the brightest minds in the industry to share the latest innovations and technologies in the industry, while the other will recognize the leaders in advancing the industry toward safer and more reliable, sustainable and profitable operations. Both events—<ital>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</ital> IRPC and the HP Awards—will be streamed on digital platforms and free to view.
Advanced analytics drive IIoT success
Refineries and petrochemical plants face similar challenges in daily operations. Each must mitigate risk, anticipate maintenance, optimize operations and minimize expenses. To achieve these goals, plant personnel rely heavily on data to drive decisions.
OT/IT integration for profit-driven operation
Operational technology/information technology integration is required for sharing information among all levels of manufacturing organizations to achieve profit-driven operation, which helps process industry companies implement real-time production performance improvements that are aligned from the management level to the plant floor.
Innovations
Sphera has released a new Interactive piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) solution that helps organizations break down silos between their operations, maintenance and engineering departments while simplifying isolation planning.
Project Management: Four tips for navigating a shutdown, turnaround or outage successfully
In the oil and gas sector, managing a shutdown, turnaround, or even an outage is an unavoidable requirement.
Business Trends: Managing risk and uncertainty: The importance of optimizing your value chain
No doubt exists that COVID-19 is disrupting the oil and gas industry. Oil prices are falling, demand is down, supply is up, and storage capacity is limited. In these difficult times, the industry must swiftly act to keep business viable to come back strong when conditions improve.
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- Stamicarbon awarded technology licensing contract for new urea plant in Eastern China 12/19
- Ford takes $19.5-B writedown on EV business 12/19
- Babcock & Wilcox awarded $40-MM contract for advanced wet gas scrubbing technology at Canadian petroleum refinery 12/19
- Aarti Industries secures methanol and toluene feedstock supply through multiple long-term contracts 12/19
- India's Chennai Petroleum Corp to raise capacity at key Manali refinery 12/19
