Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

Environment & Safety

Fire at Shell’s Singapore refining plant injures six

A fire broke out on Friday evening at Shell's Pulau Bukom refining and petrochemical complex in Singapore, leading to burn injuries for six contract workers. Three are in critical condition.

Compressor malfunction sparks brief fire at PBF’s Delaware City refinery

A compressor malfunction resulted in flaring and a small fire, leading to the unplanned shutdown of the FCC unit. PBF is continuing to operate its unaffected units at reduced rates.

Consider Zone 0 vertical pumps for slop pits

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Over the past several decades, a leading overseas HPI corporation experienced a disturbing number of explosions in its belowground hydrocarbon sump pits.

Wetted surface area calculations for fire-relief sizing in ASME pressure vessels

Fluor: Firoozi, B.

Although individual operating facilities take many steps to protect plants from fire, pressure vessels within a fire zone must be protected by a pressure safety valve (PSV). Proper calculation of the vessel’s wetted surface area is a crucial step in properly sizing a PSV.

HP Reliability: Ten sure steps to substandard reliability performance

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Equipment reliability can be enhanced or jeopardized by many different actions, inactions, commissions and omissions. Reliability may be a hollow term to many. Still, first and foremost, a reliable plant is a safe plant.

HP Viewpoint: Must devices be certified for use in safety instrumented systems?

Rockwell Automation: Gruhn, P.

For decades, process industries have used different forms of safety control based on what was available in the market. The simple answer to the question of whether SIS devices need to be certified is, "No," but operators and the industry as a whole continue to ask for certification anyway. Why is this?

Praxair to recover CO2 at PBF refinery in Delaware

Praxair will build, own and operate a 450-tpd carbon dioxide purification and liquefaction plant at the refinery, run by PBF Energy in Delaware City, Delaware.

European refiner revamps delayed coker to meet Euro 5 specifications

Rompetrol Rafinare S.A.: Bolohan, C.  |  Manafu, L.
Bechtel Hydrocarbon Technology Solutions, Inc.: Ward, J. D.

This case study chronicles how the European refiner Rompetrol Rafinare SA upgraded its Petromidia refinery in Navodari, Romania, includingthe revamping the delayed coker unit (DCU) to address existing operating problems.

China’s ‘energy revolution’ strives for sustainable growth

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

China's energy demand, particularly for petroleum and other liquids, is rapidly increasing as its industrial and transportation infrastructures expand.

A data-driven, experience-based approach to workforce optimization

Solomon Associates: Glasscock, B.

There are alternatives for implementing successful and sustainable staffing changes. Staffing changes for the purpose of improving profitability should be viewed as an optimization process rather than a reduction process.