The Main Column

The digital transformation journey has delivered numerous industry gains, but people are, to a large extent, still working in isolation, albeit with more advanced solutions at their disposal. There is an opportunity to harness the power of digital technologies to fully connect asset layers with their corresponding actors and break away from siloed operations.

Hydrogen recycle gas compressors are one of the most significant rotating equipment in oil refineries, petrochemical plants and upgraders. Without the compressor, a plant’s production will be stopped. This podcast reviews the hydrotreating process and addresses compressor fouling, which impacts the recycle gas compressor’s performance and reliability.

This podcast reviews the types of corrosion that occur on severe-service valves, along with maintenance and prevention techniques to remedy or mitigate damage.

This month’s History of the HPI section examines the major events and technologies in the refining and petrochemicals industry in the 1980s. These include a third oil price crisis in 15 yr, the creation of novel coal gasification and heavy oil upgrading processes, research on liquid crystals and conducting polymers, new safety measures born from tragedies, and the rise of virtual and augmented reality.

Modular construction allows for standardization and repeatability, which translates to the ability to establish a definitive estimate early in the project development phase. This podcast details the benefits of using truckable modularization technology, including scalability, installation flexibility, repeatability, project predictability and risk mitigation.

In this episode of The Main Column, Sumedha Sharma, Technical Editor of Hydrocarbon Processing gets into conversation with David, Schwalje, Emerging markets business development manager, Axens. We discuss the fundamentals of physical and enhanced recycling and different chemical recycling pathways. We also talk about how Axens’ technology solutions work to optimize and de-risk chemical recycling to solve the plastic pollution problem at a commercial scale.  

In this continuation of Hydrocarbon Processing's History of the HPI series, major events and technologies of the 1970s are detailed. These include global oil crises, new regulations/laws and technologies to mitigate emissions, the creation of the plastic bottle, the construction of Jubail and Yanbu industrial cities, and the origins of the distributed control system.

To help decarbonize industrial plants, CO2 emissions can be captured and stored. However, challenges exist in moving CO2 from the plant to storage. In this podcast, Elliott Group discusses several solutions for the compression and transport of CO2 to sequestration and storage sites.