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JULY 2015 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com

REFINERY OF THE FUTUREAdvanced project management and technology solutions facilitate revamps to meet environmental regulations

CHINA REPORTCHINA REPORTAn energy revolution meets expanding An energy revolution meets expanding industrial infrastructure, demand growthindustrial infrastructure, demand growth

LNG REPORTLNG REPORTChanging market conditions spur LNG Changing market conditions spur LNG developers to reassess project economicsdevelopers to reassess project economics

PROJECT MANAGEMENTPROJECT MANAGEMENTSuccessful project execution requires Successful project execution requires managing different types of riskmanaging different types of risk

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Select 52 at www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com/RS

JULY 2015|Volume 94 Number 7HydrocarbonProcessing.com

SPECIAL REPORT: REFINERY OF THE FUTURE

33 European refiner revamps delayed coker to meet Euro 5 specifications C. Bolohan, L. Manafu and J. D. Ward

39 Use advanced automation and project management to simplify refinery construction E. Spiropoulos

43 Turning a Tier 3 profit J. Esteban and M. Hartman

49 How to cost-effectively adapt to a tight oil world D. Lindsay, M. Griffiths, A. Sabitov, D. Sioui and B. Glover

BONUS REPORT: LNG

57 US liquefaction projects to drive global expansion of LNG trade A. Slaughter

REGIONAL REPORT

59 Chinas energy revolution strives for sustainable growth M. Rhodes

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

69 Better risk-management methods ensure project success C. Rentschler and G. Shahani

GAS TREATING

73 Improve LPG treating via advanced amine-solvent recovery technologies D. Engel, H. Burns and B. Spooner

MANAGEMENT

79 A data-driven, experience-based approach to workforce optimization B. Glasscock

PROCESS AUTOMATION

82 Automate environmental monitoring at petrochemical plants with LIMS T. Meek

Cover Image: Klesch Groups Heide refinery, located north of Hamburg, Germany, is a distillates-focused plant. It produces mainly diesel, heating oil, jet fuel and some gasoline and petrochemicals. While servicing the inland markets, the refinery is well integrated with the local industrial community of Brunsbttel, with access to road and rail networks and local pipelines. Photo courtesy of Photo Raffinerie Heide.

DEPARTMENTS

10 News 17 Industry Metrics 84 Innovations 86 Marketplace 88 Advertiser Index 89 Events 90 People

COLUMNS

9 Editorial CommentCourage amid challenge and change

19 ReliabilityTrends from the 2015 AFPM Maintenance and Reliability Conference

21 Automation StrategiesSafety lifecycle management challenges in hydrocarbon processing plants

23 GlobalInvestment in Egypts downstream on the rise

25 PetrochemicalsHigher international sales boost 2015 earnings above forecast for many chemical leaders

27 Engineering Case HistoriesCase 85: Learnings on hydraulically fitted hubs

29 ViewpointAdvice for the downstream: Keep the faith

59

56

4JULY 2015|HydrocarbonProcessing.com

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President/CEO John RoyallVice President Ron HigginsVice President, Production Sheryl StoneEditor-in-Chief Pramod KulkarniBusiness Finance Manager Pamela HarveyPart of Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC. Other energy group titles include: World Oil and Petroleum Economist.

Publication Agreement Number 40034765 Printed in USA

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PUBLISHER Bret Ronk Bret.Ronk@GulfPub.com

EDITORIAL Editor Stephany RomanowManaging Editor Adrienne BlumeReliability/Equipment Editor Heinz P. BlochOnline Editor Ben DuBoseTechnical Editor Mike RhodesAssociate Editor Helen MecheDirector, Data Division Lee NicholsContributing Editor Loraine A. HuchlerContributing Editor William M. GobleContributing Editor ARC Advisory Group

MAGAZINE PRODUCTION / +1 (713) 525-4633Vice President, Production Sheryl StoneManager, Editorial Production Angela Bathe DietrichArtist/Illustrator David WeeksSenior Graphic Designer Amanda McLendon-BassManager, Advertising Production Cheryl Willis

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Because Hydrocarbon Processing is edited specifically to be of greatest value to people working in this specialized business, subscriptions are restricted to those engaged in the hydrocarbon processing industry, or service and supply company personnel connected thereto.

Hydrocarbon Processing is indexed by Applied Science & Technology Index, by Chemical Abstracts and by Engineering Index Inc. Microfilm copies avail-able through University Microfilms, International, Ann Arbor, Mich. The full text of Hydrocarbon Processing is also available in electronic versions of the Business Periodicals Index.

ARTICLE REPRINTSIf you would like to have a recent article reprinted for an upcoming confer-ence or for use as a marketing tool, contact Foster Printing Company for a price quote. Articles are reprinted on quality stock with advertisements removed; options are available for covers and turnaround times. Our minimum order is a quantity of 100.

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Hydrocarbon Processing (ISSN 0018-8190) is published monthly by Gulf Publishing Company, 2 Greenway Plaza, Suite 1020, Houston, Texas 77046. Periodicals postage paid at Houston, Texas, and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Hydrocarbon Processing, P.O. Box 2608, Houston, Texas 77252.

Copyright 2015 by Gulf Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Permission is granted by the copyright owner to libraries and others registered with the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) to photocopy any articles herein for the base fee of $3 per copy per page. Payment should be sent directly to the CCC, 21 Congress St., Salem, Mass. 01970. Copying for other than personal or inter-nal reference use without express permission is prohibited. Requests for special permission or bulk orders should be addressed to the Editor. ISSN 0018-8190/01.

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Get the latest natural gas and LNG industry outlooks, infrastructure updates, technology developments and moreThe second annual GasPro Americas will be held September 9-11, 2015 in Houston, Texas at the Hyatt Regency Houston. This years conference will be held in conjunction with LNG Americas, and together, these events provide a timely gathering for the gas processing industry to meet and discuss the latest challenges and developments; learn about the current economic outlook; share best practices; explore solutions to help improve production and effi ciency; network with peers and more.

Agenda at a Glance:September 9: Combined Business Day / September 1011: Dual-track Technical Program The GasPro Americas track focuses on broader gas processing topics and the LNG Americas track is devoted to LNG. Attendees will be able to jump back and forth between BOTH conferences. Attend the sessions that interest you the most!

Technical Sessions Include: Separation/dehydration/acid gas removal

Rejection: Ethane/methane/nitrogen

NGL recovery

Gas sweetening/fractionation

Syngas production and utilization

Flaring and emissions

Policy in the Americas

Regional opportunities for the Americas: Paci c Northwest, Canada

Bunkering

LNG supply chain

Liquefaction and regasi cation

AMERICASGasProcessingConference.com LNGAmericasConference.com

Two Events, One LocationSeptember 911, 2015Hyatt Regency Houston | Houston, Texas

Events Supported by:

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Business Day Agenda: Wednesday, September 97:308:55 a.m. Registration and continental breakfast

Session One: The future of natural gas in America8:559 a.m. Opening Remarks: John Royall, President and Chief Executive Offi cer, Gulf Publishing Company

99:35 a.m. EIA: Annual Report 2015: Vishakh Mantri, PhD, PE, PMP, Offi ce of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels Analysis Biofuels and Emerging Technologies Team, US Energy Information Administration

9:3510 a.m. Domestic energy infrastructure update: Lee Nichols, Data Director, Gulf Publishing Company

1010:30 a.m. Coff ee break

Session Two: NGL in America10:3010:55 a.m. NGL Outlook: Anne Keller, Manager, NGL Research, Wood Mackenzie

10:5511:20 a.m. Production of gas liquids Eagle For and Marcellus/Utica: Ajey Chandra, Managing Director, Muse, Stancil & Co

11:2011:45 a.m. Gathering, processing and take away effi ciencies: Crestwood Midstream Partners (invited)

11:45 a.m.12:45 p.m. Lunch

Session Three: The future of LNGAre we still a competitive option for the global market12:451:15 p.m. Global LNG: Will new demand and new supply mean new pricing: Dale Nijoka, Global Oil and Gas Leader,

EY (invited)

1:151:40 p.m. LNG Finance in World Markets: Jason Feer, Global Manager, Poten & Partners

1:402:10 p.m. Coff ee break

2:102:35 p.m. Methane emissions and solutions in natural gas: Matthew Kelly, AnalystICF International (invited)

2:353:45 p.m. Panel Discussion: Reducing emissions Operator responseModerator: Ken Chow, Senior Partner, Muse, Stancil & Co Invited panelists from: Enlink Midstream; Enterprise Products Partners, LP; Williams Partners; Energy Transfer Partners; Noble Energy; Chesapeake Energy; and Questar Pipeline Company.

