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September 2019

The September issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering covers a range of topics, including skills, training & recruitment; catalysts, heat technology; digitalisation; and safety & security. This month’s regional report looks at the US Gulf Coast.


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Contents

Boom times on the bayou
Gordon Cope, Contributing Editor, explores why the US Gulf Coast is currently the hottest downstream play on the North American continent, with companies from around the world clamouring for a piece of the action.

In demand
Vicki Codd, NES Global Talent, UK, discusses the importance of employer branding and employee value proposition in the downstream market.

Recruitment and retention
Joy Singh, T.A. Cook Consultants Inc., USA, introduces a workshop approach to controlling silent profitability losses.

Building blocks
Andy Hitchcock, Swagelok, USA, frames the route to closing the skills gap and constructing a well-trained plant team in three steps.

Continuing your education
Dr. Suresh S. Agrawal and T. Raven Meyers, Offsite Management Systems LLC, USA, compare methods of continuous education and how companies in the downstream refining industry can effectively train workforces using eLearning.

Enhanced value-capture from a distillate hydrotreater
Amit Kelkar, Shell Catalysts & Technologies, USA, looks at new hydroprocessing catalysts and how they can assist refiners in capturing more value from distillate hydrotreaters.

Peak catalyst performance
Li Xibin, Wu Juexin, and Yu Qun, CNOOC Zhongjie, alongside Binglin Liu, and Pierre-Yves Le Goff, Axens, overview some of the latest developments in reforming catalysts and how they can be used to maximise unit performance.

Putting catalysts to the test
Raul Adarme, Robert Steinberg, and Errol Johnson, Motiva Enterprises, USA, with Florian Huber, Jochen Berg and Safa George, hte, Germany, look at how refinery catalyst testing can be improved with high throughput experimentation.

Caustic replacement
Berthold Otzisk, Daniele Ciarletti, and Juraj Vanovcan, Kurita Europe, outline the importance of controlling the concentration of chlorides in the overhead system.

Minimise fouling, maximise profit
Stanislav Barskov and Ethan Stewart, Athlon, a Halliburton Service, USA, discuss how managing heat exchangers has a far-reaching impact on production and profitability.

Think again
Scott Boehmer and Mike Bange, Watlow, USA, look at how watt density specifications may be holding back optimal electric heat exchanger design.

Creating a bond
Roy Niekerk and Miguel Cano Aguila, Kelvion, explain why it can be useful to combine compactness and performance when designing modern heat exchangers.

Into the future
Ilan Toledano, Wattco, Canada, examines the reasons why the downstream oil and gas industry should embrace automation to reduce costs and increase productivity.

Maximising performance
Dr. Zied M. Ouertani, ABB, Germany, explains how digitalisation can maximise performance in chemical operations.

New roles for a digital age
Gary M. Ostrowski, Baker Hughes, a GE company, USA, introduces the concept of the digital technician and explains how this new role can help to solve plant inefficiencies of the past.

Avoid nasty surprises
Surprises are not always a good thing, especially during plant turnarounds. Peter Blaser, Peter Loezos, and Bryan Tomsula, CPFD Software, USA, highlight how simulations can be a critical turnaround risk reduction tool.

Digital health and safety
Botan Osman, Restrata, UK, looks at how cloud-based technology will revolutionise the implementation of health, safety and environment policies in the downstream sector.

The power of pilots
Chen Linchevski, Precognize, Israel, proposes that a well-planned technology pilot, rather than a direct request for proposal, builds stronger foundations for a successful predictive analytics technology roll-out.

On the edge
Roman Arutyunov, Xage Security, USA, emphasises the importance of cybersecurity in a rapidly digitising industry.

Closing the door on security threats
Doug Woodbridge, SecurEx Technology Ltd, UK, considers whether it is time to review physical security in hazardous areas.


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