Engineering & Design
Wide design margins do not improve engineering
Engineers use design and safety factors in sizing and specifying instrumentation or major process equipment, such as pumps, valves and compressors. Design factors are applied to cover the uncertainty ..
HCN distribution in sour water systems
Hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is commonly present in refinery gases. Because of its low volatility and, to some extent, its acidity, it travels through amine and sour water systems in an unusual and, heretof..
Optimize viscosity control in refining operations
Petroleum is one of the most important hydrocarbons in the global marketplace. It remains the primary source for liquid and transportation fuels, and it is the building block for product manufacturing..
HP Reliability: Was that a failure or ‘just a repair’?
Purists among reliability professionals are sometimes concerned about the accuracy of the measurement of the mean-time-between-failure (MTBF) of an asset. There are many ways to conduct this failure f..
HP Automation Strategies: ISA108 Intelligent Device Management focuses on work processes
Over the last decade, field instrumentation and analytical chemistry device suppliers have made tremendous progress incorporating value-added functionality into intelligent devices. This includes enha..
HP Boxscore Construction Analysis: Russian gas: The end of a monopoly and the beginning of a new era
December 2013 saw the repeal of a 2006 law establishing Gazprom as the sole exporter of Russian gas. The amendment is part of Russia’s plan to double LNG exports by 2020 and grab crucial LNG market share in the Asia-Pacific region. However, Russia is not without stiff competition.
HP Water Management: Best practices for RO operations
Widespread use of reverse osmosis (RO) technology in industrial applications began in the late 1980s, following the introduction of polyamide materials that had a significantly higher permeate flow an..
HP News
US, Norway seek to improve CO2 capture The US and Norway have announced their commitment to support the global carbon capture and storage (CCS) test center network. In a joint release, the two co..
HP People
Melissa Hockstad has joined The American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) as vice president of petrochemicals. Ms. Hockstad comes to AFPM as the association expands its petrochemical divisi..
Chemical-grade operation—or not?
The quality of transportation fuels has evolved. Earlier, the fuel quality was based on octane to power larger engines for automobiles and cetane for commercial trucks. As lead was phased out of gasol..
- China's first coal-to-chemicals project with green hydrogen starts commercial operations 11/20
- Norsk e-Fuel and Braskem partner to turn captured carbon into long-lasting products 11/20
- Nigeria's Dangote refinery delays CDU maintenance to end of January 2026 11/20
- Technimont attends ground-breaking ceremony of Tengiz Gas separation Complex in Kazakhstan 11/20
- 42% of U.S. energy/critical infrastructure providers exposed to weaponized AI and email attacks 11/20
- EIA: U.S. crude stocks fall on higher demand, fuel inventories rise 11/20