3:45 p.m. Closing Remarks: John Royall, President and Chief Executive Offi cer, Gulf Publishing Company

*Visit GasProcessingConference.com for the complete technical program and agenda updates.

Register online at GasProcessingConference.com (Your registration includes access to LNG Americas) To Sponsor, Exhibit or to Register Offl ine: Contact Melissa Smith, Events Director

at Melissa.Smith@GulfPub.com or +1 (713) 520-4475 for more information.

Select 55 at www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com/RS

Editorial Comment

STEPHANY ROMANOW, EDITOR HPEditorial@HydrocarbonProcessing.com

Hydrocarbon Processing|JULY 20159

Working in the downstream requires tremendous courage. Why courage? It does not mean HPI staff have no fear. Actually, it is quite the contrary. The downstream industry must manage risk at many levels that can be interpreted as almost fearful.

Why try? Why work in an industry that is constantly challenged by governments and regulatory agencies? For many, it is rewarding to overcome obstacles and to create products that have, and continue to, revolutionize society.

Todays society was created through the development of transportation fuels and combustion engines. With both advance-ments, goods and people became more mobile, thus further developing commerce domestically and internationally.

Room for all. Some critics hold the thought that oil and natural gas-based fu-els and products have outlived their use-fulness, and that society should switch to renewable fuels and plastics.

Open-minded thinking supports the argument that there is room for all products. Research and development is warranted to identify and investigate al-ternative products as part of sustainable development for the long term. What is undermining, if not destructive, is the support of regulations that mandate con-version to alternative fuels before such products have been thoroughly devel-oped and can compete in the market-place without subsidies and penalizing regulations.

In the US, the battle to oust crude oil-based transportation fuels continues. For many years, critics of big oil have waged a war against transportation fuels under the guise of saving the planet and the people. This is a harsh viewpoint. Over the past two decades, transportation fu-els have been over-regulated under the premise of protecting the public and en-suring energy security.

When the going gets tough... Such conditions require courage by members of downstream companies to knowingly face these challenges and continue to develop viable solutions. What if Thomas Edison had quit working to find the proper fila-ment for the light bulb after the first few failures? For the most part, society would have remained in the dark, thus hindering the beginning of the industrial revolution.

In the US, outdated laws such as the Re-newable Fuel Standard (RFS) keep the re-fining business in the dark. Over the years, HP has commented on environmental and safety issues for transportation fuels and petrochemical products through the In-sight and Editorial columns. As a member of the HP editorial team for over 23 years, it has been my responsibility to develop these columns to comment on pressing is-sues for the downstream industry. A quick review of my past editorials yields a unique trend: Without fail, the downstream rallies to overcome numerous obstacles present-ed by changing economic cycles, regula-tions and technological developments.

There is no single solution to the topic of clean transportation fuels. Energy sup-plies are a political and social issue in ad-dition to being a profitability concern. Many parties are involved, thus further complicating viable solutions to meet the demands of all stakeholders.

Change requires courage. Many chal-lenges remain to be solved by the talented individuals working in this industry. It has been my great pleasure to share updates and present new ideas through past edi-torials. More importantly, it has been an honor to serve as an editor on the HP staff for the past 23 years.

As with other downstream compa-nies, HP is also undergoing a crew change as I retire from the HP team. I thank the numerous readers and members of the downstream community for their support of HP over the past two decades, and wish great success to all.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

32Refinery of the future. Process automation in oil refineries is undergoing major changes, driven by the need for faster and more comprehensive advances from automation OEMs. Yokogawa and ExxonMobil explain how advanced automation hardware technologies, when used in conjunction with new project management techniques, make refinery construction and upgrades simpler, easier and faster.

56Bonus report: LNG. The global LNG environment is changing alongside fluctuating energy prices and trading patterns, particularly in Asia. The executive director of the Deloitte Center for Energy Solutions explains how LNG developers will consider project economics on an individual basis, despite variable market conditions, and which countries will shape LNG trade flows over the next five years.

59Regional report: China. Chinas energy demand is rapidly increasing to keep pace with its expanding industrial and transportation infrastructure. The countrys government has called for a revolution in energy amid pressure to reduce air pollution levels and secure long-term, sustainable growth.

69Project management. Management of project risk is a challenge; tight schedules and insufficient resources are at the heart of the problems surrounding capital projects. Linde Engineering discusses how to use risk management as a key ingredient in project execution, and presents alternative strategies for successfully managing risk.

Courage amid challenge and change

| News

TOYO Engineering will use project execution solutions to deliver Malaysia crackerTOYO Engineering has purchased two leading Intergraph project execution solutions, which are being used to deliver a large-scale steam cracker complex in Malaysia.

The project is part of the Refinery and Petrochemicals Integrated Development (RAPID) megaproject. When completed, it will consist of a 300-Mbpd refinery and petrochemical complex with a combined capacity of producing 7.7 MMtpy of various grades of products, including differentiated and specialty chemical products, such as synthetic rubbers and high-grade polymers.

The first solution is the Intergraph Smart 3D, which leverages real-time concurrent design, rules, relationships and automation specific to the plant industry. TOYO also selected SmartPlant Materials, which offers a total materials management and subcontract management solution for chemical plants and projects.

Hydrocarbon Processing|JULY 201511

MIKE RHODES, TECHNICAL EDITORMike.Rhodes@HydrocarbonProcessing.com

News

Oman to build multi-faceted facilities in Indonesia

Oman will invest $7 B to build oil stor-age facilities, a petrochemical plant and a refinery in Indonesia. The refinery would be built in Indonesias Riau province, with the oil products being purchased by state-owned oil and gas company Per-tamina. An agreement was also signed for the supply of crude oil to the former OPEC member.

The project is now in the process of is-suing permits and groundbreaking is ex-pected to begin in 2016.

Indonesias fuel output has suffered from a lack of investment in its refining sector since the construction of its last re-finery was completed in 1994. Pertamina has 1 MMbpd in refining capacity, which it plans to raise to 2.3 MMbpd through upgrades and additional plants.

Neste, Total to develop biosolvents, technical fluids for downstream

Neste Oil and Total Fluides, a pro-ducer of high-purity hydrocarbon fluids, have signed a collaborative agreement for the supply of Nestes NEXBTL renewable isoalkane used by Total Fluides as feed-stock to produce and develop innovative bio-based solvents and technical fluids.

NEXBTL renewable products have a comparable position to that of their fossil equivalents and can be transformed into materials with unique properties. Neste produces NEXBTL products intended for chemical industry use at its renewable products refineries in the Netherlands, Singapore and Finland (FIG. 1).

Total Fluides will market a new line of renewable fluids for numerous applica-tions such as paints and coatings, drilling fluids, solvents for emulsion polymeriza-tion, printing ink fluids, and emollients for cosmetics, among others. The bio-based fluids will be produced at the com-panys plant in France.

Haverhill to shutter Ohio phenol/acetone plant

An unexpected withdrawal of finan-cial support has halted production and resulted in a cessation of operations at Haverhill Chemicals phenol/acetone complex in Ohio. Haverhill acquired the complex from Sunoco in late 2011. The site has a production capacity of 300 Mtpy of phenol and 173 Mtpy of acetone. Shipments to customers will continue until inventory is exhausted. The process is expected to be completed in July.

