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

Management

Committee to decide fate of idled refinery

An advisory committee will decide the future of a 209,000-barrel-per-day refinery that remains idled amid sanctions on the operator.

Taiwan's Formosa Plastics Group says owners to reduce management role

TAIPEI (Reuters) -- Formosa Plastics Group said on Thursday it will set up a management center next month to allow the owners of one of Taiwan’s biggest conglomerates to reduce their role in the management.

Pemex could give up majority stakes in refineries

Pemex's CFO says the company is seeking partners to operate its money-losing refineries and plans to "dilute" its ownership in the plants.

Take steps to achieve lubrication maintainability

Des-Case Corp.: Barnes, M.

Do not accept that what the OEM delivered, or how the equipment has been configured for the past 30 years, must be maintained into the future. Optimize yourPM program and look for maintainability improvements to ensure that the right work can be performed in the right way and at the right time.

Failure prevention—The ultimate asset management strategy

Small Hammer Inc.: Snider, B.

The primary cause for losses and lost opportunities at refineries, chemical complexes, pipeline networks and gas processing facilities is equipment failures.

Lifting of US crude export ban will impact process safety management

North Highland Worldwide Consulting: Molly, K.

Since the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s, the US government has restricted the export of crude oil to curb dependence on crude oil imports.

Reliability: Principles are more important than strategies

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

A number of US oil refineries have recently asked the question, “When should an equipment repair be classified as rework?”

People

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

Elliott Group has made changes to its executive team. Michael Lordi has been named as chief operating officer (COO), succeeding Art Titus, who is retiring after nine years.

In-depth and preemptive front-end planning yields positive project results

Burns & McDonnell: Henre, C.  |  Satterfield, R.
Coffeyville Resources Refining & Marketing LLC: Garris, J.

Despite the challenges that major projects can present (short deadlines, budget constraints and overruns, unforeseen problems onsite and tension throughout executive teams), they can also prove to be a win-win for both the owner and the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) firm.

Reliability: Transform ODR-OPPM into a worthwhile initiative

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

ODR, which stands for operator-driven reliability, has recently morphed into a new arrangement of letters: OPPM.