World Crane and Transport Summit

This October, Becht participated in the annual World Crane and Transport Summit (WCTS). I presented on “Super Heavy Lifting” this year. It was the third time in ten years that I was invited to speak.  The Summit was held in Singapore and John Koo represented Becht with me. It was a great event, attended by […]

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Plant Winterization Preventative Maintenance Program – Update Fall 2023

Plant Winterization Preventative Maintenance Program Update Fall 2023 By: Bobby Wright with Lakeisha Taylor and Greg Zoll It has been a couple of months since we first started talking about the importance of having a winterization program. Have you reviewed your systems or started any preparations? Here are some questions that you should ask on […]

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Tank Ignition Source Management: Protecting Storage Tanks from Fires Due to Lightning Strikes

With Contributing Author –  Rafael Rengifo Above ground storage tanks (AST) are widely used for the storage of large volumes of flammable liquids in tank farms, depots, and terminals. It is mission critical to effectively manage all ignition sources around and in the proximity of AST due to the high risk of fire escalation that […]

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Powerlines and Cranes – A Deadly Combination

It’s hard to imagine life without electricity. We flip a switch and things start working. It powers your lights, television, refrigerator, air conditioner and so much more. Powerlines deliver electricity to our homes and offices and don’t seem dangerous because they are normally mounted up high and out of reach. The truth is, they have […]

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Preventing Nickel Carbonyl Formation during Hydroprocessing Unit Shutdowns

The potential formation of nickel carbonyl is a hazard for all hydroprocessing units – both hydrocrackers and hydrotreaters. Fortunately, there have not been a lot of incidents in the refining industry related to nickel carbonyl, but there have been fatalities due to nickel carbonyl exposure. This blog will cover the risks of nickel carbonyl exposure, […]

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Why Best Practices Don’t Always Lead to High Reliability

There are numerous standards, recommended practices, and guidelines which provide clear direction on how to manage equipment integrity. By now, many petrochemical operators have implemented Risk-Based Inspection (RBI), Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM), and Root Cause Analyses (RCA). All these risk management controls, as well as many others, are critical: Equipment, which is well designed to […]

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Going Beyond Compliance: How Refineries Can Reduce GHG Emissions and Stay Competitive in a Low-Carbon Future

With contributing author Jessica Hofmann The oil and gas industry alone, directly and indirectly, contributes to 42 per cent of global emissions. As a result, refineries worldwide, as part of the wider O&G value chain, are facing increasing pressure to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and align with climate-change goals set by regulators. Refineries […]

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Properties of Castable Refractories

Refractory linings are common throughout the refinery and found in many different units including the FCCU, fired heaters, and Claus thermal reactors. In the previous posting of Becht Blogs: Refractory series, we gave a cursory overview of several refractory types and where they are typically applied (Introduction to Refractory). These materials come from the family […]

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