First Dragon-class vessel to transport US ethane to Europe

The first in a series of 27,500-cbm Dragon-class vessels ordered by Evergas, an owner and operator of seaborne petro-chemical and liquid gas transport vessels, has been delivered from the Sinopacific Offshore & Engineering (SOE) shipyard in China. The vessel features a compre-hensive Wrtsil solutions package, in-cluding two Wrtsil 50DF dual-fuel en-

gines, propulsion equipment (including the gearbox), two 20DF auxiliary gener-ating sets, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) fuel system and a cargo handling system.

The Dragon-class ships (FIG. 2) will be chartered by INEOS Europe for the transportation of ethane to Europe from the Mariner East project in the US. While the carriers are purpose built for the transportation of ethane, they can also carry a wide range of petrochemical gases and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).

The various individual Wrtsil solu-tions are integrated to form a fully opti-mized package. By engineering and sup-plying the complete cargo plant, along with the gas fuel supply system and the propulsion plant, optimal energy con-sumption efficiency for the entire vessel can be achieved. For example, the LNG supply system is integrated with the cargo handling system so it can be used to cool the cargo.

The Dragon-class vessels (FIG. 2) are 180 m long and 26.6 m wide with a draft of approximately 9 m, and they represent the largest ethane carriers in their class in the world.

FIG. 1. NESTE produces NEXBTL products at its renewable products refinery in Porvoo, Finland.

12JULY 2015|HydrocarbonProcessing.com

News

Chevron sells New Zealand downstream operations to Z Energy

Z Energy has agreed to buy Chevron Corp.s downstream operations in New Zealand for $558 MM, ensuring its place as the nations biggest gasoline retailer. The company will add Chevrons 146 Caltex retail outlets to its existing 210 sites, which were acquired in 2010 when the company took over assets from Royal Dutch Shell. It also will grow its share of supply to commercial operators and its role in distribution.

Chevron, which sold a 50% stake in Caltex Australia in March, has also di-vested an 11% stake in New Zealand Re-fining Co.

Emerson acquires software group ESI

Emerson Process Management has acquired Energy Solutions International Holdings Inc. (ESI), expanding its capa-bility to provide complete solutions for automation and operations management throughout the oil and gas transporta-tion industry.

ESIs integrated suite of operational management applications for pipeline modeling, leak detection and scheduling is recognized for improving both operational efficiency and profitability. ESI will join Emersons Remote Automation Solutions group, which provides oil and gas super-visory control and data acquisition (SCA-DA) and fiscal measurement solutions.

UOP wins Egypt oil refinery expansion contract

UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, has signed two contracts worth a combined $1.4 B for the expansion of an oil refinery in the Amreya free zone of Alexandria, Egypt. As part of the agreement with state-owned Middle East Oil Refinery (MIDOR), UOP will provide engineer-ing designs and licensing. The project aims to increase the refinerys produc-tion capacity by 60%, from 100 Mbpd to 160 Mbpd.

When the expansion is completed, the annual production capacity of the refin-ery will reach up to 245 Mtpy of butane gas, 1.3 MMtpy of gasoline, 3.2 MMtpy of diesel oil, 570 Mtpy tons of coal and 135 Mtpy of sulfur (S).

CB&I awards Shintech ethane cracker furnace coil contract to Manoir

International metal processing group Manoir Industries has been awarded the complete furnace coils contract by CB&I for the Shintech ethane cracker project in Plaquemine, Louisiana.

The furnace components are based on Manoirs Manaurite high-alloy technol-ogy and are manufactured in its produc-tion center in Yantai, China, with the co-ordination and support of technology and project teams in Ptres, France. Manoir develops alloys and manufactures high-performance metal components molded and forged for the petrochemical, nuclear, oil and gas, civil engineering, energy, de-fense and construction markets.

The teams work under an international production scheme that guarantees con-sistent manufacturing and quality control processes across all plants in France, the UK, India and China.

Bechtel to quadruple Queensland LNG production this year

Bechtel is on track to complete the con-struction of an additional three LNG pro-duction trains on Curtis Island by the end of 2015, quadrupling Queenslands LNG production. The company is constructing the states first three LNG plants, the first in the world to convert commercial quan-tities of coal seam gas into a liquid form FIG. 3. Bechtel construction at Australias Curtis Island LNG complex.

FIG. 2. Evergas has taken delivery of a Dragon-class vessel powered by a Wrtsil propulsion solution.

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News

14

ready for export. At full capacity, the three Curtis Island projects will produce a com-bined 25 metric MMtpy of LNG.

When complete, the operators of the plantsQueensland Curtis LNG (BG Group), GLNG Plant Project (Santos, Petronas, Total and KOGAS) and Aus-tralia Pacific LNG (ConocoPhillips)will produce the commodity for export to their global customers. Six production trains (FIG. 3) will be operational when

Bechtel hands over the LNG plants to the owner teams for long-term operation.

Queensland Curtis LNG Train 1 has been producing LNG since December 2014, and Bechtel is now working on de-livering the second train for that project. Concurrently, Bechtel teams on the GLNG and Australia Pacific LNG plants recently introduced gas into their systems and be-gan producing their own power as part of commissioning the first of two production

trains on each site. The second production trains on each of these projects are expect-ed to be operational in early 2016.

US approves non-FTA LNG exports from Alaska project

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has sanctioned the export of LNG from a plant on the Kenai Peninsula to countries that do not have a free trade agreement (FTA) with the US.

The agreement calls for the export of up to 2.55 Bcfd of gas for 30 years, or over 3% of US gas supply, opening up strand-ed natural gas on Alaskas North Slope to global markets following a growing list of other projects already making moves in that direction.

The project, estimated to cost $45 B$65 B, would include an 800-mi pipeline to transport gas from Alaskas northern reaches to Nikiski on the Kenai Peninsula, where it would be liquefied for shipment overseas, likely to markets in Asia.

Alaska LNG is being developed by a consortium including affiliates of Exx-onMobil, ConocoPhillips and BP. It is expected to take years to build, and must still undergo an environmental review and a final investment decision.

Jacobs awarded contract for Singapore VAE emulsions production plant

Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. has been awarded an engineering, procure-ment and construction management (EPCM) contract from Celanese Corp. for the construction of a vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) emulsions production plant at Jurong Island, Singapore. With the plant, Celanese will broaden its ca-pabilities throughout the Asia-Pacific region, primarily in the higher-end ap-plications of architectural coatings, building and construction, carpets and paper industries.

Under the terms of the contract, Ja-cobs is responsible for the detailed engi-neering and design of the project, includ-ing procurement of major equipment and management of construction services.

Construction is expected to begin by mid-2015, and the unit is expected to be-gin production by the second half of 2016.

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The original UltiSep Separator technology was developed more than twenty-five years ago to address the inherent deficiencies of conventional gas-liquid separators, proving that it was possible to more effectively remove liquids and aerosols from gas streams.

A culture of continued innovation and engineering lead to the development of Apex element technology inside of the UltiSep. Apex made it possible to further increase separator performance, with efficiencies that could exceed 99.97%.

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News

15

NOVATEK signs long-term LNG contract with Shell

Novatek Gas & Power, a wholly owned trading subsidiary of OAO NO-VATEK, has signed a long-term contract with Shell International Trading Middle East for the supply of LNG from the Ya-mal LNG project (FIG. 4).

The contract stipulates annual supply of approximately 0.9 MMtpy of LNG for more than 20 years from the volumes that Novatek Gas & Power will purchase from Yamal LNG.

OAO NOVATEK, Russias largest in-dependent gas producer and the second-largest natural gas producer, is engaged in the exploration, production, processing and marketing of natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons.

