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Equipment

Sasol buys ethylene compressor trains for planned Louisiana ethane cracker

The compressor trains are a critical long-lead item for Sasol's proposed world-scale ethane cracker at its Lake Charles site in southwest Louisiana. Sasol announced the commencement of the FEED phase for the cracker last December. The cracker will also include downstream derivative units.

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.

Shale energy resources driving resurgence for ethylene industry

IHS Markit: Eramo, M.

The abundant supply of North American shale energy resources is proving to be not only a boon for exploration and production (E&P) companies and energy consumers, but it is also changing the profitabi..

North American olefin producers riding the shale gas wave

With the prospect of abundant low-cost ethane, several producers have announced intentions to build new ethylene capacity.

High-pressure polyethylene: Reemergence as a specialty chemical or not?

Nexant: Farrell, L.  |  Virosco, J.

The analysis results indicate that, while investment capital for new plants favors LLDPE, plant profitability—which is a function of product slate (revenue) and cost—is, in many cases, higher for LDPE plants.

HPI Focus: New vs. debottlenecking projects

Fluor: Turner, J.
SNC-Lavalin, Hydrocarbons & Chemicals: Luck, G.
MVS Consulting LLC: Van Sickels, M. J.

As most owners do not have adequately skilled engineering teams to study these scenarios, engaging an experienced, qualified engineering contractor to support the conceptual study is often warranted.

Evaluate challenges in meeting clean-fuel specifications with heavier crude

Saudi Aramco: Al-Zahrani, S.  |  Bright, E.  |  Roy, S.

At a Saudi Aramco refinery, a revamp was planned for processing a different crude oil blend to meet Euro 5 diesel and gasoline specifications. The refinery, which processes semi-light crude oil, is sc..

Improve coker efficiency with reliable valve automation

Calabrian Corp.: Deters, B.
Emerson Process Management: Wolkart, R.

The case history discusses conditions occurring in delayed coker operations at two refineries in Louisiana, the impacts on valve performance, and a solution that offers extended life, better reliability and other benefits.

Take a quicker approach to staggered blowdown

WorleyParsons: Khan, M. S.

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..

HP Reliability: Fact-checking list from recent reliability conferences

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Whenever HP editors attend technical conferences, their primary goals include observing industry practices, finding facts and spotting trends. Fact or fictionUnfortunately, presenters sometimes relate..