Safety
Blast at China petrochemical plant kills eight, injures nine
SHANGHAI (Reuters) — An explosion rocked a petrochemical plant in China's eastern province of Shandong on Monday, killing eight people and injuring nine, state media and local government officials said.
Innovations
Siemens has been working closely with the National Cybersecurity Center of Excellence (NCCoE) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on a cyber security project.
Digital: Transitioning from the spreadsheet to the Cloud
The Industrial Internet of Things is expected to create a $225-B market by 2020, opening new opportunities for industrial organizations related to data and asset management.
California safety, health board approves new hazard regulations for refineries
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Department of Industrial Relations' (DIR) Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approved a regulation to strengthen workplace safety and health at oil refineries across the state. The new regulation provides a framework for anticipating, preventing and responding to hazards at refineries.
Moscow refinery to be back on line in 2–3 days after emergency shutdown
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- Moscow oil refinery, halted because of an emergency at the weekend, will resume production within two or three days, TASS news agency quoted the Russian energy ministry as saying.
Fire hits Lukoil refinery in Russia's Urals
MOSCOW (Reuters) -- A fire erupted at a refinery of Russia's No. 2 oil producer Lukoil in the city of Perm in the Urals region, a local branch of the company, Lukoil Permnefteorgsintez, said on Friday.
US agency: Weak safety standards led to Exxon refinery blast
HOUSTON (Reuters) -- The US Chemical Safety Board (CSB) has concluded that a 2015 explosion at a Torrance, California, refinery then owned by Exxon Mobil Corp could have been prevented, the agency concluded in a report issued on Wednesday.
Automation Strategies: Adopting the IIoT: How the industry needs to rethink IT and OT relationships
For the connected enterprise, what was once just a futuristic ideal is now becoming a reality. Step by step, organizations are beginning to put together the pieces of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Business Trends: Human reliability—a disruptive innovation
Annual bottom-line losses due to equipment failures total more than $100 MM at major refineries and petrochemical complexes. Corporate executives charge plant personnel with improving the reliability of the facility.
Editorial Comment: Maintenance—a value-added expense
This issue of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> tackles one of the most integral aspects of the downstream industry (or any industry, for that matter): maintenance and reliability. These two terms go hand-in-hand and help to ensure efficient and safe operations.

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- Chiyoda, AVEVA forge strategic partnership to power plantOS with AVEVA CONNECT 6/27
- SABIC announces closure of Olefins 6 facility in Teesside, UK 6/27
- LyondellBasell's polyolefin technologies selected by SHCCIG Yulin for petrochemicals complex in China 6/27
- Damaged unit of Iran's South Pars refinery back operating 6/27
- hte conducts research for JGC to advance decarbonization by identifying suitable catalysts for ammonia cracking 6/26