Maintenance & Reliability

Top U.S. refiner Marathon Petroleum swings to quarterly loss on lower margins

Marathon Petroleum swung to a loss in the first quarter, the company reported on Tuesday, the latest U.S. refiner hit by lower refining margins during a period marked by elevated maintenance and turnaround activity across the industry.

Common challenges in risk-based inspection for piping: Insights from experience

This article will identify the top five common problems and concerns related to risk-based inspection assessments for piping, along with some thoughts on how to address these issues. 

Hydrocarbon value chain optimization: Non-CAPEX opportunities to improve gross margins for the downstream sector—Part 2

Part 2 will outline additional opportunities across quality giveaway reduction, hydrocarbon loss measurement, refinery mass balance and energy management in downstream functions without the need for capital expenditure (CAPEX) or software infrastructure upgrades.

Methanex announces the successful restart of 1.8-MMtpy Geismar 3 plant in Louisiana (U.S.)

Methanex Corporation announced that its 1.8-MMtpy methanol plant, Geismar 3 (G3), in Geismar, Louisiana (U.S.) has successfully restarted and begun producing methanol following an unplanned outage in late February.

Manage reliability and asset management performance by implementing a reliable operations committee program

This article examines how the author's company instituted a reliable operations committee program at its refinery in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. The main goal of the program is to oversee the implementation and performance of maintenance and reliability programs to ensure a culture of optimum reliability and endorse new initiatives and programs that enhance maintenance performance in the facility.

Harness the power of asset performance management to transform reliability

As the energy industry navigates the shifting energy landscape and macroeconomic uncertainties, it must adopt collaborative and innovative solutions to enhance the productivity and quality of value chain operations, while also remaining focused on efficiency improvement projects that protect the bottom line. Spurred by this need for increased resilience and recent advancements in artificial intelligence, the market is seeing growth in the deployment of asset performance management (APM) solutions.

Improve plant maintenance programs by keeping CUI in check

If not adequately addressed, corrosion under insulation (CUI) has dangerous and costly consequences, including a greater risk of heat losses, increased energy usage, unplanned downtime, leaks and spills.

Heat exchanger modifications during hydrocracking and lube oil basestock units’ revamp at BPCL’s Mumbai refinery

This article provides insights into several possibilities for modifying heat exchangers that will help refinery owners/operators and consultants to plan similar revamp activities. 

Sizing PRVs for homogeneous non-equilibrium saturated flashing liquids

Phase-gate process for optimal turnaround performance: Long-range turnaround planning

The volume of turnaround (TAR) work in a limited physical space and within a compressed timeframe presents challenges for securing the required qualified workforce and ensuring quality control and health, safety and environment. For these reasons, excellent TAR planning is critical for successful outcomes.