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

Americas

Update on major fire at Enterprise Products plant in Mont Belvieu

At approximately 12:30 PM CST yesterday, a major fire was reported at the Enterprise Products plant in Mont Bellvieu, Texas. According to eyewitness reports, the intensity of the fire was so great that trucks in adjacent parking lots were melting.

Honeywell forms new advanced solutions business

Honeywell has formed a new business focused on providing advanced open software and services to the process industries. By integrating the open connectivity and broad platform capability of its Matrikon acquisition with its applications and solutions business, Honeywell’s new business can deliver a breadth of solutions.

Merger in the process analyzer business segment

Laboratory analysis systems company Metrohm has joined together with Applikon, a producer of process analyzers.

ECS implementation makes a difference at Beaumont plant

Invensys Operations Management has successfully implemented an InFusion enterprise control system (ECS) for ExxonMobil Lubricants and Specialties. Through a joint Invensys and ExxonMobil team effort, the installation was successfully completed and the plant was back to full production on schedule with no safety incidents.

New licensing agreement makes a wastewater splash

GE has completed a new expanded licensing agreement that will allow the company to continue offering high-efficiency reverse osmosis (HERO) systems to help more of its industrial customers increase their water usage efficiency and reuse capacity as the international community works to address mounting shortages of clean water.

Pipeline safety legislation introduced in US Senate

Two senators have introduced legislation to enhance pipeline safety. The bill strengthens pipeline safety oversight by the federal government and addresses long-standing safety issues, including the use of automatic shutoff valves and excess flow valves.

Dow Chemical closing two VCM plants

The Dow Chemical Co. will close two vinyl chloride monomer (VCM) production units in 2011. Dow will shut down a production unit in Oyster Creek, Texas, in the first quarter of 2011. The closure of a second VCM unit, located in Plaquemine, Louisiana, was announced in 2009. The Louisiana plant will cease operations in the third quarter of 2011.

Addressing waste-heat-recovery in Alberta

Atlas Copco Gas and Process has received a multi-million dollar order for expander generators to be used in waste-heat-recovery. The machines, which are set for delivery in November 2011, will help produce electricity in Canada’s Alberta province.

Louisiana gas processing facility expanding to the tune of $150 million

Enbridge plans to expand the condensate processing capacity of its facility in Venice, Louisiana. The estimated cost of the expansion is $150 million and is it is expected to be completed in late 2013.

Jacobs acquires most of Aker Solutions' construction business

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has completed the acquisition of a number of Aker Solutions' operations within its process and construction (P&C) business area.