Middle East
HP Reliability: Does Pareto’s 80/20 rule apply to reliability engineers?
In the 1970s, an oil refinery discovered that 7% of its 3,200 process pumps experienced a disproportionate share of the facility’s yearly pump outage events. Slightly over 60% of the money spent ..
HP Global: 2015 outlook for oil price and its refining sector implications
What is the oil price outlook for the next 12 months? As of early January, the price of Brent has effectively halved compared to the 2014 summer peak, similar to the price collapse of 2008. However, u..
HP Petrochemicals: Update on ethylene tube coating technology
Improving the efficiency of ethylene furnaces has been a long-time goal for olefin manufacturers. The steam cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbons to yield ethylene also coproduces unwanted coke that a..
HP Project Management: Outsourcing creates opportunities beyond engineering
The present “shale revolution” has generated opportunities in the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) industry that even a few years ago would have seemed fanciful. Billions of d..
HP Viewpoint: Going our way?—How the US will benefit from natural gas and fuel cell technology
A remarkable convergence is taking place in North America, as rising natural gas production meets the growing market for both stationary fuel cells providing power to businesses and the utility grid, ..
HP Viewpoint: The data revolution
The world’s population is expected to exceed 9 B people by 2040, and the corresponding energy demand for many of these newly affluent consumers will rise similarly. For the industrial sector, mor..
HP Industry Perspectives: RFS—An endless loop
Renewable fuels remain a huge burden for the global refining industry. Today’s transportation fuels, when used with later-model vehicles, have dramatically reduced tailpipe emissions. With much p..
HP News
Qatar Petroleum and Shell cancel $6.5-B petrochemical project in Qatar Royal Dutch Shell and Qatar Petroleum (QP) have canceled the $6.5-B Al-Karaana petrochemical project in Qatar, which will signifi..
HP Industry Metrics
Mid-January saw the continued decline of monthly average Brent crude oil prices, which fell $17/bbl from November to a monthly average of $62/bbl. The continual price decrease reflects US tight oil pr..
HP People
ABB’s board of directors unanimously nominated Peter Voser to succeed Hubertus von Grünberg as chairman.
- YPF, Eni and XRG sign joint development agreement advancing 12-MMtpy Argentina LNG project 2/12
- Maire launches new technology to produce PTMEG, the key polymer composing the spandex fiber. 2/12
- GTT receives order from Samsung Heavy Industries for the tank design of two new very large ethane carriers 2/11
- Emerson introduces hybrid continuous gas analyzer for improved regulatory compliance and emissions control 2/11
- BASF to further strengthen Global Business Services through global hub setup 2/11
- Morocco signs agreement with ORNX consortium for $4.5-B green ammonia complex 2/11
