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

Management

Reduce revamp costs with appropriate 3D laser scanning strategies

Fluor Corp.: Wong, S.  |  Lowery, R.  |  Kou, C.

The traditional approach for collecting plant as-built data commonly used for the revamp and retrofit of existing facilities, as well as for plant maintenance and operation, includes manually collecting the data and reviewing existing plot plans, elevation drawings, systems isometrics, or other 2D CAD drawings.

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.

Codes and Standards: How much fireproofing do we need?

The Augustus Group: Murti, D. G.

This article is the first under the Codes and Standards series. The purpose of this series is to make readers aware of code requirements, the interpretations and the limitations as they stand today, and what engineers can do as an alternative engineering. This series is based on the actual implementation of what is narrated and the satisfactory experiences drawn.