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Engineering & Design

HP Reliability: Equipment life extension involves upgrades

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Every plant wants to get more service life from site machinery. Since about 1990, quite a number of start-up consulting companies have formed to advise clients on equipment life extension. These compa..

HP Water Management: Consider software tools for water reuse projects

MarTech Systems, Inc.: Huchler, L. A.

The hydrocarbon processing industry needs reliable and economic sources of water for present and future operations. Ensuring a sustainable water supply requires a focused effort to evaluate the qualit..

Update hydrocracking reactor controls for improved reliability

Consultant: Kern, A.G.

The industry consultant believes auto-quench, excursion control and bed-outlet layers should join auto-depressure as industry-best practice for all hydrocrackers.

Why don’t we properly train control engineers?

Whitehouse Consulting: King, M. J.

While there are managers in the process industry that see training control engineers as a “no-brainer,” these are very much in the minority. They may send staff on courses covering configura..

Apply new pump-drive software to test performance

Bihlertech, Inc.: Bihler, K.
Automate the World, Inc.: Dominiak, D.
Toshiba International Corp.: Keith, B.
Hydro Inc.: Johnson, J.

Process control schemes involving fluid-flow machinery with traditional adjustable speed drives (ASDs) or modules encounter limitations such as control flexibility and accuracy. In this context, the t..

Technip to help upgrade two Kazakhstan refineries

The awards consist of the modernization of two out of three existing refineries in the country. The scope includes new and revamp process units as well as utilities and offsite facilities aiming to increase production capacity and conversion. Technip's operating center in Rome will execute the contracts.

CB&I to upgrade Polish refinery coking technology

Once the coking technology from CB&I is implemented, the Gdansk refinery of Grupa Lotos will have the capability to process 2,400 to 3,840 tpd of a blend of vacuum resid and ROSE pitch, depending on the season. The Gdansk refinery is the second-largest refinery in Poland.

Jiutai licenses UOP methanol-to-olefins technology for China coal project

Jiutai will produce 600,000 tpy of ethylene and propylene at its facility in Ordos City, China. In addition to technology licensing, UOP is to provide basic engineering, catalysts, adsorbents, specialty equipment, technical services and training for the project, which is expected to start up in 2014.

Foster Wheeler, Hyundai win design deal for new PdVSA Venezuela refinery

Foster Wheeler’s scope of work includes early detailed engineering design and the delivery of an open book estimate for the crude distillation unit, storage and blending unit and fuel distribution plant. The main release of the detailed engineering design work will be booked at a later date.

Fluor forms Philippines joint venture with modular engineering group AG&P

The new entity will provide a full range of integrated engineering, fabrication, module assembly and construction services to Fluor’s clients. AG&P, established in the Philippines in 1900, fabricates modules for refineries, power plants, offshore platforms and mining processing and refining operations.