Shell acquires land for ethane cracker

Shell Chemical is in the midst of a multi-year site review that includes envi-ronmental analysis, engineering design studies, evaluation of ethane supply and economic viability.

If built, the facility would include an ethane cracker with a nameplate capacity of 1.5 MMtpy of ethylene; three polyeth-ylene units with a combined production of 1.6 MMtpy; and utilities.

The proposed complex would be the first major US project of its type to be built outside of the US Gulf Coast region in 20 years. Shell says locating the facility close to both supply and markets would reduce economic and environmental transportation costs and provide regional plastic manufacturers with more flexibil-ity, shorter supply chains and enhanced supply dependability.

Shell plans to source ethane feedstock for the complex from the nearby Marcel-lus and Utica shale plays.

KBR, Exelus to license catalyst technology

KBR has signed an agreement with Exelus to allow KBR to exclusively li-cense Exelus solid-acid catalyst (ExSact) for KBRs solid-acid alkylation technol-ogy (K-SAAT).

Global demand for motor fuels con-tinues to rise, while stricter environmen-tal standards and oxygenate blend re-

quirements for gasoline place a premium on clean-burning fuels, such as alkylate.

The key to the K-SAAT technology is ExSact, a solid-acid catalyst engineered to overcome rapid deactivation limita-tions of solid-acid catalysts and provide superior alkylation performance. The K-SAAT process is adaptive, safe and environmentally benign compared with conventional liquid-acid catalyst process technologies.

FIG. 4. Part of the Yamal LNG project in Russia.

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Industry Metrics

MIKE RHODES, TECHNICAL EDITORMike.Rhodes@HydrocarbonProcessing.com

Hydrocarbon Processing|JULY 201517

US refineries are running at record levels and delaying their sched-uled 2015 maintenance until 2016 to take advantage of very high mar-gins and demand for refined products, including gasoline. In the Asian market, refinery margins strengthened on the back of higher regional demand amid tightening sentiment due to the maintenance season.

Prod

uctio

n, Bc

fd

Gas p

rices

, $/M

cf

01020304050607080

01

2

3

4

5

6

7

Monthly price (Henry Hub)

12-month price avg.Production

MAMFJDNOSAJJMAMFJDNOSAJJM2013 2014 2015

Production equals US marketed production, wet gas. Source: EIA.

Monthly price (Henry Hub)12-month price avg.Production

US gas production (Bcfd) and prices ($/Mcf)

Oil p

rices

, $/b

bl

40

55

70

85

100

115

130

Dubai Fateh

W. Texas Inter.Brent Blend

MAMFJDNOSAJJMAMFJDNOSAJJM2013 2014 2015

Source: DOE

Selected world oil prices, $/bbl

Global refining margins, 20142015*

WTI, US Gulf Arab Heavy, US Gulf Brent, RotterdamDubai, Singapore LLS, US Gulf-5

0

5

10

15

20

Marg

ins, U

S$/b

bl

May 1

4

June

14

July

14

Aug.

14

Sept

. 14

Oct.

14

Nov.

14

Dec.

14

Jan.

15

Feb.

15

Mar.

15

April

15

May 1

5

Global refining utilization rates, 20142015*

50

60

70

80

90

100

Utiliz

ation

rate

s, %

USEU 16

JapanSingapore

May 1

4

June

14

July

14

Aug.

14

Sept

. 14

Oct.

14

Nov.

14

Dec.

14

Jan.

15

Feb.

15

Mar.

15

April

15

May 1

5

US Gulf cracking spread vs. WTI, 20142015*

-100

10

20

30

40

50

Crac

king s

prea

d, US

$/bb

l

Prem. gasoline unl. 93Jet/kero

Gasoil/diesel, 0.05% SFuel oil, 180c

May 1

4

June

14

July

14

Aug.

14

Sept

. 14

Oct.

14

Nov.

14

Dec.

14

Jan.

15

Feb.

15

Mar.

15

April

15

May 1

5

Rotterdam cracking spread vs. Brent, 20142015*

Prem. gasoline unl. 98, 10 ppm SJet/kero

Gasoil, 10 ppm SFuel oil, 1% S

-20

-10

10

20

30

Crac

king s

prea

d, US

$/bb

l

0

May 1

4

June

14

July

14

Aug.

14

Sept

. 14

Oct.

14

Nov.

14

Dec.

14

Jan.

15

Feb.

15

Mar.

15

April

15

May 1

5

Singapore cracking spread vs. Dubai, 20142015*

-20

-10

0

10

20

30

Crac

king s

prea

d, US

$/bb

l

Prem. gasoline unl. 92Jet/kero

Gasoil, 50 ppm SFuel oil, 180 cSt, 2% S

May 1

4

June

14

July

14

Aug.

14

Sept

. 14

Oct.

14

Nov.

14

Dec.

14

Jan.

15

Feb.

15

Mar.

15

April

15

May 1

5

Supp

ly an

d dem

and,

MMb

pd

Stock

chan

ge an

d bala

nce,

MMbp

d

Source: EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook, June 2015.

828486889092949698

100

-3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6

2010-Q1 2011-Q1 2012-Q1 2013-Q1 2014-Q1 2015-Q1 2016-Q1

Stock change and balanceWorld demandWorld supply

Forecast

World liquid fuel supply and demand, MMbpd

* Material published permission of the OPEC Secretariat; copyright 2015; all rights reserved; OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report, June 2015.

An expanded version of Industry Metrics can be found online at HydrocarbonProcessing.com.

05

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

May-15

April-15

Mar.-15

Feb.-15

Jan.-15

Dec.-14

Nov.-14

Oct.-14

Sept.-14

Aug.-14

July-14

June-14

Source: Hydrocarbon Processing Construction Boxscore Database

New

proje

cts

Global new project announcements, June 2014May 2015

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Hydrocarbon Processing|JULY 201519

Reliability HEINZ P. BLOCH, RELIABILITY/EQUIPMENT EDITORHeinz.Bloch@HydrocarbonProcessing.com

Trends from the 2015 AFPM Maintenance and Reliability Conference

The annual American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) Reliability and Maintenance Conference and Exhibi-tion was held in Austin, Texas, in late May. This conference has been held for a long time. Over the decades, there have been good and not-so-good trends presented at this event, and the 2015 maintenance and reliability conference was no exception.

Training. As in previous years, over 200 exhibitors were repre-sented at this conference. Unfortunately, the service providers and their staff outnumbered attendees from operating compa-nies. It was again clear how, to some managers in the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI), training is a deferrable option. It is assumed that not investing in targeted training will appear neatly on the companys balance sheet. Conversely, deferred training is a very unhealthy trend if it is sustained over the long term.

Stars of AFPM 2015. Fortunately, the 2015 maintenance and reliability event had many presenters and exhibitors deserving of commendations. Two co-presenters from Flint Hills Re-sources (FHR) plants in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, and Corpus Christi, Texas, conveyed their personal commitment and the companys consistent leadership model. Their collec-tive norms of behavior are based on shared values and beliefsa slow but commendable trend. Likewise, FHR doubled down on the companys commitment to training and sent a sizable group of reliability professionals to attend this conference. Good for FHR! Such actions have a greater impact for employ-ees than clever slogans and press releases.

New trends. Favorable trends are developing in the emergence of service organizations with global experience that is anchored in analytical and implementation tasks. More specifically, com-panies, such as T.A. Cook, can find and explain massive oppor-tunities hidden in an HPI companys maintenance routines or data. Suitable analyses and comparisons with other locations and competitors can help uncover opportunities that may have re-mained untapped due to a lack of solid proof. The time (or train-ing) may not have been available to properly examine workflow or asset upgrading opportunities in a complex processing envi-ronment. Also, it is difficult to identify and apply benchmarking techniques that were devised for another industry or company.

