Activity

  • Edge Computing to Automate Flare Monitoring

    Jim Cahill
    Emerson’s Jill Burdette and Twin Eagle Solutions’ Kaylor Greenstreet presented experience with the use of edge computing to automate the flare monitoring process. Here is their session’s abstract: Twin Eagle Solutions has developed a flare monitoring and smoke detection solution powered by advanced edge computing platforms. The United States oil and gas industry has 6,292 flares that burn off 10.65 billion cubic meters…

  • Trends, Challenges and Solutions in Biofuels and Biomaterials Podcast

    Jim Cahill
    In order to strike a fine balance between expanding global energy consumption and reducing GHG emissions, alternative fuels and materials, also known as Biofuels, Biomaterials, and Biochemicals, are gaining increased attention from worldwide leaders, including AP. As a part of our Asia-Pacific Sustainability & Decarbonization podcast series , I had a wide-ranging conversation with Emerson’s Sanjay Thakker on the trends…

  • Addressing Energy Transportation Challenges

    Jim Cahill
    Companies across the energy supply chain are challenged to safely and reliably move energy with ever-growing challenges. This 2:42 YouTube video, Emerson’s Advanced Digital Solutions for Energy Transportation , shares ways that Emerson technology and solutions can help address these challenges.  Visit the Transportation section on Emerson.com for ways to better respond to changing customer demands and sustainability…

  • Gas Leaks are Dangerous and Environmentally Irresponsible. Here’s How to Detect Them.

    Jim Cahill
    In an Oil & Gas Engineering article, Emerson’s Jesse Sumstad reviews technologies for detecting combustible and toxic gas leaks. A study published in March 2022 , reports that among the 26,292 active wells and 15,000 km of natural gas pipelines in the Permian basin area of southeast New Mexico, natural gas is leaking at a rate of 194 metric tons per hour. Some individual leaks are large enough to be detected from satellites…

  • Gas Leaks are Dangerous and Environmentally Irresponsible. Here’s How to Detect Them.

    Jim Cahill
    In an Oil & Gas Engineering article, Emerson’s Jesse Sumstad reviews technologies for detecting combustible and toxic gas leaks. A study published in March 2022 , reports that among the 26,292 active wells and 15,000 km of natural gas pipelines in the Permian basin area of southeast New Mexico, natural gas is leaking at a rate of 194 metric tons per hour. Some individual leaks are large enough to be detected from satellites…

  • Digitally Transform Corrosion Monitoring in Refining Applications

    Jim Cahill
    To remain profitable, most refineries are examining ways to reduce costs and boost production, and one of the first points of focus is feedstock cost as purchasing crude oil makes up the majority of refinery operating expenses. Opportunity crudes are often the answer to this matter, but behind the attractive lower price, these crude types have undesirable chemical characteristics such as high total acid number (TAN) and…

  • AIChE Fuels and Petrochemicals Division Award

    Jim Cahill
    Emerson’s Tim Olsen received the great news that he had been selected as a recipient of the AIChE Fuels and Petrochemicals Division Award for 2022. Each year, this division recognizes individuals who have made substantial technological contributions to the advancement of fuels and petrochemicals industries. Tim will be the guest speaker at the Fuels and Petrochemicals Division Annual Awards Dinner held during the AIChE…

  • Overcoming Biofuel Production Challenges

    Jim Cahill
    Energy-intensive industries such as downstream hydrocarbons are pushing forward with decarbonization projects as part of their sustainability goals. Hydrocarbon Processing spoke with Emerson’s Julie Valentine to discuss this topic in a “ The Main Column ” podcast, Digital technologies: A path to increased production and decarbonization . After some introductions, Julie was asked about biofuels and what constitutes a…

  • Pump Health for Storage Terminal Reliability Podcast

    Jim Cahill
    Statistically, operations face equipment degradation every 12 months, especially hard-use equipment, like pumps. Your storage terminal facility is looking at a 50% increase in repair costs, increased downtime, and shutdowns for when your essential assets fail. Corrosion is one of the biggest challenges that Storage Terminal operators face in the field when it comes to maintaining operation reliability. Areas like tank…

  • Industrial Grade WiFi Infrastructure Helps Digitally Transform Singapore Oil Refinery

    Jim Cahill
    Recently, a large refinery in Singapore capable of processing over 250,000 barrels of crude oil per day implemented an Industry 4.0 digitalization plan with the help of Emerson and Cisco. The refinery sought a wireless solution that would address challenges created by production downtime and also support real-time data collection and collaboration. With a compact, scalable, and flexible design, the customer selected…

  • One Protocol to Simplify Growing Sensor Deployments

    Jim Cahill
    FDI combines the best features of EDDL and FDT packages. Historically, differing asset monitoring devices, even if mounted on the same installation, might have very different ways of sending their data or configuration methods. Such a situation leaves project teams in a bind—do they stick with only one type of sensor, potentially eliminating their ability to use devices that are a better fit, or do they support multiple…

  • Improving Terminal Reliability with Quality Isolation Valves

    Jim Cahill
    An InTech magazine article highlighted the statistic that only 28% of a valve’s lifecycle cost is the initial cost. This means that the majority of your total costs for valves are going towards maintenance and repair, energy consumption, asset disposal, and other costs. In this Storage Terminal Reliability podcast, Emerson’s David Leavitt discusses the challenges that you can face in the Tanks and Terminals industry…

