The Main Column
Business & Economics Podcasts
The Main Column podcast, brought to you by Hydrocarbon Processing, stands as the premier audio destination for professionals in the downstream oil and gas industry seeking the latest insights and trends. Each episode delves into critical topics, including technology advancements, sustainability, energy transition, and operational excellence. With expert interviews and high listener engagement, this podcast delivers significant value, offering listeners thought-provoking discussions that enhance understanding and drive industry innovation. Whether you're seeking to stay ahead of the curve with the latest industry news, deepen your professional knowledge, or explore emerging technologies and strategies for sustainability and efficiency, The Main Column podcast is your essential resource for all things downstream. Join us as we navigate the industry's complexities, offering valuable perspectives and insights that empower professionals to make informed decisions and lead confidently.
Location:
United States
Description:
The Main Column podcast, brought to you by Hydrocarbon Processing, stands as the premier audio destination for professionals in the downstream oil and gas industry seeking the latest insights and trends. Each episode delves into critical topics, including technology advancements, sustainability, energy transition, and operational excellence. With expert interviews and high listener engagement, this podcast delivers significant value, offering listeners thought-provoking discussions that enhance understanding and drive industry innovation. Whether you're seeking to stay ahead of the curve with the latest industry news, deepen your professional knowledge, or explore emerging technologies and strategies for sustainability and efficiency, The Main Column podcast is your essential resource for all things downstream. Join us as we navigate the industry's complexities, offering valuable perspectives and insights that empower professionals to make informed decisions and lead confidently.
Language:
English
Episodes
Building a strong data foundation: Breaking down silos
5/3/2024
Hydrocarbon Processing sat down with Dr. Nina Schwalb, Vice President and Head of Aspentech DataWorks at Aspentech's OPTIMIZE event. Dr. Schwalb discussed the challenges companies are experiencing with data silos, ways the refining and petrochemical industries are building a strong data foundation, and advice for organizations setting out on its digital journey.
Duration:00:06:38
Navigating hydrocarbon logistics with PSC Group
5/2/2024
Hydrocarbon Processing sat down with Houston Haymon, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, PSC Group. Houston shares insights on their logistical operations within the hydrocarbon industry, illustrating how PSC facilitates the intricate movement of raw materials and finished products, ensuring operational excellence and sustainability.
Balancing energy security, affordability and sustainability: Are digital technologies a solution?
4/30/2024
Hydrocarbon Processing sat down with Ben Beberness, Vice President, Industry Business Unit GM, Aspentech at Aspentech's OPIMIZE event. Mr. Beberness provided his insights on the challenges the refining and petrochemical industries are having on balancing energy security, affordability and sustainability, and how digital solutions are aiding in this endeavor.
Duration:00:08:11
Asset performance management: How digital solutions are optimizing operations and maintenance
4/30/2024
Hydrocarbon Processing spoke with Don Busiek, Senior Vice President, APM GM, Aspentech at Aspentech's OPIMIZE event. The discussion focused on how asset performance management (APM) can and is helping refiners and petrochemical producers' operations and maintenance teams optimize their daily activities, as well as where APM is likely to progress in the near future.
Duration:00:14:23
William E. Preston on KP Engineering's growth and industry trends
4/25/2024
From the AFPM Annual Meeting, this episode features William E. (Bill) Preston discussing KP Engineering's adaptation to the renewable energy boom. Insights include trends in renewable diesel and green methanol, client dynamics in these markets, and the evolving engineering landscape.
Duration:00:09:21
Unpacking LOHC's role in the future energy landscape
4/10/2024
In this special edition of Hydrocarbon Processing's podcast series, recorded live at the AFPM annual meeting, host Mike Rhodes and Honeywell UOP's Keith Couch explore developments in the hydrogen and petrochemical sectors. They discuss the potential of Liquid Organic Hydrogen Carriers (LOHC) and the economic and technical benefits driving their adoption, particularly in Japan. The episode also touches on UOP's new Naphtha to Ethane and Propane (NEP) process, highlighting the strategic shift towards more efficient and sustainable petrochemical production, offering invaluable insights for industry professionals navigating the energy transition.
Duration:00:23:58
Navigating the future of safety with AI insights from Detect Technologies
3/28/2024
In this episode, Mike Rhodes sits down with Daniel David and Teddy Huerta of Detect Technologies at the AFPM Annual Meeting where they unpack how Detect's AI innovations are specifically designed to tackle industrial safety challenges, turning data into actionable insights for risk mitigation. From vision-based intelligence to impactful customer stories, this discussion highlights the tangible benefits of AI in enhancing safety and operational efficiency. Gain unique perspectives on how technology is not just evolving but revolutionizing safety protocols in the industrial sector.
