February 2023Editorial Comment

HP Tagline--Column--Editorial CommentAdopting digital technologies is not new to the HPILee Nichols, Vice President, Content/Editor-in-ChiefIncorporating digital technologies into refining and petrochemical operations is not new to the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI). Refiners and petrochemical product producers have been optimizing their digital operations since the late 1950s when the first direct digital control computer was installed at Texaco’s 1,600-bpd polymerization unit at the Port Arthur refinery (Texas, U.S.). This event “closed the loop” in the first fully automatic, computer-controlled industrial process.For the next several decades, the HPI would adopt new digital technologies, such as the programmable logic controller, distributed control systems and fieldbus, among others. The advances in computing technology, artificial intelligence (AI), augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR) and other dynamic digital technologies culminated in the age of digital transformation of the 2010s—referred to as Industry 4.0 or the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This era is revolutionizing the way companies do business by using digital technologies to build and run more efficient and smarter operations and supply/value chains.Within the processing industries, the age of digital transformation has provided refiners and petrochemical producers with new digital technologies—the Internet of Things (IoT), digital twins, cloud computing, smart sensors and networks, AI/VR/AR, predictive/advanced analytics, drones, blockchain and other devices and hardware/software—to enhance production, automation, supply chains, maintenance, training, safety and profitability.The many benefits realized from the HPI’s digital transformation are the basis of this issue of Hydrocarbon Processing. New advances in digital technologies are making the refining and petrochemical industries safer and more sustainable.This issue features several technologies that are advancing the HPI, including:

Digital techniques and tools for analyzing market dynamics alongside unit operations toward the goal of developing high-value-generating catalyst formulations

New software and digital tools for predictive maintenance, inspection and predicting the life of equipment

Analyzing data and using AI-driven simulations to optimize operations.

As the adoption of new digital technologies within the HPI increases, refineries and petrochemical plants will gain the benefits of increased performance, reliability, safety and profitability. HPCoverAd—Merichem LO-CATContentsAd—PACMastheadAd—ShellEditorial CommentAd—Honeywell UOPBusiness Trends OpeningBusiness Trends— Da Silva (Petrobras)Ad—FTCInnovationsAd—SulzerSpecial Focus OpeningSpecial Focus— Gim (BASF)Ad—S&BSpecial Focus—Buenemann (Seeq Corp.)Special Focus—Golder (Emerson Automated Solutions)Ad—Carbon Intel ForumSpecial Focus—Nair (GE Digital)Ad—ChemE ShowProcess Optimization—Whitley (L2L)Ad—GEIHeat Transfer—ÖZSAĞIROĞLU (Tüpraş)Ad—1/2 V H2Tech CircHeat Transfer—Singh (Bechtel India Pvt. Ltd.)Ad—GEI MappingMaintenance and Reliability—Kittur (Saudi Aramco)Sales OfficeAd—HP Circ (Back cover)