The Main Column

A 15-yr rise in U.S. exports of refined products continued in 2019 with the nation exporting more than ever, underscoring the importance of these products to fueling a growing world. In the latter half of the last decade, U.S. petrochemical production capacity increased—with more than $20 B invested in domestic petrochemical projects in the last 2 yr alone—and exports of petrochemicals and petrochemical feedstocks rose, as well.

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According to conferences and various media, the digital revolution is largely underway. However, many EPC executives say that their companies have experimented with digital initiatives, but they are still deliberating on where they will place their “big bets.” With that in mind, the characteristics that can help shape how and where EPC firms will invest for a brighter future are listed here.

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Unfortunately, many engineering and construction (E&C) firms operate without firm direction. This is hurting these companies in adapting to new market conditions. This podcast provides four factors—capital, physical assets, knowledge and time—that, when improved upon, can greatly improve productivity and profitability of E&C firms.

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Sustainability efforts affect four key areas within a processing plant: efficiency, business, talent and safety. This podcast dives into how digital technologies are enabling companies to increase sustainable operations in these four key areas.

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Achieving effective catalyst regeneration requires a process that produces a very high level of heat in a very efficient manner. Traditional steam has been a popular choice; however, this podcast explores how electric heaters can be an ideal heat source in the regeneration of catalysts within processes.

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To boost operational efficiency and support regulatory compliance, many petrochemical companies use informatic tools, such as laboratory information management systems (LIMS), to organize data. These systems enable companies to make data-driven decisions quickly and efficiently. This podcast focuses on how a petrochemical company implemented a cloud-based LIMS system to support workflows across the entire organization. 

How are companies putting new digital technologies to work? This podcast details how companies have implemented improvement programs with digitalization and where they have witnessed major advances in operations.

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New technologies are broadening the scope of automation’s reach. This podcast explores some of these new technology concepts and how they are being applied to process safety.

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SPONSORED BY: Energy Web Atlas

Lee Nichols, Editor-in-Chief/Associate Publisher, provides a brief overview on the global capital projects sector. This synopsis provides active and new project numbers, capital spending by region, major initiatives affecting spending and a forecast on global HPI spending in 2020.

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Investments in digital technologies have shown to save companies money, optimize operations and streamline maintenance. The big question is how to evaluate digital investments? This podcasts details two investment models to consider in this analysis.

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