Shutdown management and work definitions are deserving of accurate data gathering and detailed cost justification. Also, there are elements of risk management (RM) that are frequent prerequisites to turnaround work. Entrusting RM to competent service organizations that can provide all needed and relevant analysis and auditing tasks is a viable action.

In a follow-up review centered on one asset management/operational excellence provider, this author came away with the impression that sustainable efficiency gains, massive and acceler-ated learning tasks, plus effective management of future process-es and decisions are needed. Working with highly experienced consulting companies and service providers is a favorable action. Such providers were present at the 2015 AFPM Reliability Con-ference and Exhibition. This is an obviously desirable trend.

Program. The 2015 program committee should be praised for selecting an unusually relevant keynote speaker, D. Michael Abrashoff, a former US Navy commander and the author of Its Your Ship. He was a navy officer who was assigned to a ship with very poor performance and very low morale. To drastically im-prove the performance of the ships crew, he had to change his own leadership style from the traditional command-and-control model. Captain Abrashoff created a high-performance culture, and it is one worthy of imitation. He encouraged crew members to identify problems when they are still small, and empowered them to take corrective action. Abrashoff s program was in sync with FHR. On a similar path, FHR developed and nurtured a culture strongly biased to action. It is the authors humble opin-ion that it is time for HPI organizations to recognize and imitate both FHR and Captain Abrashoff.

Next years wishes. The 2016 event will take place in San Antonio, Texas. The optimist in us hopes to hear how other companies joined best-of-class ranks and learn how these orga-nizations took steps toward growth. There is a need to become problem solvers and to mature in status and reliability perfor-mance. We must find and cure root causes of problems instead of just treating the symptoms. An optimistic trend would be that more companies work closely with competent solution provid-ers. Finally, there are merits in training and grooming profes-sionals in both salaried and wage positions. If you are among the very best, then please share your wisdom and experience.

HEINZ P. BLOCH resides in Westminster, Colorado. His professional career commenced in 1962 and included long-term assignments as Exxon Chemicals regional machinery specialist for the US. He has authored over 600 publications, among them 19 comprehensive books on practical machinery management, failure analysis, failure avoidance, compressors, steam turbines, pumps, oil mist lubrication and practical lubrication for industry. Mr. Bloch holds BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering. He is an ASME Life Fellow and maintains registration as a professional engineer in New Jersey and Texas.

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NOT LIMITED TO REVAMPSRevamping with the UOP Renewable Jet Fuel process gives reneries a new income stream with capital costs much lower than building a new unit, but the technology also offers advantages for new reneries. Foremost is that the process begins turning waste feedstocks into renewable fuels right from the start for an immediate return. Compliance costs are also reduced right away.

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Hydrocarbon Processing|JULY 201521

AutomationStrategies

JOSEPH SCALIA, SENIOR CONSULTANTARC Advisory Group

Safety lifecycle management challenges in hydrocarbon processing plants

Although they are mandated by functional and process safe-ty standards, such as ISA-84 and IEC 61511, many automation and safety instrumented system (SIS) vendors to the down-stream hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) do not provide safety lifecycle management software that extends beyond the initial work performed to commission the SIS logic solver. As a result, in many cases, only the bare minimum safety instru-mented function (SIF) proof testing has been performed for the most critical protective and mitigative functions.

While the mandated functional safety requirements speci-fication (SRS) should provide a description of how safety should be maintained within a process or plant area, ARC Ad-visory Group has observed that most vendors do not support these requirements with an appropriate suite of supervisory software to maintain, enforce and prove compliance. This of-ten puts an unnecessary burden on end users, to comply fully with all functional safety requirements, including the ability to prove compliance.

So, what should end users be thinking about as necessary parts of their safety lifecycle compliance program? For a start, do you use electronic safety lifecycle management tools to help meet traceability requirements, or are you attempting to do this manually? Do you have any tools beyond what you used to perform your initial hazardous operations (HAZOP) and layer of protection analysis (LOPA)? What about your SIS logic solver? Can your current software tools talk to each other to share data, or do you frequently have to re-enter the same data into different tools?

Automation suppliers typically offer tools to help owner-operators determine required safety integrity levels (SILs). However, that is where the functionality often ends. While some suppliers offer rudimentary utilities to help trace and document changes to the logic solver programming, most do not offer a full suite of fully baked software that meets the other traceability requirements for maintaining safety instru-mentation. Current limitations to most automation suppliers solutions require extensive custom integration, which is both costly and time consuming.

Do you know if you are really in compliance? IEC 61511, ISA TR84.00.04, OSHA 1910 and other standards define spe-cific requirements for effective safety lifecycle management. All of these organizations emphasize that being in compliance with safety lifecycle management requirements should extend beyond just proving the compliance of initial site acceptance testing and commissioning of production equipment, control-lers and processes.

This requires identifying and documenting that equipment, controllers and processes are running as designed day after day, week after week, year after year. Processes change, equipment ages and wears, procedures become culturally blurred, and peo-ple become complacent, believing the results of their basic safety key performance indicators (KPIs). Historically, this is when the serious big incident occurs, with the resulting tragic loss of life and damage to a companys financial success and reputation.

Since this is a complex problem with potentially serious rami-fications for noncompliance, ARC recommends that owner-operators return to an appropriate beginning point to obtain the needed clarity. Start with a thorough review of your existing HAZOPs, the origin of your SIF designs and SIL requirements. Identify the specific real-time and historical data needed to confirm that you are meeting your SIL requirements. Track the statusautomatic, manual and bypassedthat represent your control loops and their safety functions. Ask your vendors if they have software that does this for you automatically.

Reread the standards, focusing specifically on the safety life cycle and your current operations. Is your current safety requirements specification comprehensive enough? Does it compel your organization to operate, maintain and verify the re-quired functionalities? Do you understand what data you need to comply with OSHA 1910, IEC 61511 and ISA TR84.00.04, API 14C and OLF 70?

Most importantly, are you doing your periodic safety proof tests? Are you recording all the correct information? Are you ensuring that your knowledge workers are competent, qualified and appropriately certified? Are you keeping electronic or pa-per records of your proof tests for each and every safety instru-mented function in your operation? If so, are you performing everything on time?

If you arent aware of and/or keeping records of how of-ten you defer a proof test or compromise a layer of protection against any of the many defined hazards, consider taking ad-vantage of the broader process safety management solutions offered by several consulting and engineering companies with skills and experience in these areas.

JOSEPH SCALIA covers process safety and functional safety for the chemical, oil and gas, power generation and manufacturing industries. He has over 30 years of experience in industrial automation for discrete manufacturing and process control industries. Mr. Scalia has a BS degree in electrical and controls engineering (BSEE) from Kettering University, and is a TV-certified functional safety engineer. He has also received formal instruction in software architecture, software modeling, threat modeling and cybersecurity.

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Hydrocarbon Processing|JULY 201523

Global SHEM OIREREGuest Columnist

Investment in Egypts downstream on the rise

Egypt is adopting a mix of investment strategies in refinery upgrades and con-struction of new capacity to meet the na-tions target for more high-quality light and middle distillate products and a reduction of transportation fuel imports. Such in-vestments are materializing as the govern-ment becomes more stabilized and the economy shows strong signs of recovery.

Demand growth for petrochemicals. The increasing demand for petrochemi-cal products, especially ethylene, and the global shift to cleaner Euro-V-grade diesel are the main drivers for heightened in-vestment in the Egyptian refining sector. Egypt, with total oil production of 680 Mbpd, operates nine refineries with an es-timated combined capacity of 704 Mbpd. It is the largest refining network in Africa, as summarized in TABLE 1.

Egypts refining output averages 445 Mbpd, suggesting that its refinery uti-lization is only approximately 63%. In contrast, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) estimates that the countrys refinery throughput dropped by 28% between 2009 and 2013 despite growing domestic consumption (forc-ing) Egypt to import petroleum products to make up for the shortfall.

