Process Optimization
Business Trends: Autonomous operations in process manufacturing—Part 1
Progress in the driverless car segment has served to illuminate one of the major future goals in industrial and process manufacturing: autonomous operations in process plants—in other words, the autonomous plant. While AO for process plants has received interest from the process automation and control industry, limited serious discussion has taken place in the process operations and IT domains.
Editorial Comment: Optimizing operations and recognizing achievements
Over the next two months, <ital>Hydrocarbon Processing</ital> will host two separate events for a global audience. One will gather the brightest minds in the industry to share the latest innovations and technologies in the industry, while the other will recognize the leaders in advancing the industry toward safer and more reliable, sustainable and profitable operations. Both events—<ital>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</ital> IRPC and the HP Awards—will be streamed on digital platforms and free to view.
Advanced analytics drive IIoT success
Refineries and petrochemical plants face similar challenges in daily operations. Each must mitigate risk, anticipate maintenance, optimize operations and minimize expenses. To achieve these goals, plant personnel rely heavily on data to drive decisions.
Business Trends: Managing risk and uncertainty: The importance of optimizing your value chain
No doubt exists that COVID-19 is disrupting the oil and gas industry. Oil prices are falling, demand is down, supply is up, and storage capacity is limited. In these difficult times, the industry must swiftly act to keep business viable to come back strong when conditions improve.
Executive Viewpoint: How to develop a successful asset management strategy during the coronavirus downturn
The coronavirus (COVID-19) has disrupted all sectors of the oil and gas industry, including asset management.
Advanced cooling tower water treatment—Part 1
Refineries, petrochemical plants and similar facilities rely on a significant number of heat exchangers for process control and product formulation throughout the plant.
Piping and instrument diagrams (P&IDs): Part 2—Causes and management of change
It is difficult to categorize or group the many reasons for routine or late changes to a P&ID. Some causes are listed here.
Intensification of sulfur processing units by oxygen enrichment and process flowsheet optimization
The consistent global trend toward improvements in air quality and tighter regulations on emissions, as well as the International Maritime Organization’s shipping regulations, continue to mitigate sulfur levels—not only in conventional transport fuels (petrol and diesel), but also in jet fuels, fuel oils and other heavier distillates.
Best practices for aromatics extractive distillation in integrated complexes
Integrated refining/aromatics/olefins complexes are an efficient and effective configuration to maximize crude oil feedstock value and optimize the value of the entire product chain.
Maximizing diesel hydrotreater profit by multivariable optimization: A case study
A diesel hydrotreater (DHT) is a critical unit within an oil refinery. A DHT processes the diesel range fractions obtained from different units of the refinery—such as from the crude distillation unit and the delayed coker unit—to adhere to diesel fuel market specifications.
- Borouge to supply advanced polyolefin solutions for next-generation vehicles 11/18
- BGN announces strategic MoU with XCF Global to produce and supply SAF 11/17
- KazMunayGas and Uzbekneftegaz partner to build 50,000-tpy linear alkylbenzene plant 11/17
- Chevron joins race to explore potential purchase of Lukoil assets, including refineries 11/17
- Abra Group and Sumitomo sign MoU to advance affordable SAF in Brazil 11/17
- Sonatrach signs contract for unit with Sinopec subsidiary to boost gasoline production capacity 11/17

