Economics
Avoid counterproductive project management practices
For many years, reliability-focused engineers have observed flawed procurement processes for mechanical equipment. Many requirements are supposedly aimed at the lowest possible lifecycle cost; however..
Consider technology to reduce compressor vibration and noise problems
Industrial centrifugal compressors installed in hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) complexes absorb significant amounts of mechanical power when compressing gases. A small part of the mechanical en..
HP Editorial Comment: Alternative energy?
Alternative energy is a point-of-reference term. Natural gas is an alternative energy resource for transportation fuels. As more natural gas resources are developed, natural gas is displacing coal as ..
HP Reliability: Plan now to deal with stressed equipment later
The US Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) “Today in Energy” brief evaluated how US refineries are processing record amounts of crude oil (Fig. 1), with Midwest and Gulf Co..
HP Automation Strategies: Control on the wire(less)
Since the industrial revolution, process/industrial control had relied on tightly coupled systems to transmit control signals. Industrial plants have used “modern” control via wired electron..
HP Project Management: German refinery successfully modernizes safety system
In September 2014, the Heide refinery in Germany used two weeks of planned downtime at its pyrolysis plant to migrate to new safety systems. The new system emphasized high plant/equipment availability..
HP Global: State of the US petrochemical/chemical industry
After a promising start, the global economy faltered in 2014 with heightened geopolitical uncertainty; recessions in Brazil, Japan and many European nations; and slowdowns in China, the Euro Area and ..
HP Petrochemicals: Global PE demand growth to drive downstream expansions
According to IHS Chemical, global demand for polyethylene (PE) is expected to increase by more than 25% during the next five years, from approximately 85 million metric tons (metric MMt) in 2014, to m..
HP Industry Perspectives: Keystone XL: It is time to move forward, Mr. President
In a media call, the American Petroleum Institute (API) president and CEO Jack Gerard emphasized that it is time for the Keystone XL pipeline to move forward, and he requested urgent action by Preside..
HP Industry Metrics
Recent declines in oil pricing and the associated volatility in future pricing has created a difficult forecasting environment. Other factors are causing deviations, especially with regard to the resp..
- Russia seeks more gasoline from India after Ukraine attacks refineries 7/16
- Valmet delivers automation system for CO₂ liquefaction plant supporting green transition in Finland 7/16
- Opinion: China’s oil fortress will reshape the global order 7/16
- Chevron Technology Ventures' Catalyst program selects RapiCure 7/15
- GEA promotes more sustainable refinery processes with energy-efficient high-performance decanters 7/15
- Ariel Green pays claim for plastic recycling facility, demonstrating protection for clean energy projects 7/15