Imports. Reduction of fuel imports is the focus of $3.7-B investment in up-grades to the Egypt Refining Co.s Mo-storod refinery in the Greater Cairo area. Approximately $11.7 B was spent on fuel imports in 2013, according to Egypt Central Bank. The project is financed by Qalaa Holdings, previously Citadel Capi-tal, and is expected to be onstream within two years. According to Qalaa Chairman and Founder Ahmed Heikal, the project is fully funded and 50% complete, put-ting it on track to begin production in 2017 as planned. The new facility will receive low-value fuel from Cairo Oil Refinery, operated by Egyptian General Petroleum Corp., and will upgrade the

fuel to higher-value middle and light dis-tillates. Domestic demand for distillates is increasing; the new capacity is aimed at reducing imports.

At present, demand for diesel and gasoline is rising fast and outstripping domestic supplies, Heikal said. The government of Egypt is simultaneously gradually decreasing its sizeable fuel subsidy. Qalaa Holdings and partners saw opportunities for a refining project that would ease reliance on imports and produce cleaner-burning fuels as one of the cornerstones of the countrys energy security policy. The refining upgrade project will have the capacity to produce 4.2 MMton of refined products, which includes 2.3 MMt of Euro V diesel.

Some of Qalaas equity partners in the project include Egyptian General Petro-leum Corp., Qatar Petroleum Interna-tional, International Finance Corp. and Germanys DEG. With financial backing from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Nippon Export and Invest-ment Insurance, Export-Import Bank of Korea, European Investment Bank, the African Development Bank and Mitsui & Co., the refinery has already signed a 25-year off-take agreement with Egyptian General Petroleum Corp. at international prices, according to Heikal.

Despite the ongoing global crude price instability, Egypt is planning other new investments at existing refineries to in-crease throughput capacity and upgrade the refinery scheme to yield cleaner fuels with less sulfur content. Egypt produces three crude blends of Suez, Belayim and Western Desert with a sulfur content of 1.4%, 1.6% and 1.7%, respectively.

Topping the list of Egypts refinery sector investment is the $1.4-B expan-sion of the Middle East Oil Refinery (MIDOR) to increase production ca-pacity from 100 Mbpd to 160 Mbpd. The refinery plans to complete the ex-pansion by 2017. According to the re-finerys management, there is high eco-nomic feasibility of the expansions that will increase income by 18% and transfer MIDOR from third- to fourth-genera-tion technology. The MIDOR refinery expansion would boost middle distil-late production, especially diesel, by maximizing utilization rates of existing processing units and upgrading refined products to meet Euro V specifications.

In April, MIDOR signed an engineer-ing, design and licensing contract with UOP LLC, a Honeywell company. UOP had previously provided processing and licensing for eight of MIDORs process-ing units, while three other units have

TABLE 1. Egypts crude oil re neries

Re nery operator Location Nameplate capacity, bpd

El-Nasr Petroleum Co. El Suez 100,000

Cairo Petroleum Re ning Co. Mostorod (Cairo) 142,000

Alexandria Petroleum Co. Alexandria (El Mex) 115,000

Middle East Oil Re nery Alexandria (Sidi Kerir) 100,000

Amreya Petroleum Re ning Co. Alexandria 75,000

Suez Petroleum Processing Co. El Suez 68,000

Assiut Petroleum Re ning Co. Assiut 50,000

Cairo Petroleum Re ning Co. Tanta 54,000

Total 704,000

Sources: Arabian Oil & Gas and Egyptian General Petroleum Corp.

Global

been licensed by Mannesmann KTI and Bechtel Corp. With the new expansion, this refinery will increase product output to 245 Mton of butane gas, 1.3 MMton of gasoline, 3.2 MMton of diesel, 570 Mton of coke and 135 Mton of sulfur, accord-ing to Egypts Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

Optimistic outlook. Both the ongoing and planned refinery projects in Egypt

come at a time when market analyst Busi-ness Monitor International (BMI) has predicted growth in both upstream and downstream investments in the countrys hydrocarbon sector, particularly in the petrochemical industry. However, delays in bringing the announced projects on-line are highly probable due to problems in tapping natural gas resources. Gas shortages are plaguing the petrochemi-cals and chemical fertilizer sectors, ac-

cording to BMIs Egypt Petrochemicals Report Q1 2015.

London-based analysts estimate Egypts present ethylene demand at 500 Mtpy. This volume is needed to sustain downstream production, despite the pre-vious years output falling below produc-tion targets.

Egyptian Ethylene and Derivatives Co. (Ethydco) is likely to commission its olefins facility this year with the capacity to produce 400 Mtpy of ethylene when a consortium of Japans Toyo Engineering Corp. and Egypts Engineering for the Pe-troleum and Process Industries (Enppi) completes construction of a polyethylene (PE) plant in Alexandria.

More petrochemical capacity is also anticipated in 2019. For example, Car-bon Holdings has commissioned its $6.8-B petrochemical plant at Ain Sokhna. Developers believe this facility will yield 1.35 MMtpy of PE as supported by the 900-Mty olefins cracker.

Continent leader. Egypt is the largest non-OPEC producer in Africa and the largest oil consumer on the continent. This nation accounts for 20% of the con-tinents total refined product consump-tion. Likewise, Egypt has been grappling with oil and gas subsidies that hit an all-time high of $26 B in 2012. The govern-ment of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi wants to phase out fossil fuel subsidies by 2019, thus narrowing the states bud-get and encouraging investments in the countrys hydrocarbon sector.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says that Egypt realizes that the en-ergy sector reforms and increased invest-ments are critical to reducing energy sup-ply bottlenecks, raising potential growth and increasing exports. However, despite growing interest in private investment in oil, the IMF says that the willingness of investors to commit resources may be re-duced by recent falls in oil prices.

SHEM OIRERE has reported widely on the business beat for Kenyan newspapers The Daily Nation, Kenya Times and The People. He also freelances, reporting extensively on Africas energy, construction and chemical industries for various international publications. He

graduated from journalism school in London.

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Hydrocarbon Processing|JULY 201525

Petrochemicals SHEENA MARTINContributing Editor

Higher international sales boost 2015 earnings above forecast for many chemical leaders

Raw materials costs continue to stay low in the US thanks to the shale boom, but the global decline in oil markets has eroded selling prices for many of the nations domestic chemicals and plastics producers.

As it turns out, a high raw volume of sales to Asia and Europe has been the saving grace for chemical companies in 2015, as the cost advantages from US-sourced ethane and propane remain strong. Thus far, 2015 earnings reports for most of the industry have come in ahead of analyst expectations, with many leaders pointing to rising international volumes offsetting weaker prices.

The oil market is projected to be more favorable behind growing global demand, Dow Chemical CEO Andrew Liveris said during his companys earnings call, although he warned of economic uncertainty later in the year.

Asian sales rise. During the first quarter, Dow noted that chemicals demand rose internationally, with a 5% boost in emerging markets. Additionally, Dow said demand jumped an encouraging 10% in its greater China business, buoyed by a longer-than-normal Chinese New Year. Heavy restocking from the end of March and through May was another encour-aging factor.

Elsewhere, Huntsman and LyondellBasell also say they are benefiting from Asian markets, with CEO Peter Huntsman noting there seems to be a general softening of market condi-tions across the board.

At the moment, Chinas supply and demand balances ap-pear tight due to a number of plant outages early in the year. Moreover, even more outages were seen in the second quarter, said LyondellBasell CEO Bob Patel.

Patel said these factors should be positive for product sales in Asia, and should further tighten the global supply-demand balance for products, such as polyethylene (PE).

US holds cost advantage over Europe. The biggest lin-gering price advantage for the US petrochemical industry is relative to Europe. As producers harvest shale basins, the ongo-ing focus on wet gas provides a far cheaper alternative to oil-based naphtha, which European petrochemical makers rely on to make plastics. US petrochemicals, on the other hand, utilize cheaper natural gas liquids (NGL).

