Business & Economics
Specialty-chemical volumes fall again in May, ACC report says
Specialty chemical market volumes in the U.S. fell by 0.8% in May, continuing a series of declines since December of last year, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com).…
Current Economic Trends: April
The preliminary value for the April 2015 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) continued the trend of small monthly declines since the beginning of the year. The April CEPCI is 1.8% lower than the corresponding value from…
Tips for the Multitasking Engineer
These tips, based on experience, can help engineers keep on top of their many tasks It is not uncommon for engineers to be working on multiple projects at the same time. Have you been in a situation where project priorities…
U.S. chemical production flat in April, specialties down, ACC report says
The U.S. Chemical Production Regional Index (U.S. CPRI) was flat in April, following upwardly revised flat growth in March and a 0.2% gain in February, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC;…
Current Economic Trends
The preliminary value for the March 2015 CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) once again declined from the previous month's value, and remains 0.5% lower than the corresponding value from a year ago at the same time.…
Chemical production rose in April, ACC report says
Citing data from the U.S. Federal Reserve (Washington, D.C.; www.federalreserve.gov), the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) says chemical production (excluding pharmaceuticals) rose in April in the U.S by 0.3%. The gain for April follows a 0.4% rise in…
Plastic resin production in first quarter improves on last year, ACC report says
U.S. production of major plastic resins totaled 6.7 billion pounds during March 2015, a 5.1% increase over the same month last year, according to the latest Weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com).…
Hydrogen Production from Natural Gas
Hydrogen (H2) is an important chemical feedstock, mainly applied in the manufacture of ammonia and methanol, and for hydroprocessing operations in petroleum refineries. Also, since H2 is an energy carrier, it has been considered for stationary power and transportation applications.…
Managing Large Chemical Plant Startups
Prudent planning and scheduling during a project’s front end can lead to more expedient commissioning and startup activities The cost of starting up large new facilities in the chemical process industries (CPI; Figure 1) is a significant element in a…
U.S. Petroleum Refining: Snapshot 2015
Developments from the 2015 AFPM annual meeting frame a picture of the current state of the U.S. petroleum refining industry On a broad level, the outlook for the U.S. petroleum-refining industry remains bright, despite a recent decline in crude oil…