Call for Papers: ARTC Conference

“I admit that twice two makes four is an excellent thing, but if we are to give everything its due, twice two makes five is sometimes a very charming thing too” -- Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Russian Novelist and Writer, 1821-1881)

Hurry, hurry, hurry!  Organizers of the 20th annual ARTC Conference (http://artc.events.gtforum.com/ ) are calling for papers.  Due date is 1 December 2016.

Details below …

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26th-27th April 2017 | Jakarta, Indonesia
Best of breed technology in Asian refining and petrochemicals
It's time to submit your papers for the 20th annual ARTC Conference!
Why should you present your paper?
•ARTC is one of the most respected and longest standing refining conferences in Asia
•Leading Asian refiners and petrochemical producers meet to discuss the technological solutions for the region’s most pressing technical challenges.
•Presenting a paper gives you the opportunity to connect with stakeholders and form partnerships that will advance the region’s downstream industry.
What should you submit? •We are on the look out for EPC firms and technology providers offering technology innovation to assist the development and improvement of refineries in Indonesia, and the rest of Asia.
•Acceptance criteria will be based on originality and technical innovation demonstrating novelty, vision, exclusivity to ARTC and relevance. Please check the full acceptance criteria and guidelines.
•Submit your abstracts before 1st December!
We are accepting abstracts in the following areas:
•Refinery-petrochemical integration opportunities
•Digital refining across crude procurement, maintenance and supply chain
•Catalyst advances and catalyst management
•Bottom of the barrel upgrade and conversion processes advances
•Solid catalyst alkylation
•Middle distillates maximisation opportunities
•New or advances in refining processes
•New or advances in petrochemical processes
•Energy efficiency and energy recovery techniques
•Sulpha reduction solutions
•Carbon management, emissions control and process solutions
•Waste water management and treatment
•Technologies for diversifying feedstock and product portfolios in a changing oil price environment
•Future technologies for changing feedstock landscape
•Catalyst recycling technologies
Abstracts should be submitted to angela.sands@gtforum.com by Thursday 1st December
Please get in touch if you have any questions.
I look forward to receiving your abstracts.
Angela Sands
Project Director - ARTC
GTForum | Clarion Events
T: +44 (0) 207 384 8088
angela.sands@gtforum.com
PS: dont forget to submit your papers by 1st December!
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Scuola Mattei UPDATE

“Thus the metric system did not really catch on in the States, unless you count the increasing popularity of the nine-millimeter bullet.” -- Dave Barry (American Writer and Humorist best known for his weekly newspaper column. b.1947)

A 2010 post on the Desulfurization Blog highlighted a corporate university known as Scuola Mattei (http://desulf.blogspot.com/2010/06/academic-faculty-scuola-mattei.html). It has been one of the most popular posts on the blog.  Unfortunately, the link included in that post is obsolete.  Here is a current link, along with some information from the Scuola Mattei Web …

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The Scuola Mattei and the MEDEA Masters (https://www.eni.com/en_IT/careers/training-and-guidance/the-scuola-mattei-and-the-medea-masters.page )
The Scuola Enrico Mattei organises and runs the Masters degree in Management and the Economics of Energy and the Environment (MEDEA).
Practical information
The programme runs from September to June at the headquarters of Eni Corporate University in San Donato Milanese and features two courses of study: Global Energy and Managing Technical Assets. The courses are taught in English and are full-time. Students who pass the examinations are awarded a Masters degree in Management and Economics of Energy and the Environment (MEDEA). Every year Eni offers full scholarships covering the cost of the programme. For information on requirements, methods of selection and scholarships, please refer to the details at the bottom of this page.
The subjects: energy and the environment
The MEDEA Masters degree is aimed at Italian and international graduates in technical, scientific and economic disciplines, as well as people already working in the energy and environment sector who want to study these subjects more deeply. The school’s training programmes are distinguished by an international and interdisciplinary approach with a specific focus on energy and environment issues. Our excellent academic course leaders – made up of an internal team and professors from leading Italian and foreign universities, alongside successful managers and experts from Eni –add to the value of the courses, which are designed to provide analytical tools that can be immediately applied to operational realities. The teaching consists of lectures, flipped classroom and blended training, case studies, learning by doing and project work, seminars and conferences, as well as guided visits to industrial plants of particular interest.
source: https://www.eni.com/en_IT/careers/training-and-guidance/the-scuola-mattei-and-the-medea-masters.page
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Support Your Researchers With Master Classes

"No man is free who is not a master of himself" -- Epictetus (Greek philosopher associated with the Stoics, AD 55-c.135)

Original research involves one set of skills.  Communicating research results requires a completely different skill set.

Researchers need help in developing their communication skills.

TIP: Sign up for Nature Master Classes (https://masterclasses.nature.com/)

According to the Web site, the courses are designed to ‘support your researchers with training in scientific writing and publishing, delivered by nature journal editors

Here is a sampling of course titles on offer …

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• How writing a paper can help you to plan and conduct your research
• About the module: What Makes a Great Paper
• What makes a good paper
• Common issues in scientific writing: complexity and passive voice
• A case study of misconduct. What would you recommend?
• What excellent referee reports look like FREE SAMPLE
• Think like a peer reviewer when you read a paper FREE SAMPLE
• Useful resources: Titles and Abstracts
• About the module: Understanding Peer Review

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Titillating Titles and Serious Subtitles

I don't mind what the opposition say of me so long as they don't tell the truth about me. But when they descend to telling the truth about me I consider that this is taking an unfair advantage. – Mark Twain, Speech, 1879

“Doomed to Succeed: The U.S.-Israel Relationship From Truman to Obama,” by Dennis Ross

Not yet having read this book, I intend to do so … largely because of BOTH the thought provoking title and its informative subtitle.

And here’s my thought provoking contribution … Why not employ the same strategy when naming a scientific contribution?

“Well!” one might reply, “That would trivialize serious research.”  I disagree.  The quest for peace in the Middle East is not trivial. And the use of eye catching, seemingly trivial titles, is an effective tool in advancing that endeavor.

The same reasoning can be applied to academic research.  Case in point … The Tales That Rust Can Tell.

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The Tales That Rust Can Tell: The Use of Corrosion Product Analyses In Corrosion Failure Investigations
Michael G. Burns (Stress Engineering Services)
Society of Petroleum Engineers
SPE International Oilfield Corrosion Conference and Exhibition, 9-10 May, Aberdeen, Scotland
Abstract
Premature corrosion failures are often due to unanticipated environmental conditions. Identifying those conditions after the fact can be a challenge. However, since each specific chemical compound in a corrosion deposit is formed in a specific range of thermodynamic conditions, an analysis of the corrosion deposit can often help determine the cause of the corrosion. This paper will describe the conditions under which various corrosion products of iron are formed, provide some case histories where a corrosion product analysis proved helpful, and discuss the limitations of this technique.
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