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

Pumps

Automate furnace controls to improve safety and energy efficiency

Phillips 66: Mickity, D.

Furnace firing is the biggest single operating expense in any refinery. Consider a medium-size refinery (250,000 bpd) that consumes 2,000 MMBtu/h. At a cost of $5/MMBtu, that’s $87.6 MM/yr being ..

Use online conditioning to monitor electric motors

GE Measurement and Control: Wilhelm, B.
GE Global Research Center: Neti, P.

Quality and health assessments of motor insulation are important aspects during the manufacturing, as well as the operation, of electrical motors. Today, there are several offline insulation quality a..

HP Engineering Case Histories: Case 79: Integral compressor failures

Consulting Engineer: Sofronas, A.

Recently, the author received information regarding the failure of a large reciprocating compressor. In this example, the pistons for power and compressor cylinders are powered by the same crankshaft...

Reliability tips for centrifugal process pumps

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

The pump’s behavior can be likened to that of a manual transmission in an automobile. While a car can be driven 80 mph in first gear, it would be a mistake to do this for an hour or so.

HP Reliability: Make equipment decisions with up-to-date technical information

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Answering lube practice-related questions is important. These questions provide insight on the status of education and technology, along with trends in understanding equipment reliability, safety and ..

HP Reliability: Small deviations can compromise equipment reliability

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

In 2013, a major refinery was experiencing serious pump problems. The refinery had a massive thrust-bearing failure on a critical 3,560-rpm pump. The pump was designed and manufactured by a well-known..

HP News

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Thinnes, Billy

 Irving Oil refinery begins $60-million turnaroundA major turnaround is underway at Irving Oil’s refinery in Saint John, Canada. It began in early March and is expected to last until mid-Ap..

Continuous corrosion monitoring enhances operational decisions

Permasense: Clarke, K.

Operators with permanently-installed continuous corrosion monitoring systems have better understanding of the corrosion and erosion rates occurring within their facility.

HP Automation Strategies: Intelligent pumps offer potential for significant energy savings

ARC Advisory Group: Whalen, J.

Increasing energy costs over the last few decades have put more pressure on companies across all industries to find more efficient ways to utilize energy. Reducing energy consumption reduces both inpu..

HP Reliability: Best practices when trim-cutting closed-pump impellers

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Bloch, Heinz P.

Experienced reliability professionals will implement least-risk solutions whenever possible. The following example relates to impeller trimming to reduce the diameter of a fixed-speed centrifugal pump..