Safety
Incorporate assurance into an operational readiness program—Part 2
Investors have a critical need for assurance that the asset they are invested in will achieve continuous operation at the designed rates, as well as meet—and hopefully surpass—reliability, availability and maintenance targets safely.
Explosion at major Venezuela refinery injures two
PUNTO FIJO, Venezuela (Reuters) — A furnace exploded during a unit restart at Venezuela’s largest refining complex, injuring two workers, a union leader and a family member of one of the victims said on Wednesday.
Shell says fire extinguished at Singapore refinery-petchem plant
SINGAPORE (Reuters) — Royal Dutch Shell said a fire at its Singapore refinery-petrochemical site was extinguished on Sunday and no one was hurt in the incident.
Explosion at Petroperu crude oil tank kills two workers
LIMA (Reuters) — An explosion at a Petroperu crude oil tank killed two men who had been performing maintenance work on Wednesday, the state-owned oil company said.
US DOT drops requirement for braking system on crude rail cars
NEW YORK (Reuters) — The US Department of Transportation has reversed a decision requiring crude oil rail tank cars to be fitted with an advanced breaking system designed to prevent fiery derailments.
Reliability: Deriving high value from reliability conferences
In August 2017, a publisher-colleague and I attended an important regional reliability conference in Galveston, Texas.
Address damage mechanism reviews in a process hazard analysis
Performing damage mechanism reviews (DMRs) to determine credible degradation modes and susceptibilities of processing equipment has become an important step in developing effective mechanical integrity plans in the refining, chemical processing and related industries.
Case histories of amine plant equipment corrosion problems–Part 2
Past corrosion incidents provide insight into the causes of corrosion and the preventive actions required to protect plant equipment and reduce costly plant downtime.
Construction—The cornerstone of a successful project
Construction is essentially a cyclical business.
Three dead after suspected gas leak at PetroChina refinery
BEIJING (Reuters) — Three workers were killed and six others injured during a suspected gas leak at a PetroChina-operated refinery in Dalian on Saturday evening, state media said on Monday.
- Ineos to invest £150 MM at Grangemouth site 12/17
- KBR’s methanol technology selected by Fikrat Al-Tadweer for the first biomethanol plant in Saudi Arabia 12/17
- Digital Exclusive: Root cause analysis on hydrochloric acid corrosion in a diesel hydrotreater unit 12/16
- Digital Feature: Enabling growth through strategic cost optimization for petrochemical and refining companies 12/16
- Rohm awards NextChem feasibility study for PMMA-polymer chemical recycling plant project 12/16
- Westlake to rationalize certain North American chlorovinyl and styrene assets 12/16

