Equipment
Optimizing ethylene production with laser technology
Ethylene is one of the most valuable organic compound building blocks in the world.
Online Exclusive: Product configurator saves Australian pressure vessel fabricators from last minute hassle
After Cyclone Debbie wrecked all the major ports and mines in Queensland, Australia, volumes of coal exports have hit rock bottom. The aftermaths of the cyclone have delayed shipments of coal across the globe, causing a sharp rise in steel prices. It may seem to be merely another drastic change in commodity prices to every commoner in Australia, but to the pressure vessel fabricators, it’s a roadblock to profits.
Machinery: Soft skills and habits all machinery professionals must develop—Part 1
When I ask people that work around machinery, “How do you improve reliability?” they often tell me to buy better bearings, seals, monitors or some other hardware-based improvement.
HF alkylation conversion is finally within reach—Part 1
Because of its clean-fuel properties (paraffinic, high octane, low vapor pressure and very low sulfur), alkylate is considered one of the most desired components in the gasoline pool.
FCC collector tray leaks impact column operation
In the collective experience of the authors, one of the most troublesome pieces of refinery fractionation equipment is the collector tray.
Identify the cause of liquid maldistribution inside packed beds
Diagnosing liquid maldistribution problems inside packed beds that can cause mass transfer efficiency loss is a challenge to process engineers.
Does your control valve talk?
Pneumatic operated control valves (POCVs) are consistently the most used control final element for process control across most industries—in some cases, they are also part of the safety instrumented systems (SISs) layer.
Considerations for revamping shell-and-tube heat exchangers
Revamp projects are complex in nature, and demand a great deal of resources for successful completion.
Revamp fired heaters with a common air-preheating system to increase capacity
In any process plant, fired heaters are generally considered to be one of the most optimally designed pieces of equipment.
Analyzing axial cooling fans’ high noise, vibration and failures
Shipping pumps with 1,800 hp are equipped with five cooling fans that cool the oil going to the lube oil pumps to lubricate the bearings.

- thyssenkrupp Uhde completes pre-FEED for HAMR Energy’s renewable fuels project in Australia 8/21
- CMB.TECH completes merger with Golden Ocean 8/21
- Ketjen introduces new breakthrough catalyst that mitigates the effects of iron poisoning in FCCUs 8/20
- Sumitomo Chemical achieves scale-up of its process for producing propylene directly from ethanol 8/20
- EcoCortec, Jakob Schober GmbH awarded sustainability award for closed-loop circular films solution 8/20
- Addverb reinvents its factory automation development with Siemens Xcelerator 8/20