“I wish I could
be like Shaw who once read a bad review of one of his plays, called the critic and said: 'I have
your review in front of me
and soon it will be behind me.'” Barbra Streisand (American Producer,
Singer and Actress, b.1942)
The PTQ - Petroleum Technology Quarterly - Catalysis Review 2016 is now available.
Catalysis Review articles include …
Guarding Against Contaminants (Haldor Topsoe)
Increasing FCC Propylene Yield (Johnson Matthey Process Technologies)
Kinetic Engine Drives Catalyst Development (Albemarle)
Revamping for ULSD Production (Criterion Catalysts & Technologies)
Look Beyond the Catalyst (Crystaphase)
Calcium Containing Feedstock Processing (Reliance Industries)
TIP: Register
with www.eptq.com to obtain free access to the digital
publications offered by PTQ.
“Experts often
possess more data than judgment.” -- Colin Powell (Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs
of Staff (1989-93).)
A recent email from Asian Downstream Week, 26-27 October 2016, Singapore (www.downstream-asia.com/ ) got me
thinking about how to identify disruptive technologies affecting the oil and
gas industry.
Googling for "disruptive technologies" is not the fastest way to find
out what is going on.
A more efficient approach is to identify key disruptive technologies, such as “big
data”
and IOT (Internet of Things). Combining such terms with refining OR refinery is
much more likely to produce the results you need.
FYI, here is the email that provoked this post …
///////
Subject:
How Are Disruptive Technologies Transforming Downstream Asset
Management?
From: Cathy Gu
Date: Mon, March 14, 2016 11:04 pm
It is not new that today the downstream sector is prioritising their asset
value maximisation. What is new is how data analytics is transforming the way
assets are being managed and maintained globally. Disruptive technologies including big data and
IOT (Internet of Things) are providing new approaches in achieving operational
excellence and asset optimisation.
The Operational Excellence & Asset
Optimisation agenda is created for the asset owners & maintenance directors
from refining and petrochemical industry to explore innovations and best
practices around the following areas:
•Next generation asset management
•Predictive maintenance
•Reliability strategy
•Energy management system
•Analytics and machine learning
•Building people capabilities for digital asset management
Download the complimentary report on the significance of operational excellence
in securing the future of downstream operations.
Do you have a solution in these areas that can help them in accelerating their
journey? Get in touch with me today to discuss how to get involved on the
agenda.
Kind Regards,
Cathy Gu
Project Director
Asian Downstream Week
///////
“Tip the world over on its
side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.” -- Frank Lloyd Wright (American
Architect and Writer, 1867-1959)
Thanks to an email alert from Hydrocarbon Engineering, here are a few upcoming
conferences …
///////
SOGAT 2016
20/03/2016 - 24/03/2016
SOGAT maintains its reputation as the premier international event for
conditioning of sour oil and gas and now in its 12th year, SOGAT 2016 will see
participation from Russian and Chinese delegates for the first time.
Tank World Expo 2016
12/04/2016 - 13/04/2016
Tank World Expo 2016 – The leading event for the Middle East and African tank
storage markets.
NISTM
20/04/2016 - 22/04/2016
National Institute for Storage Tank Management is having their 18th Annual
International Aboveground Storage Tank Conference & Trade Show on 20-22
April 2016 in Orlando, Florida.
Abu Dhabi International Downstream 2016
08/05/2016 - 10/05/2016
Abu Dhabi International Downstream is a carefully crafted refining and
petrochemicals summit that provides you with an unparalleled platform to
discuss market dynamics, highlight new projects and hear about all of the
latest technologies.
Gastech Japan 2017
04/04/2017 - 07/04/2017
The largest global gas and LNG event in 2017.
///////
TIP:
Subscribe to the Hydrocarbon Engineering newsletter emails (newsletter@hydrocarbonengineering.com),
even if you can’t afford the subscription to the magazine, if for no other
reason than to be alerted to upcoming conferences.
“Life's but a
walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; it
is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
-- William Shakespeare (English Dramatist, Playwright and Poet, 1564-1616)
Whether you are an aspiring inventor, or are investigating an aspiring inventor’s
claim, you may want to read the following …
///////
What are the stages of the patent process?
If you have a patentable invention (see FAQ post: Can I Patent My Invention?)
and decided what type of patent application to file (see FAQ post: What Type of
Patent Application Should I File?) you are likely curious about what steps need
to be taken to patent your invention.
This post will help explain the various stages of the patent process.
http://www.richardspatentlaw.com/faq/have-an-idea/what-are-the-stages-of-the-patent-process/
///////
Another useful source is this Wikipedia article …
///////
Patent application
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patent_application
///////
TIP: While
applying for a patent offers certain protections to the applicant, that
application is not immediately made publicly available. So, if someone claims
to have applied for a patent and you can’t find a record of that application,
the applicant may not be lying … or, maybe, he is. Be careful.
“The essence of
knowledge is, having it, to apply it; not having it, to confess your ignorance.” -- Confucius
(China's most famous teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, 551-479 BC)
ExxonMobil has applied
for a number of patents this year, including the following …
///////
UPGRADING HEAVY
OILS BY SELECTIVE OXIDATION
United States Patent Application 20160060550
March 3, 2016
Assignee: ExxonMobil
Abstract
A heavy petroleum oil feed is upgraded by having its amenability to cracking
improved by subjecting the oil to selective partial oxidation with a catalytic
oxidation system to partially oxidize aromatic ring systems in the heavy oil.
The partially oxidized oil can then be cracked in the conventional manner but
at lower severities to lower molecular weight cracking products. The cracking
following the partial oxidation step may be thermal in nature as by thermal
cracking, delayed, contact or fluid coking or fluid catalytic cracking or
hydrogenative as in hydrocracking.
Source: http://appft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-bool.html&r=5&f=G&l=50&co1=AND&d=PG01&s1=exxonmobil.AS.&OS=AN/exxonmobil&RS=AN/exxonmobil
///////
Patent applications
are interesting because, while the patent has not yet been granted, it offers a
glimpse into what the Assignee is exploring.
However, the patent application process involves a number of
steps. The initial steps are not visible
to the public. This explains why, when a
company claims “patent applied for,” it can be difficult to verify the
claim.
So, until the patent application reaches the stage at which it is
published for public view, you just have to trust the company’s claim that it
has, in fact, applied
for patent protection.
This is not a problem when the company making the claim is a giant like
ExxonMobil. It can be problematic when
the company making the claim is a start up, whose fortunes depend on the
technology under review.
TIP: Be careful when a young company claims technology
for which it has applied for patent protection.
If the patent application is not yet publicly available, ask for
some other type of verification of the claim.
