Environment & Safety
US investigators blame Chevron over Richmond refinery fire
The investigators found Chevron didn't apply safer design principles at the California refinery and also didn't fix a corroded pipe that ruptured and caused a fire and vapor cloud. The August fire at the 245,000 bpd refinery near San Francisco burned for hours, sending thick, black smoke over the San Francisco Bay.
UOP technology to remove acid gases for Petronas floating LNG in Malaysia
The PFLNG 1 facility, designed to extract natural gas from offshore wells and liquefy and store it for later transport, will use UOP's Amine Guard FS process to remove carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) feed streams. The FLNG unit is scheduled to start up by the end of 2015.
GPA awards midstream companies on work safety, environmental excellence
Member companies that submitted their 2012 safety statistics were considered for the first and second place awards available within three award divisions, with divisional eligibility being determined by the number of work hours submitted. US-based and non-US companies are recognized separately.
KBR wins pipe fabrication work from Shell Canada for oil sands CO2 capture
KBR says it will support Shell’s effort to maximize off-site modularization for this project by providing pipe spool fabrication and module assembly for pipe, process, equipment and building modules. The scope also includes the fabrication of several unique and innovative vertical modules.
Shell pipeline spills oil into Houston-area bayou
Shell clean-up crews were working to clear the crude out of Vince Bayou, a waterway that connects to the Houston Ship Channel, which leads into the Gulf of Mexico, said Coast Guard Petty Officer Steven Lehman. The spill was contained but the total amount of oil was still being verified.
US chemical group aligns with Indian oil industry to improve process safety
This communication may lead to joint meetings and conferences and peer review of each other’s publications. Leaders of both organizations say such cooperation is critical to incorporating process safety into companies’ management systems to prevent the recurrence of existing and former problems.
Argentina storm sparks fire at YPF La Plata refinery
YPF said the fire started after flooding caused by a major rain storm cut electricity to the entire refinery. YPF said its personnel and firefighters from two nearby cities managed to bring the blaze under control in the early-morning hours. The company said there were no casualties.
Valero sees costs outweighing benefits for new US gasoline pollution rules
Valero spokesman Bill Day said the company expects to spend $300 million to $400 million building new equipment to remove sulfur from gasoline and to expand existing facilities. He said the company expects to incur additional operating costs each year, and those have yet to be determined.
Arkansas officials to probe Exxon pipeline spill
The attorney general's office is investigating the causes of ExxonMobil's ruptured pipeline that spilled thousands of gallons of oil into a small town neighborhood last week.
Take a quicker approach to staggered blowdown
The design of a reliable blowdown system for a large sour gas-processing facility is one of the most important aspects of plant design. Safe design is vital for facility operation. With the developmen..
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