Potentials of process intensification in the Finnish petrochemical industry

This research was motivated by the need to examine the potential application areas of process intensification technologies in Neste Oil Oyj. According to the company’s interest membrane reactor technology was chosen and applicability of this technology in refining industry was investigated. Moreover, Neste Oil suggested a project which is related to the CO2 capture from FCC unit flue gas stream. The flowrate of the flue gas is 180t/h and consist of approximately 14% by volume CO2. Membrane based absorption process (membrane contactor) was chosen as a potential technique to model CO2 capture from fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit effluent. In the design of membrane contactor, a mathematical model was developed to describe CO2 absorption from a gas mixture using monoethanole amine (MEA) aqueous solution. According to the results of literature survey, in the hollow fiber contactor for laminar flow conditions approximately 99 % percent of CO2 can be removed by using a 20 cm in length polyvinylidene fluoride (PDVF) membrane. Furthermore, the design of whole process was performed by using PRO/II simulation software and the CO2 removal efficiency of the whole process obtained as 97 %. The technical and economical comparisons among existing MEA absorption processes were performed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of membrane contactor technology.

Supplier Segmentation for Nordic Petrochemical Industry

Objective of this thesis was to map possibilities for systematic supplier management in field of chemical process industry. Through this study it was aimed to develop a tool for supplier management that could be integrated with operations in business unit. With developed tool suppliers should be able to be segmented based on their willingness and capability, and segmentation could be applied in purchasing decisions. In this thesis there was made a survey of methods that are recognized in literature to manage and allocate suppliers. This thesis recognizes segmentation as a method to group and select suppliers in procurement. Based on literature, a proposal for segmentation framework and evaluation criteria factors will be constituted. Based on theoretical proposal, in an expertise workshop a final segmentation framework was constituted, which covers segments with descriptions and evaluation part. Evaluation part includes an evaluation framework which helps to score suppliers with selected factors and leads to total grades in willingness and capability. These total grades will be the coordinates and they determine the segment where the supplier under evaluation belongs. In this thesis segments definitions, objectives, and road maps will be described.

Protective Liberalization : the state and the Mexican petrochemical industry 1958-2000

This thesis follows and analyses the involvement of both social actors and the state in the industrial transformation of Mexico. While these actors have been key associates in the development of the Mexican economy for decades, with the 1982 debt crisis, and especially after the promotion of a structural reform in 1986, the patterns of their involvement changed. However, this change was more limited than expected, and the state did not abandon its participation in some key industrial sectors. This thesis will demonstrate that the role of the state remained important during the process of change towards an Export-Oriented developmental paradigm, although the state continued to participate in fashioning social relations, it did so in new ways that can be termed “protective liberalization.”

Technological maturity in the world petrochemical industry

Includes bibliography

Workers and respirators: What factors influence medical clearance? Experience in the petrochemical industry 2004--2008

This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from more than 2200 OSHA-mandated respirator medical evaluations performed between 2004 and 2008, with information initially obtained using an online questionnaire, to determine what factors influence medical clearance and the ability to safely wear respiratory protection in a large petrochemical company.^ The employees were mostly white males with a high school education, ranging in age from 25 to 60 years of age, who had been employed with the company an average of eight years. Their work was typically performed outdoors in a rural or offshore setting. Respirators were typically required for emergency response – escape or rescue only – and/or limited to less than four hours per month.^ Approximately 90% of the population achieved medical clearance by utilizing the online questionnaire. Of the remaining 10%, 66% were cleared after additional "hands-on" medical examination exam; 28% of the individuals' jobs were modified by their supervisor in order to not use a respirator, and 6% of the individuals (n=13) were excluded from wearing a respirator on the basis of the medical examination. The primary causes for exclusion from respirator use were cardiovascular (37.5%) and respiratory (31.3%) issues, followed by psychological (18.8%) and musculoskeletal (12.5%) concerns. Ultimately, over 99% of workers evaluated under this system were found capable of using respiratory protection safely. This questionnaire has proven to be an excellent health screening tool capable of initiating early detection and further investigation of potentially serious medical conditions within a large and diverse population in multiple locations. ^

A configuration framework of manufacturing strategy paradigm in state owned enterprises within China's petrochemical industry:building context-embedded configurations for the paradigm of strategic manufacturing management from exploratory case studies

