Engineering & Design
Valero awards engineering pact to Foster Wheeler for Pembroke refinery in UK
Foster Wheeler will provide home office front-end engineering design and detailed engineering design services to support new development and modification projects at the Pembroke refinery and other UK facilities. Terms were not disclosed. Valero acquired the Pembroke refinery in 2011.
CB&I wins design work from SK for Korea propane dehydrogenation project
SK gas awarded a contract to CB&I for the license and engineering design of a grassroots propane dehydrogenation unit to be built in Ulsan, Korea. The unit will use the CATOFIN dehydrogenation process from Lummus Technology to produce 600,000 tpy of propylene. Startup will be in 2016.
TAIF awards engineering deal to Toyo for Russian refinery modernization
The modernization project at Nizhnekamsk will be completed in 2016. The upgraded complex will convert the following oil refinery heavy residues: 2,700,000 tpy of vacuum residue and 1 million tpy of vacuum gas oil with a high ratio of conversion to more high-quality oil products.
Jacobs awarded design work on Chinese sulfuric acid regeneration plant
Under the terms of the deal, Jacobs is providing the process design package, detailed design for critical equipment, design and supply of Jacobs' proprietary Chemetics equipment, as well as technical advisory services for construction and commissioning of the plant. Officials did not disclose the contract value.
KBR wins project management work for Azerbaijan gas processing plant
The new SOCAR gas processing plant will be located within the new oil-gas processing and petrochemical complex (OGPC) in Azerbaijan. The gas processing plant FEED completion is expected in October 2013, with the overall complex expected to start up operations in late 2020.
KBR to supply equipment, license technology for Indonesia ammonia project
PT is developing a plant with ammonia capacity of 2,000 tpd. It will be built by Toyo Engineering and designed using KBR’s reforming exchanger system and Purifier technology. KBR says its proprietary technology and equipment has demonstrated higher reliability and efficiency than conventional designs.
Mitigate reactor failures due to graphitization
Graphitization occurs in carbon steel (CS) reactors in high-temperature service (> 455°C). As discussed in this case history, the shell of a methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) reactor became s..
Corrosion under insulation is a hidden problem
Corrosion under insulation (CUI) is one of the costliest avoidable problems facing the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) today. CUI afflicts refineries—specifically, the steel piping, storage..
Process safety management: Going beyond functional safety
Operating companies are increasing efforts to reduce the risk of catastrophic events such as the release of toxic, reactive or explosive chemicals that can damage the environment or plant assets.
Operator response to alarms is an important protection layer
Operator response to alarms is important layers of protection (LOP). When implemented with good design, engineering and maintenance practices, an alarm can help reduce the safety integrity level (SIL)..

- thyssenkrupp Uhde completes pre-FEED for HAMR Energy’s renewable fuels project in Australia 8/21
- Europe distillates-diesel profit margins firm 8/21
- U.S.: Indiana's bp refinery restarts after severe flooding 8/21
- Berlin weighs trusteeship extension for Rosneft's German assets 8/21
- Trump administration to rule on biofuel exemption requests, delay reallocation decision 8/21
- TotalEnergies' Donges refinery fire extinguished 8/21