While process automation has concerns spanning all industries, each industry has its unique challenges due the process, regulatory environment, climate, raw materials and other considerations.
I mention this since the industry forums on one of the key ways industry-specific knowledge related to process automation is shared at the Emerson Exchange conference.At this year’s October 12-16 conference in Denver, the refining and petrochemicals industry team has shared the forums, workshops and sessions that should be of interest to refining professional. I caught up with Emerson’s Marcelo Carugo who is the director of the global refining industries team.
Marcelo noted that the refining and petrochemicals industry forum will address refining-petrochemical integration, turnarounds and process safety. Here’s the abstract for the session:
The refining and petrochemical industries are positively impacted by the abundant and available shale gas and tight oil in the United States. As a result, new petrochemical facilities are being planned, including refinery integration to improve product flexibility for both fuels and petrochemicals. At the same time, some regions are experiencing shortages of skilled resources to complete a turnaround within the preferred duration; planning what work can be completed without schedule overrun is becoming more important as resource availability plays a role. Finally, process safety is always on the forefront of every manufacturing facility. Facilities are utilizing IEC 61511 to ensure their safety systems are both reliable and available (no accidental trips, and the system will work if and when needed).
We will convene a panel to speak about topics listed below, followed by an opportunity for the audience to participate in the discussion.
The panel includes Robert Ancrum, SIS Team Lead, BP Whiting Refinery; Mark Isom, Instrument Engineering Supervisor, NCRA; and Marcelo. The panel moderators will be Alan Weldon, Industry Forum User Chairman, Hunt Refining Company and Tim Olsen, Industry Forum Emerson Chairman.
With more than 375 sessions, the choices for which ones to attend can be overwhelming. If you visit the Refining-Focused Countdown to Emerson Exchange page, you’ll see a list of sessions on reliability, process safety, energy efficiency and best practices on the use of tools and technology. End users, contractors and Emerson refining and petrochemical experts lead these sessions.
By using the myExchange Tool, you can plan and add to your calendar the sessions you want to see.
Marcelo and refining and petrochemical team look forward to seeing and connecting with you in Denver. Register for the conference by September 16 and save $200.
If you can’t join us in Denver, you can connect and interact with other refining experts in the Refining group in the Emerson Exchange 365 community.