LyondellBasell, which has operations extending outside of the US, produced almost 50% of our ethylene from raw materi-als with the cost advantage to naphtha, Patel said.

Huntsman also caters to Europe, the companys largest mar-ket, with higher sales in the continent offsetting lower-than-average selling prices in all regions.

However, the currency exchange involved in increased sales abroad negatively impacted revenues, with Dow and Hunts-man attributing part of their decline in first-quarter net sales to this effect. Meanwhile, Germany-based BASF saw earnings rise, being on the favorable end of the currency dynamics.

Looking beyond 2015. The major chemical companies, however, all claimed to be aligning their portfolios for long-term growth and not just for 2015. The volatility of the mar-ketplace, as evidenced by the recent crash in oil prices, made this a strategy of necessity. This strategy consists of a flexible portfolioallowing for changes in emphasis of market seg-ments based on profitsand innovation, while maintaining work on strategic projects.

To that end, Dow said it continued to improve on its diverse portfolio during the first quarter with its plan to spin off a major portion of its chlor-alkali and downstream derivatives business.

The transaction will enable us to continue our drive to grow in our higher-value markets as we continue to go narrower and deeper with our portfolio, said Dows chief financial officer, Howard Ungerleider.

BASF, Dow and Huntsman all spoke of research, efforts to innovate and ongoing projects during their quarterly calls to show the oil price environment is not slowing their momentum.

We will continue to research and develop, as the challenges stemming from an increasing population are far from being re-solved, said BASF chief executive Kurt Bock. This is espe-cially true for energy. We are looking for entirely new materials to help make Germanys energy transition successful.

BASF is researching battery materials for electric cars to re-duce the price, along with plastic components for the cars to reduce their weight.

Meanwhile, Dow is working on a cogeneration project in Brazil to supply power from eucalyptus biomass to the com-panys largest plant in the country. Also, in late April, Dow signed a deal to provide wind-generated electricity to operate its Freeport plant in Texasthe largest integrated chemical complex in the West.

Those projects, of course, are all long-term endeavorsand that may not satisfy some investors who are seeking quicker returns. But the uptick in international volumes has kept current industry profits ahead of expectations, and thats enough to keep project momentum flowing as we head into the second half of the year.

Its a volume and margin story, said Liveris. Whether its plastics or our mix, were maximizing margins and minimizing the effect of the volatility on our inputs.

Select 99 at www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com/RS

Hydrocarbon Processing|JULY 201527

Engineering Case Histories

A. SOFRONAS, CONSULTING ENGINEERhttp://mechanicalengineeringhelp.com

Case 85: Learnings on hydraulically fitted hubs

This article is a brief tutorial on hydraulically fitted hubs. It is intended to alert the reader to major safety concerns when removing hydraulically fitted hubs.

What is the purpose of a hub? Hubs connect one piece of machinery to another, usually with some flexible coupling between them. On straight-end shafts, hubs may be installed by press fits or heating. On taper-end shafts, the hubs may be heated and then advanced for a desired interference fit. One problem is that the installers have only limited time to work with the hot hub. When incorrectly positioned, it may have to be removed. This has the potential of damaging the shaft end.

Why are hydraulically fitted hubs used? A method with many advantages is to expand (dilate) the hub bore hydrauli-cally and to advance it a known amount up the taper. When the pressure is released, the hub is frictionally clamped onto the shaft with the correct interference fit and torque holding capacity. Keyless hydraulic fits are preferred for several reasons and include:

Greater torque transmission because the key (a stress riser) is eliminated

Minimal shaft gouging during removal No heating equipment needed for assembly and removal Shorter installation and removal time.Likewise, there are some disadvantages that are manageable: Installation and removal of the hub can be hazardous Correct design and pull-up of the hub is critical Slippage is possible when sudden acceleration changes

occur.Industries using high-hp equipment such as steam turbines,

large motor drivers or high-torque gear units prefer hydrauli-cally fitted hubs. FIG. 1 is a simplified drawing of how these hubs are installed and removed.

Installation. The hydraulically fitted hubs are installed by dilating the hub with high hydraulic pressure. As the bore ex-pands (dilates), the hub is advanced up the taper with the low hydraulic pressure fixture. Releasing the pressures produces a friction interference fit, which clamps the hub and shaft togeth-er. The low-pressure pull-up fixture is removed, and the safety nut is put in place. In special designs, O-rings are not needed. This removes the stress concentration caused by the O-rings grooves, and it allows for a higher torque capacity.

What are the major safety concerns? As shown in FIG. 1, the pop-off or hub is removed. When there is distance between the machines, it is possible for someone to be standing directly in line with the hub as it is being removed. During this authors career, he has witnessed a hydraulic hub removal without a safe-

ty nut. With a loud bang, the hub traveled several feet, with some very unfortunate consequences.

To prevent a recurrence, an analysis was performed to show the energy stored in the hub when released. This was illustrated by determining how fast and far the hub would travel. Also, the analysis indicated that, in one case, a typical hub could pop off at a velocity of 25 mph and travel a distance of 20 ft or more.

What is the lesson learned? The calculation was approxi-mate, but it does show that taper-fitted hubs when removed should be treated as one would handle a loaded gunstay out of the line of fire. Even the threads on a safety nut can strip off with the pop-off impact. Also shown in FIG. 1, a lead washer is used during removal. This washer reduces the impact of the hub with the nut when it first pops by deforming and absorbing some of the energy. All of the manufacturers safety precautions must be followed in addition to securing the area in the poten-tial flight path of the hub.

FIG. 1. Keyless hydraulically fitted hub.

NOTECase 84 was published in HP in May. For past cases, please visit

HydrocarbonProcessing.com.

TONY SOFRONAS, D. Eng, P.E., was worldwide lead mechanical engineer for ExxonMobil Chemicals before retiring. He now owns Engineered Products, which provides consulting and engineering seminars on machinery and pressure vessels. Dr. Sofronas has authored two engineering books and numerous technical articles on analytical methods.

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Up to 30 percent of anticipated value disappears during the turnover/commissioning and ramp-up phases of new asset lifecycles.Deloitte. Effective Operational Readiness of Large Mining Capital Projects - Avoiding value leakage in the transition from project execution into operations. Article, 2012.

Good front end planning leads to as much as 20% cost savings and 39% schedule reduction for total project design and construction.Construction Industry Institute: Adding Value Through Front End Planning. CII Special Publication 268-3.

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40 percent of projects in the oil and gas industry are subject to budget and schedule overruns.Capital Project Execution in the Oil and Gas Industry. M. McKenna, H. Wilczynski, D. VanderSchee. 2006 Booz Allen Hamilton survey from 2006 of 20 companies (super-majors, independents and EPC firms).

Hydrocarbon Processing|JULY 201529

Viewpoint CHARLES T. DREVNADistinguished Senior Fellow, Institue for Energy Research, and Former President, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers

Advice for the downstream: Keep the faith

People who know me well know that I enjoy listening to music. If you attended American Fuel & Petrochemical Manu-facturers (AFPMs) 2015 Annual Meet-ing, youll recall that I worked this love of music into my remarks.

I asked attendees to Dont Stop Be-lievin while subjecting them to a few moments of the old Journey hit. This sentiment is important for everyone in this industry to consider because, de-spite the many benefits and technologi-cal advancements made possible by oil and natural gas, the industry is often viewed negatively. Every one of us as-sociated with the industry must firmly believe and remember that what we do is important and that we have a long and beneficial future.

Working in the refining and petro-chemical industries for so many years, I am too familiar with the fact that there are many detractors intent on seeing the demise of the use of the hydrocar-bon molecule. Back in 2006, at an earlier AFPM (then the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association) annual meeting, I was quoted as saying, This industry knows that Camelot is not just around the corner. Later in the same address I stated, The demise of the hydrocarbon molecule has been greatly exaggerated.

