December 2006

New review queries guidelines and various international codes for tank farm bunds

Several examples illustrate proper designs

Choosing the appropriate equipment design and other system components can improve system reliability and save money

The ability to bring a new facility online sooner and minimize trips or faults that reduce production volume yields significant financial benefits

Integration of facility documentation and laser models enables a single entry point for data

Using this technology will help facilities meet environmental regulations

An advanced environmental data management system is a possible solution to comply with strict air pollution regulations

Good treatment practices can prevent this serious problem

Advanced computational fluid dynamics models can accurately simulate corrosion incidents for processing equipment

Overall equipment effectiveness and cost criteria are considered

A hazard study is not a discrete event, but the starting point to improve overall availability

Improved activated carbon provides adsorption of various mercury species

I was one of the first control industry whistleblowers, pointing out that half of the advanced process control (APC) applications implemented over the years do not work. We APC engineers have the resp..

 Fig. 1     Three-dimensional impeller with integral blading being machined (Source: Babcock-Borsig, Berlin, Germany Cl..

The International Energy Agency's (IEA's) 2006 baseline scenario forecasts that global natural gas (NG) demand will increase by 138% from 2,244 million ton of oil equivalent (Mtoe) in 2003 to 5,349 Mt..

Manufacturers are under pressure to contribute value to a company's bottom line by continuously improving performance of their assets. Business drivers focus on metrics such as return on assets (ROA) ..

My friend who runs an oil tanker business has just heard from his trade organization that it has made a submission in a working group that high-sulfur and low-sulfur fuel oil should be replaced by a n..

Toyo Engineering Corp. (TOYO) has a contract for the implementation phase of a new ethylene cracker with Shell Eastern Petroleum (Pte) Ltd. (SEPL) to be located on Bukom Island, Singapore. TOYO entere..

Qatar Petroleum and ExxonMobil Chemical Qatar Ltd. have a heads of agreement (HOA) to study a proposed $3 billion petrochemical complex in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar. The anticipated facility i..

Husky Energy has selected Axens to supply three technologies for the possible future expansion of the Husky Lloydminster Upgrader (HLU). The expansion will increase production from 82,000 bpsd to 150,..

BASF Aktiengesellschaft (BASF) and Dow Chemical Co. (Dow) have formed a long-term venture to produce propylene oxide (PO) at what is claimed to be the world's first commercial-scale hydrogen peroxide ..

  Biodiesel: uneven supply, demandBiodiesel is renewable fuel made from vegetable or animal fats and oils used as..

Especially with today's tight labor market, companies tend to focus on recruitment programs, but neglect to address the problems of why some employees may have left their ranks in the first place. Bri..

The Construction Industry Institute (CII) has recently developed a tool that helps identify in real time various factors that could be early warning signs of trouble on a project. With the Project Hea..

Formaldehyde is a petrochemical that can create value-added materials in commercial applications and improve the quality of life through its chemical interaction with numerous other compounds. Many of..

Refiners in Europe and Latin America will feel the crunch as they lose their export market for surplus products such as gasoline, according to Aileen Jamieson, managing consultant downstream oil, at W..

In the first half of 2006, China's energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) rose by 0.8% over the same period of 2005. "It is a huge challenge for China to reach its energy-saving g..

Methanol prices have steadily climbed over recent months, without a huge fundamental shift in supply and demand, according to an analysis by Jim Jordan, of Jim Jordan & Associates. The US market suffe..