Process Control
When digital transformation hits all four sustainability buckets
Sustainability is emerging as a critical business topic, as many companies focus resources toward lowering emissions, waste and energy use in their production processes. This important concept can apply broadly to company operations, especially when considering the expansive view of the triple bottom line that measures the impact of company operations on profits, people and the planet.
Hydrocarbon Processing Awards Winners
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing,</i> the downstream processing sector’s leading technical publication, has announced the winners for its third annual awards. The <i>HP</i> Awards celebrate innovative technologies and people that have been instrumental in improving facility operations over the past year.
Pay attention: LockerGoga and Trisis/Triton demand an improved cybersecurity strategy
The need for a solid cybersecurity strategy has been discussed and debated for nearly half a century. However, the basic worm-type attacks first documented in 1972 are still with us today. Why? The reason is because even the most basic measures to protect control systems from these types of attacks are still not systematically employed.
The future of wireless control
In 1864, James C. Maxwell predicted the existence of radiowaves by means of a mathematical model. The so-called Maxwell equations are the most famous and successful formulas. In 1884, John H. Poynting realized that the Poynting vector would play an important role in quantifying electromagnetic energy. In 1888, bolstered by Maxwell’s theory, Heinrich Hertz first succeeded in showing experimental evidence of radiowaves using his spark-gap radio transmitter. The prediction and evidence of radiowaves were the beginning of wireless power transfer (WPT).
Process engineering, optimization and advanced process control
A recent <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> “Industry Perspectives” survey found that process engineering and optimization is the number-one topic that readers want to read about most. Process engineering and optimization rated higher than the next-highest topic (maintenance and reliability) by a factor of 2:1, and higher than every other topic by a factor of at least 4:1. Process control and instrumentation made the top ten list, albeit below process engineering and optimization by a factor of 7:1.
Building industrial networks to serve IIoT and digitalization
Two of the terms growing in popularity over the past few years are “digital native” and “digital immigrant.” Natives are those individuals young enough to have known computers and the internet since childhood. For them, such technologies have always existed. Immigrants, either through age or circumstance, had no exposure until later in life. Hopefully, for them, such technologies are a welcome addition to work and life, but they can remember times when most activities were more manual, local and isolated.
Cybersecurity: Crucial defenses for critical infrastructures
A colleague of mine once suggested to a chemical plant operator that it was a good idea to apply patches to Windows-based supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) servers as soon as they become available every month—after all, a lot of them fix security vulnerabilities.
Associations: Integrated vs. non-integrated safety systems: Does it really matter?
ARC Advisory Group’s 23rd annual Industry Forum included a panel discussion that explored the relative merits of integrated vs. non-integrated safety systems in an increasingly connected world.
Securing industrial systems in a digital world
The development of industrial control systems (ICS) over the past two decades has changed the face of many industries.
Executive Viewpoint: Using low-code digitalization to optimize workflow in the oil and gas industry
For more than a century, customers have relied on companies such as ours to deliver superior end-to-end solutions to transport and transform oil and gas into the products our global economy needs.
- China's March jet fuel exports jump 77.4% from a year earlier 4/18
- Nigeria strikes deal with Shell to supply $3.8-B methanol project 4/18
- Singapore fuel oil stockpiles rebound to 8-week high on higher imports 4/18
- Clariant launches new CATOFIN 312 propane dehydrogenation catalyst 4/18
- Solvay inaugurates new blowing agent production unit in Rosignano, Italy 4/18
- Meridian Energy Group’s Davis Refinery Project in North Dakota (U.S.) will be the world’s first net-zero carbon refinery 4/17