  • How to Select Valves for Molecular Sieve Switching Applications

    Jim Cahill
    As a business development manager for Emerson’s AEV C-Ball Valves , I recently published an article in the October 2021 issue of Plant Services. The article describes the unique and difficult challenges associated with molecular sieve switching valves and the new valve options available to address these issues. The article is titled How to Select Valves for Molecular Sieve Switching Applications and it is summarized below…

  • Corrosion Monitoring for Terminal Reliability

    Jim Cahill
    For the oil & gas industry alone, the yearly cost of corrosion damage is estimated to be over $1.3 billion USD according to NACE International (formerly National Association of Corrosion Engineers) and now known as AMPP: The Association for Materials Protection and Performance . They note: That figure can be broken down into $589 million on surface pipeline and facility costs; $463 million annually in downhole tubing…

  • Why Continuous Non-Intrusive Corrosion Monitoring is Fast Becoming Refining Industry Best Practice

    Jim Cahill
    Corrosion risk is great, and incidents can be severe – potentially endangering lives, therefore there is increased need for corrosion control in refineries. Even slight changes to the process can affect corrosivity greatly. Changing crude diets, flow rates, yields or inhibition levels can impact negatively on asset integrity. Monitoring periodically through techniques such as manual inspection do not provide the granularity…

  • Solving Level Measurement Challenges for Chemical and Petrochemical Plants

    Jim Cahill
    According to OSHA, the chemical industry has one of the most stringent safety regulations. Regular inspections, servicing, and maintenance work are required due to the intense stress that is often placed on the equipment because of the exposure to very aggressive substances and extreme high temperatures and pressures. Depending on the size and type of plants and operations concerned, maintenance often involves a complete…

  • Avoid Taking a Successful Reliability Program for Granted by Improving Its Use

    Jim Cahill
    Success must be supported so it can be sustained. As Chris Jensen and H.P. Slater discuss in an article in the July issue of Process Heating , this line of thinking is no less true in predictive maintenance (PdM) than in anything else. Some companies are impressed with the initial savings that PdM programs generate through improved production and lower maintenance costs, but New PdM programs typically identify many…

  • Gaining Real-Time Insights to Improve Operational Performance

    Jim Cahill
    Since we’re nearing the end of vacation season, how many of you appreciate the digital transformation that has occurred over the years where you can quickly find the optimum transportation, lodging, meals, entertainment, etc. to make the most of your vacation. And how much faster can you do all these things than was possible even a few years ago? Manufacturers and producers are also pursuing digital transformation initiatives…

  • Analyzing Combustion – Looking for Leftover Oxygen

    Jim Cahill
    In an automation.com article, Emerson’s Jesse Sumstad and Neil Widmer explain how accurate measurement of excess oxygen in flue gas can be used to improve combustion control. These days, industrial facilities operating combustion processes face multiple concerns, including: Burner efficiency Fuel costs Emission restrictions Public perception of a company’s carbon footprint and overall environmental responsibility…

  • Monitoring for Corrosion in Refineries

    Jim Cahill
    Rosemount Wireless Corrosion & Erosion Monitoring Processing crude oil into fuels and other products requires addressing the corrosive contaminants that this crude can contain. Effective corrosion monitoring and management can help avoid potentially catastrophic safety and environmental incidents. In a Hydrocarbon Engineering article, A Fine Balance , Emerson’s Jake Davies describes ways to address the corrosion and…

  • ISAConnect Members-Only Peer Communities

    Jim Cahill
    The International Society of Automation (ISA) is growing nice online communities in their members-only ISAConnect section of the website . One of the active groups, Chemical and Petroleum Industries Division (ChemPID) , is led by Emerson’s David Lee . David is an Operator Performance Senior Consultant. ChemPID’s mission is: …to contribute to the professional involved in the processing of chemicals, petrochemicals, petroleum…

  • Controlling Corrosion as Fossil Fuels Become Increasingly Sour

    Jim Cahill
    One question that various friends ask when they learn we work with many oil industry companies is, “Are we running out of oil?” The answer is no. There’s still plenty of oil and gas, but new sources are more difficult to extract, and the crude is often lower quality. Low-quality in this context generally means sour, based on sulfur content. The biggest problem with sour oil is its corrosiveness—it destroys equipment,…

  • Deliver better control, reliability, and safety in today’s demanding steam operations with Rosemount 8800 MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter

    Jim Cahill
    Vortex flow measurement is uniquely adaptive when it comes to handling difficult applications. By virtue of its science, utilizing the von Kármán effect, these instruments are accurate across a wide operating range and effective at withstanding high process pressures and temperatures. In this post, we’re highlighting the latest in our 8800 Flow Meter product portfolio – the MultiVariable Vortex Flow Meter. Designed with…

  • How to Streamline Complex Natural Gas Analysis, Reduce Cost and Footprint Using New Gas Chromatographs

    Jim Cahill
    Reliable natural gas quality analysis is critical to minimizing safety, operability and financial problems across the value chain. Variability in gas quality can create a variety of challenges for large-scale users, particularly for use as a fuel for gas turbines or sophisticated fired heaters, where the BTU rating (calorific value) is critical. For gas turbines, the Wobbe index indicates additional characteristics affecting…

  • Empowering the Workforce in a Digitally Transformed Refinery

    Jim Cahill
    It’s no secret that the refining business has a people problem. Like manufacturers in other industries who rely heavily on technology to stay competitive, refiners understand the need to transform their operations by extending the Industrial Internet of Things and other digital innovations across a wider range of possibilities. What many managers struggle with is how to integrate these changes into their workforce while…

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