Although I was wrong about one thing (Camelot was around the corner, not in the form of renewable fuels, but in the way of booming shale production), I was right about the other. The hydrocarbon molecule is here to stay.

In 2006, no one imagined that the US would become one of the worlds largest producers of oil and natural gas. Or that this nation, once dependent on others for energy, would begin to produce more oil than we import and that we would become a net exporter of finished petro-leum goods.

But, instead of valuing our abundant, efficient, easily accessible and affordable

energy resources, many view fossil fuels as having reached the pinnacle. They feel traditional forms of energy are in a steady decline, inevitably to be replaced by so-called alternatives. This dooms-day rhetoric is factually inaccurate and it places our economy and, ultimately, our national security in jeopardy.

Sadly, this attitude comes not just from the detractors, but also from some in our own industry. This attitude is not justifiable, and it is also foolish.

The list of benefits we bring to con-sumers every day is long, from affordable energy to good-paying careers to count-less products that are made from oil and natural gas, including plastics, fabrics and medicine. Whats not to be proud of?

We have an opportunity and a duty to promote our industry, not just for our sake, but for the overall well-being of the American economy and consumer, and many around the world. Fossil fuels have raised, and will continue raising, the standard of living for billions of people worldwide. It is coal, oil and natural gas that will continue to lift developing coun-tries out of poverty, provide them with af-fordable sources of energy and secure the power to bring them essential services.

My final days as the head of AFPM took place in May at the annual meet-ing, and one last sentiment I wanted to get across then, again in musical refrain, is that all of you are Simply the Best, as Tina Turner expressed through this great song. I am proud to have spent nearly 45 years of my life promoting fossil fuels and happy that I can continue to do so.

We have been the driver of the econ-omy of the past, we are the driver of the economy of the present, and we will cer-tainly be the driver of the economy of the future. We should no longer be satisfied to merely defend our industry. Rather, we should be promoting it at every op-portunity we get, because we are simply the best.

CHARLES T. DREVNA is a distinguished senior fellow of the Institue for Energy Research and the former president of the American Fuel & Petro-chemical Manufacturers. He was president of the trade association, formerly known as the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association, from 2007 until this May. He joined the association in 2002 as executive vice president and director of policy and planning.

At AFPM, Mr. Drevna led a staff that advo-cates for petroleum refiners and petrochemical manufacturers before Congress and the Executive Branch on a broad range of public policy issues. AFPM emphasizes the importance of petroleum refiners and petrochemical manufacturers to Americas economic growth and national security.

Mr. Drevna has extensive experience in legis-lative, regulatory, public policy and marketplace issues involving energy and the environment. His previous positions include director of state and federal government relations for Tosco, Inc.; director of government and regulatory affairs for the Oxygenated Fuels Association; vice president at the Washington, DC consulting firm of Jeffer-son Waterman International; several positions at Sunoco, including vice president for public affairs for Sun Coal Co.; director of environmental affairs for the National Coal Association; and supervisor of environmental quality control for the Consoli-dation Coal Co.

Mr. Drevna received his BA degree in chemis-try from Washington and Jefferson College and performed graduate work at Carnegie-Mellon University. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylva-nia and worked as a laborer in a steel mill there during summers while attending college.

JULY2930, 2015Norris Conference Centers CityCentre Houston, Texas

GTLTechForum.com2015

Explore the economics of GTL, small-scale technologies, project updates + more at the third annual GTL Technology ForumJoin us July 29-30, 2015 in Houston, Texas for this important GTL focused event and hear from companies who have GTL projects currently underway, including Velocys, Primus Green Energy, Siluria Technologies, EmberClear and others.

Speci c topics to be discussed include: the future of non-FT GTL, the economics of GTL, natural gas to aromatics, small-scale technologies, monetizing are gas, project updates, methanol, waste-to-fuel and more.

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For more informationor to register of ine, contact: Melissa Smith, Events Director at Melissa.Smith@GulfPub.com or +1 (713) 520-4475.

Conference Fees Admission

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Team of Two $1,815

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Keynote: Jeff McDanielCommercial DirectorVelocys

Dr. George BoyajianVice President, Business DevelopmentPrimus Green Energy

Lesa AdairChief Executive Offi cerMuse, Stancil & Co

Niels R. UdengaardSyngas Technology ManagerHaldor Topsoe, Inc

Guido RadaelliVice President, EngineeringSiluria Technologies

Raj SuriPresidentEmberClear

Tarun VakilVice President HYCO Technology and Product DevelopmentMatheson

Joseph GentryDirector of Global LicensingGTC Technology US, LLC

Dr. Vladimir MordkovichChief Technology Offi cerINFRA Technology, LLC

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Day 2 Agenda: Thursday, 30 July 2015

7:30 a.m. Registration

99:10 a.m. Opening Remarks: Adrienne Blume, Managing Editor, Hydrocarbon Processing and Gas Processing

9:109:40 a.m. Keynote: TBD

9:4010:15 a.m. Coffee Break

Session Four: Catalysts10:1510:40 a.m. The impact of catalyst-reactor performance

on commercial GTL plant design and operation Paul Schubert, Chief Operating Of cer, Velocys

10:4011:05 a.m. Deactivation and regeneration of commercial type Fischer-Tropsch co-catalysts: A mini-reviewAnders Holmen, Department of Chemical Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology

11:0511:30 a.m. Advances in mixed alcohol technologyPeter Tijm, Chief Technology Of cer, Standard Alcohol Company

11:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. Lunch

Session Five: Emerging Technologies and Alternative Users

12:3012:55 p.m. TIGAS A versatile GTL processNiels R. Udengaard, Syngas Technology Manager, Haldor Topsoe, Inc

12:551:20 p.m. PurePlus TechnologyShell (invited)

1:201:45 p.m. Breakthrough in technology and economics of gas-to-oil productionDr. Vladimir Mordkovich, Chief Technology Of cer, INFRA Technology, LLC

1:452:10 p.m. Cost-competitive production of alternative diesel and jet fuel from natural gas and seed oil via process integrationMark Agee, Vice President, Business Development and Licensing, Emerging Fuels Technology

2:102:40 p.m. Coffee Break

Session Six: Trend: Waste to Fuel 2:403:05 p.m. Leading the way in waste-to-fuelGreta

Calvery, Waste Management (invited)

3:054:05 p.m. Panel Discussion: The trend in waste-to-fuelInvited panelists from: Maverick Synfuels, BioFuels Power Corporation and others

4:05 p.m. Closing Remarks: Adrienne Blume, Managing Editor, Hydrocarbon Processing and Gas Processing

Day 1 Agenda: Wednesday, 29 July 2015

7:30 a.m. Registration

99:10 a.m. Opening Remarks: Adrienne Blume, Managing Editor, Hydrocarbon Processing and Gas Processing

9:109:40 a.m. Keynote: The future of GTLWhy smaller-scale GTL still makes sense in a low-oil price world Jeff McDaniel, Commercial Director, Velocys

9:4010:05 a.m. The Economics of GTLLesa Adair, Chief Executive Of cer, Muse, Stancil & Co

10:0510:35 a.m. Coffee Break

Session One: The Future of Non FT GTL10:3511 a.m. Natural gas to aromatics widening the

appealJoseph Gentry, Director of Global Licensing, GTC Technology US, LLC

1111:25 a.m. Natural gas utilization via small-scale methanol technologiesUday Turaga, Founder and Chief Executive Of cer, ADI Analytics, LLC.

11:2511:50 a.m. Havelide SystemTMStephen Boyd, Chief Technology Of cer, Petro Spring

11:50 a.m.12:50 p.m. Lunch

Session Two: Syngas12:501:15 p.m. Cost-effective syngas production for

optimized GTLTarun Vakil, Vice President HYCO Technology and Product Development, Matheson

1:151:40 p.m. Cost-effective syngas generation for small-scale GTL plant