Americas
Progress, Petronas move to design phase for LNG export proposal in Canada
The big energy companies, which are awaiting Canadian government approval for their multibillion dollar tie-up, said a detailed feasibility study for the proposed facility has been completed and the project is now moving into the pre front-end engineering design, or pre-FEED, phase.
US monthly oil production climbs to 14-year high
Such statistics reflect the US's growing role as a dominant energy producer. Earlier this year, the International Energy Agency said the US could overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's largest oil producer by 2020 - a trend that would transform global energy markets as well as international politics.
Valero worker dies in chemical exposure incident at Memphis refinery
The accident occurred when an equipment failure released a hazardous chemical inside the refinery, leading to chemical burns when a small glass window shattered in an alkylation unit. Local fire department officials said the workers were exposed to a mixture of propane and hydrofluoric acid.
Innospec withdraws bid for petrochemical firm TPC
Innospec said it spent a great deal of time and effort studying the business of US-based TPC and, while still believing that it is a good fit with Innospec, parties were unable to conclude a deal structure in a manner with satisfactory value creation for Innospec shareholders.
Sasol advances to FEED stage on huge Louisiana GTL plant, ethane cracker
Sasol is beginning engineering and design work for what would be the first US refinery to convert natural gas into diesel. The facilities would be built in Westlake, Louisiana. Sasol said it will make a final investment decision on the plant in 2014, after the engineering and design review is finished.
Ecolab to exclude refining solutions business from Champion Technologies deal
Champion's downstream process and water solutions business will be spun-off to Permian shareholders prior to the Ecolab acquisition. As such, Ecolab will not be acquiring those specific operations. 2011 sales for the downstream business, which primarily serves refineries, were about $50 million.
How do HPI innovations and best practices transform process engineering?
The cross-discipline integration of modeling and analysis tools can help select the best design options and ensure the safe and profitable operation of process plants.
Intelligent indexing is key to 3D CAD plant modeling
Indexing is a key activity in CAD modeling. Arbitrary indexing of the models invariably leads to problems, as discussed in this article.
Consider coal gasification for liquid fuels production
Due to faster depleting natural gas reserves and more abundant coal reserves, coal gasification and CTL are solutions to produce liquid fuels over the long term.
Consider 'lean' engineering model to fast-track mega projects
Lean construction can raise competitiveness for an EPC business, thereby increasing its profitability and improving its delivery success rate and brand image.

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