Project Management
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 People
ABB’s board of directors unanimously nominated Peter Voser to succeed Hubertus von Grünberg as chairman.
Total inks new labor agreement with global union
A committee made up of members from Total and IndustriALL will meet annually to ensure that the agreement has been implemented and to identify and promote best practices.
DCS migration: Lessons learned
In 2005, TOTAL’s Port Arthur refinery (PAR), like many present-day refining and petrochemical facilities, found itself with an obsolete, at-capacity distributed control system (DCS). As shown in ..
Avoid counterproductive project management practices
For many years, reliability-focused engineers have observed flawed procurement processes for mechanical equipment. Many requirements are supposedly aimed at the lowest possible lifecycle cost; however..
Use a schedule confidence tool to manage project risk
On most industrial projects, the baseline schedule completion date and the indicated schedule completion date are typically the same, unless the schedule is forcibly re-baselined. Key learnings have indicated that a reevaluation of the scope, schedule and budget is essential.
HP Project Management: German refinery successfully modernizes safety system
In September 2014, the Heide refinery in Germany used two weeks of planned downtime at its pyrolysis plant to migrate to new safety systems. The new system emphasized high plant/equipment availability..
HP Petrochemicals: Global PE demand growth to drive downstream expansions
According to IHS Chemical, global demand for polyethylene (PE) is expected to increase by more than 25% during the next five years, from approximately 85 million metric tons (metric MMt) in 2014, to m..
HP People
The American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) announced that Brendan Williams has been promoted to executive vice president, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Mr. Williams joined AFPM in 2007 as director of government relations and advanced to become senior vice president of advocacy in 2013.
- 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
- Rosneft oil refinery in Germany warns of risks from U.S. sanctions 2/11
- TotalEnergies takes over Zeeland refinery operations, Lukoil still owns 45% 2/11