The role of the production system as a key determinant of competitive performance of business operations- has long been the subject of industrial organization research, even predating the .explicit conceptua1isation of manufacturing, strategy in the literature. Particular emergent production issues such as the globalisation of production, global supply chain management, management of integrated manufacturing and a growing e~busjness environment are expected to critically influence the overall competitive performance and therefore the strategic success of the organization. More than ever, there is a critical need to configure and improve production system and operations competence in a strategic way so as to contribute to the long-term competitiveness of the organization. In order to operate competitively and profitably, manufacturing companies, no matter how well managed, all need a long-term 'strategic direction' for the development of operations competence in order to consistently produce more market value with less cost towards a leadership position. As to the long-term competitiveness, it is more important to establish a dynamic 'strategic perspective' for continuous operational improvements in pursuit of this direction, as well as ongoing reviews of the direction in relation to the overall operating context. However, it also clear that the 'existing paradigm of manufacturing strategy development' is incapable of adequately responding to the increasing complexities and variations of contemporary business operations. This has been factually reflected as many manufacturing companies are finding that methodologies advocated in the existing paradigm for developing manufacturing strategy have very limited scale and scope for contextual contingency in empirical application. More importantly, there has also emerged a deficiency in the multidimensional and integrative profile from a theoretical perspective when operationalising the underlying concept of strategic manufacturing management established in the literature. The point of departure for this study was a recognition of such contextual and unitary limitations in the existing paradigm of manufacturing strategy development when applied to contemporary industrial organizations in general, and Chinese State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) in particular. As China gradually becomes integrated into the world economy, the relevance of Western management theory and its paradigm becomes a practical matter as much as a theoretical issue. Since China markedly differs from Western countries in terms of culture, society, and political and economic systems, it presents promising grounds to test and refine existing management theories and paradigms with greater contextual contingency and wider theoretical perspective. Under China's ongoing programmes of SOE reform, there has been an increased recognition that strategy development is the very essence of the management task for managers of manufacturing companies in the same way as it is for their counterparts in Western economies. However, the Western paradigm often displays a rather naive and unitary perspective of the nature of strategic management decision-making, one which largely overlooks context-embedded factors and social/political influences on the development of manufacturing strategy. This thesis studies the successful experiences of developing manufacturing strategy from five high-performing large-scale SOEs within China’s petrochemical industry. China’s petrochemical industry constitutes a basic heavy industrial sector, which has always been a strategic focus for reform and development by the Chinese government. Using a confirmation approach, the study has focused on exploring and conceptualising the empirical paradigm of manufacturing strategy development practiced by management. That is examining the ‘empirical specifics’ and surfacing the ‘managerial perceptions’ of content configuration, context of consideration, and process organization for developing a manufacturing strategy during the practice. The research investigation adopts a qualitative exploratory case study methodology with a semi-structural front-end research design. Data collection follows a longitudinal and multiple-case design and triangulates case evidence from sources including qualitative interviews, direct observation, and a search of documentations and archival records. Data analysis follows an investigative progression from a within-case preliminary interpretation of facts to a cross-case search for patterns through theoretical comparison and analytical generalization. The underlying conceptions in both the literature of manufacturing strategy and related studies in business strategy were used to develop theoretical framework and analytical templates applied during data collection and analysis. The thesis makes both empirical and theoretical contributions to our understanding of 'contemporary management paradigm of manufacturing strategy development'. First, it provides a valuable contextual contingency of the 'subject' using the business setting of China's SOEs in petrochemical industry. This has been unpacked into empirical configurations developed for its context of consideration, its content and process respectively. Of special note, a lean paradigm of business operations and production management discovered at case companies has significant implications as an emerging alternative for high-volume capital intensive state manufacturing in China. Second, it provides a multidimensional and integrative theoretical profile of the 'subject' based upon managerial perspectives conceptualised at case companies when operationalising manufacturing strategy. This has been unpacked into conceptual frameworks developed for its context of consideration, its content constructs, and its process patterns respectively. Notably, a synergies perspective towards the operating context, competitive priorities and competence development of business operations and production management has significant implications for implementing a lean manufacturing paradigm. As a whole, in so doing, the thesis established a theoretical platform for future refinement and development of context-specific methodologies for developing manufacturing strategy.

