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

Petrochemicals

Jacobs to provide EPCM services to Olin Gulf Coast chemical plants

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has received a multi-year contract from Olin Corp. to provide EPCM services to several US facilities.

Lessons learned in commercial scale-up of new chemical processes

Reacxion: Jazayeri, B.

Commercializing a new chemical process can be as simple as installing one or more homogenous batch reactor(s), or as complex as designing a fully integrated chemical complex requiring one or more heterogeneous reaction steps processing gas, liquid and/or solids, with other units required to prepare feeds, recover products/byproducts and recycle streams.

Measure naturally occurring radioactive material in polypropylene plants

VEGA Americas Inc.: Williams, D.

In the petrochemical industry, process plants often rely on radiation-based level and density detectors.

The history, and possible future, of model-less multivariable control

Lin & Associates: Kern, A.

Terms such as “model-less,” “small-matrix” and “operational” do not, as yet, evoke the same excitement that accompanied the historic arrival of model-based predictive multivariable control three decades ago.

Optimize a CDU using process simulation and statistical modeling methods

Valero Energy Corp.: Bird, J.  |  Seillier, D.  |  Piazza, E.

A methodology was implemented to optimize the operation of a refinery crude distillation unit (CDU) using a combination of process simulation and statistical modeling methods.

People

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

Dr. Christoph Wegner will become president of BASF’s Information Services and Supply Chain Operations division, effective December 1, 2016.

Innovations

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Andrew, Bob

Where large machines are in use and the overall processes depend on a smoothly functioning plant, companies often rely on fixed maintenance schedules and diagnostic tools.

Global Project Data

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

New project announcements have hovered in the low teens for several months.

Industry Metrics

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

US gasoline demand contributed to falling inventories. Operational problems at several refineries and the potential impact of a tropical storm strengthened margins.

Codes and Standards: Overcome technical difficulties in field pumps ordered to API 610/ISO 13709

The Augustus Group: Murti, D. G.

The continued objective of this column series is to increase awareness of code requirements, interpretations and limitations as they stand today, and the options available to engineers for “alternative engineering.”