This month’s issue of Hydrocarbon Engineering opens with a review of Africa’s petroleum sector from Nancy Yamaguchi, considering opportunities for expansion and growth over the coming years. This issue also includes a variety of features covering compressors, turbomachinery, artificial intelligence, machine learning, catalysts, corrosion, fouling, pumps, valves, and much more.
This month's front cover is brought to you by Ebara Elliott Energy.
Pragmatism in Africa’s petroleum sector
Nancy Yamaguchi, Contributing Editor, provides an overview of the African petroleum sector’s potential for expansion and growth in the modern age.
Wielding the power of AI
Felicitas Cokoja and Catherine Basilides Schwarz, Clariant, and Lisa Krumpholz, Navigance, describe how next-generation AI tools are being used to optimise catalyst performance, thus enhancing operational efficiency and safety in chemical production plants.
A window of opportunity
Cindy Crow, AVEVA, USA, considers the opportunities and challenges that new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (Gen AI), could have for digital hydrocarbon processing.
Making the switch to electric
Shane Harvey, Justin Iwinski, and Mario Valdivieso, Ebara Elliott Energy, USA, discuss important considerations in making the switch to electric compressor drivers in ethylene cracker applications.
Efficient compander technology
Oskar Schnabel and Markus Sauerborn, Atlas Copco Energas GmbH, Gas and Process Division, demonstrate how petrochemical companies can maximise gas process efficiency with compander technology.
Powerful piston design
Joe Salinas, Global Compression Services, USA, highlights how a customised approach to piston service and upgrades can provide refineries with time-saving solutions, improved value, and greater convenience.
The art of metal seal design in quarter turn valves
Quarter turn valves strike a difficult balance between sealing, cost, longevity, and process control performance. Wade Helfer and Bryan Leger, Emerson, USA, explore how integrating the supplier’s understanding of the required trade-offs with an end user’s expertise can help identify the correct valve construction for each application.
Expanding polymer performance limits
Brian Callahan, Kerry Drake, Le Song, Dan King, and Tyler Monzel, Greene Tweed, USA, consider how new advances in crosslinked PEEK expand the performance capabilities of polymers in a wide range of applications and environments.
Pacifying potential corrosion
Sridhar Srinivasan and Jeremy Staats, Becht Inc., USA, discuss how to enable enhanced refinery reliability and economics through optimised blending and corrosion management.
Maximising heater efficiency without production interruption
Larry Emch, Integrated Global Services (IGS), USA, highlights advancements in maintenance methodologies that minimise system downtime and maximise efficiency.
The advantage of diversity in shutdown solutions
Julian Yeo, United Electric Controls, and Renato Visentin, Proxess s.r.l., discuss the benefits of instrumentation diversity for emergency shutdown solutions in the gas processing industry.