Corrosion mechanisms of duplex stainless steels in the petrochemical industry

The recent search for new sources of hydrocarbons has led to production from very severe environments which can contain considerable amounts of carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, and chloride ions, combined with temperatures which can exceed 100°C. Oil and gas production from such wells requires highly corrosion-resistant materials. The traditional solution of using carbon steel with additional protection is generally inadequate in these very-aggressive environments. Duplex stainless steels (DSS) are attractive candidates because of their high strength, good general corrosion resistance, excellent resistance to chloride-induced stress corrosion cracking, and good weldability. Although duplex stainless steels have a very good reputation in both subsea and topsides pipework, it is recognized that the tolerance of these materials to variations in microstructure and chemical composition are still not fully understood. The object of this paper is to review the corrosion behaviour of duplex stainless steels in the petrochemical industry, with particular emphasis on microstructures and the effect of changes in chemical composition.

Sustainable initiatives focused on social responsibility and regional development: a study of the leader of the petrochemical industry

The present work will investigate the issue of environmental responsibility actions in the ABC Paulista region, of a leading company in the petrochemical sector. In this context, the problem has been to see how the leading company in the domestic petrochemical industry conducts itself relative to the concept of sustainability and what the consequences of these initiatives in the ABC Paulista are. Thus, the objectives are to identify these consequences and practices with regard to regional development in areas where the leader of the national petrochemical company has significant performance, with highlights on economic, social and environmental impacts. The present investigation is justified by the fact that the company is among the world leaders in the production of biopolymers. The methodology used was qualitative descriptive because this methodological procedure makes it possible to observe and analyze the facts relating to social responsibility initiatives undertaken by the company under study without manipulating them , in establishing correlations on perception of other stakeholders before the actions addressed in this research. Therefore, the results obtained indicate that environmental responsibility initiatives taken by the company satisfy the paradigm of Sustainability and Social Responsibility, in the promotion of regional development in its geographic area.

Recovery of p-TBC from a butadiene washing stream in a pilot plant

Results obtained in a pilot-scale unit designed for COD removal and p-TBC (p-tert-butylcatechol) recovery from a butadiene washing stream (pH 14, 200,000 mg COD L-1, highly toxic) at a petrochemical industry are presented. By adding H3PO4, phase separation is achieved and p-TBC is successfully recovered (88 g L-1 of washing stream). Information (time for phase separation and organic phase characterization) was gathered for designing a future industrial unit. The estimated heat generation rate was 990 kJ min-1 and 15 min were enough to promote phase separation for a liquid column of approximately 1.15 m.

Diagnóstico de avarias em máquinas rotativas utilizando a análise de órbitas

Trabalho Final de Mestrado para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica Perfil Manutenção e Produção

Compact SMB chromatography for binary separation

A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Vesi-metanolitislauskolonnin ikääntyminen ja siihen vaikuttavat tekijät

Tässä työssä tutkittiin Fortum Oyj:n MTBE -yksikön vesi metanolitislauskolonnin käyttö- ja tarkastushistoriaa sekä yleisestä syöpymisestä aiheutunutta seinämän ohenemaa. Oheneminen oli kiihtynyt viimeisten käyttövuosien aikana. Kolonni poistettiin käytöstä vuonna 2002. Kirjallisuusosassa käsitellään MTBE -prosessia, metallien korroosiota eri olosuhteissa sekä korroosiotutkimusmenetelmiä. Eri korroosiotutkimusmenetelmistä käsitellään sähkökemiallinen kohina -menetelmää, vastuslankamittausta sekä upotuskokeita. Kokeellisessa osassa käsitellään tuloksia käyttö- ja tarkastushistoriaselvityksistä ja korroosiokokeista, jotka tehtiin kirjallisuusosassa esitettyjen menetelmien mukaisesti. Koekappaleet olivat hiiliterästä, joka oli vastaavaa materiaalia kuin metanolin tislauskolonni. Korroosiokokeiden tuloksista havaittiin, että hiiliteräs syöpyy nopeammin vesimetanoliliuoksessa, jossa on 60 - 80 metanolia. Syöpymisnopeus kasvoi liuoksen pH:n laskiessa ja oli suurinta kun pH oli alle 4,0.

A evolução da indústria petroquímica brasileira

The Brazilian Petrochemical Industry is about to turn fifty years old, and endures profound changes. In less than four years, it has moved from a system of centralized decisions and a national lever of planning, to another which is spread, without massive actions and with less integration with the raw material supplying company. On this issue it is presented, briefly, a small history of the development of this industrial type, including issues on how the growth of this activity, so important to the development of Brazil, shall be lead.