Category Archives: Mechanical

Improvements in the Steels Used in Oil and Gas Processing Equipment over the Last Half Century

Written on December 1, 2015 at 9:57 am, by

In the post-World war II period, the steels used in the oil and gas industry were quite different from what we use today. This tip of the month (TOTM) presents a brief overview of improvements in the steels used in oil and gas processing equipment for safer and more reliable operations. Plate was SA-285C aContinue Reading

How to Estimate Compressor Efficiency?

Written on July 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

In the November 2011 tip of the month (TOTM) we presented the compressor calculations of a case study. We compared the rigorous method results with the values from the shortcut methods. The rigorous method was based on an equation of state like the Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) for calculating the required enthalpies and entropies. The enthalpies andContinue Reading

Effect of Chemical Additive on Crude Oil Pipeline Pressure Drop

Written on June 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

For transportation of crude oil, the pumping power requirement varies as the crude oil viscosity changes. Increasing °API or line average temperature reduces the crude oil viscosity. The reduction of viscosity results in higher Reynolds number, lower friction factor and in effect, lower pumping power requirements. In the March 2009 tip of the month (TOTM),Continue Reading

Process Safety and Low Oil Prices

Written on March 1, 2015 at 12:00 am, by

In this Tip of the Month, we reflect back to December 2008, and get a reminder from the United States Chemical Safety Board (CSB) to remain focused on process safety and accident prevention during this time of lower oil prices. During the economic downturn of 2008, oil prices dropped significantly. The latest drop in crudeContinue Reading

Impact of Solution Gas on Crude Oil Properties in a Gathering Line

Written on November 1, 2014 at 9:00 am, by

In the October 2014 Tip of the Month (TOTM), we demonstrated that Gas-Oil-Ratio (GOR) has a large impact on the capacity of crude oil gathering lines. In general as GOR increased the pressure drop increased which lowered the line capacity. In addition, at high pressures and low GOR, pressure drop was lower than the pressureContinue Reading

The Importance of Leadership in Process Safety Management

Written on August 1, 2014 at 12:00 am, by

The first pillar of Risk Based Process Safety Management is “Commitment to Process Safety.”  A formalized mentoring system can ensure workforce involvement, compliance with company and regulatory requirements, increase the competency of personnel and enhance the process safety culture of the entire organization.  Within this element there are several essential features that lead to aContinue Reading

Debriefing Jobs Provides Several Benefits Associated With Process Safety

Written on January 1, 2014 at 8:00 am, by

A pillar of Risk Based Process Safety (RBPS) is Learn from Experience.  The work we do and the processes we use to analyze our work provide significant learning opportunities to enhance process safety competency.  This is a derivative of Kolb’s experiential learning cycle [1], but many times we fail to take advantage of the learningContinue Reading

The Stainless Steel Family – An Overview

Written on October 1, 2013 at 12:01 am, by

Stainless steel is a family of corrosion resistant steels containing chromium in which the chromium forms a passive film of chromium oxide (Cr2O3) when exposed to oxygen [1]. This phenomenon is called passivation and is seen in other metals, such as aluminium and titanium. The film layer is impervious to water and air and quickly reforms whenContinue Reading

What is Mentoring?

Written on February 1, 2013 at 6:30 am, by and

What is Mentoring? In this Tip of the Month, we explore how process safety competency can be enhanced through mentoring programs. This TOTM is the paper that was developed by JMC Instructor/Consultants Clyde Young and Keith Hodges presentation at the Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) 8th Global Conference on Process Safety in April, 2012. Continue Reading

Which Equations of State Should be Used for Compressor Calculations?

Written on December 1, 2011 at 8:35 am, by

In the November tip of the month (TOTM) we presented a single-stage compressor calculation result of a case study. We compared the rigorous method with the values from the short cut methods. The rigorous method was based on the Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) for calculating the required enthalpies and entropies. In this TOTM, we will present aContinue Reading