Duration:00:09:15
FCC propylene production, catalysts technologies and new solutions for the processing industries
3/14/2024
Hydrocarbon Processing sat down with Luis Cirihal, President Refining Technologies, W. R. Grace, to discuss FCC propylene production, catalysts technologies and new solutions that are evolving the global hydrocarbon processing industries.
Duration:00:09:57
Preventive maintenance checks and optimization
3/7/2024
This episode of The Main Column addresses the vital role of preventive maintenance optimization in the hydrocarbon processing industry. Highlighting the inefficacies of routine checks that don't yield actionable insights, it emphasizes the importance of comprehensive process safety information and strategic maintenance revisions for equipment and system reliability. Listeners will learn about the significance of failure analysis, the implications of plant changes on maintenance practices, and how to implement effective strategies to prevent asset failure, conserve resources, and ensure safe, reliable operations.
Duration:00:07:11
Digital transformation in specialty chemical production
2/29/2024
In this episode, we explore the transformative power of digital technology in specialty chemical production. Delve into the critical role of smart devices, data analytics, and cloud solutions in enhancing operational efficiency, predictive maintenance, and safety across the chemical industry. Discover how advanced fluid control, pneumatic solutions, and real-time data analytics are driving improvements in process throughput, reducing costs, and boosting sustainability.
Duration:00:08:39
The Urgent Need for Industrial Cybersecurity in Oil & Gas
2/22/2024
In this episode of The Main Column, we delve into the critical necessity of implementing industrial cybersecurity programs within the oil and gas sector. Amidst a surge of unprecedented cyberattacks, we explore six compelling reasons why oil and gas organizations must fortify their defenses against evolving threats.
Duration:00:09:33
Maximizing Efficiency and Safety in Combustion Processes
2/15/2024
In this episode, we delve into the critical aspects of optimizing combustion processes for enhanced safety and efficiency across various industries. Discover the pivotal role of flue gas measurements, including excess oxygen, combustibles, and methane/hydrocarbon detection, in achieving operational excellence. Learn how these parameters, when accurately monitored and controlled, lead to significant reductions in carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, while simultaneously minimizing fuel consumption.
Duration:00:11:05
Nine steps for effective preparation of planned shutdowns
1/29/2024
Planned shutdowns (SDs) are critical events that can significantly impact production and expenditures. Poor planning and preparation can directly affect the success of any SD, making attention to detail imperative. Over the past few decades, the management of SDs has evolved appreciably, with some organizations establishing comprehensive SD management systems and stringent processes, while others manage SDs through the short-term appropriation of SD routines and principals without long-term strategies and objectives. This podcast will fill this gap and provide a step-by-step approach to SD planning and execution for organizations to adapt to their specific requirements.
Riding the wave of transition to a sustainable chemical industry
1/22/2024
While striving to remain profitable against market uncertainties, the chemical industry must comply with environmental regulations and handle the pressure to address plastics circularity. Consequently, the chemical industry is pursuing new business models to address these challenges. This podcast examines how net-zero policies are effecting the chemical industry, and how chemical companies are evolving their business models to not only address it, but strive in this new age of sustainability.
How traders can capture value in sustainable fuels
1/22/2024
As countries around the world seek to limit carbon emissions, sustainable fuels will play an important role. However, fundamentals of the sustainable fuels market are complex and traders should seek to understand which markets will increase in liquidity, which arbitrage plays to explore across products, which storage hubs to invest in, and which offtakes to secure to gain access of supply. This podcast examines these areas.
Global E&C: Challenges and solutions through peer engagement
12/27/2023
Hydrocarbon Processing sat down with Jan Shumate, Director, Worldwide Engineering and Construction Solutions, Eastman Chemical, and Kyle Lednicky, Vice President, Business Development, Arion, to discuss the many challenges facing the global engineering and construction sector, and how the Engineering and Construction Contracting (ECC) Association is helping owners and project developers find solutions to these items.
Duration:00:29:56
Automation technology supports growing demand for green diesel
12/13/2023
Today’s alternative fuel projects evaluate their greenhouse gas emissions reduction by determining a carbon intensity (CI) score—the lower the CI score, the better. When all factors are considered, how much does manufacturing and consumption of an alternatively sourced transportation fuel represent a lower CI score vs. conventionally produced crude oil? This podcast will examine some of today’s options.
Duration:00:17:13
Refinery transactions: A window of opportunity?
12/13/2023
In today's rapidly changing energy landscape, refinery transactions have become a focal point of investment discussions. Despite uncertainties surrounding the long-term future of refineries in a transitioning world, many refineries continue to be acquired but at lower values than in the past.
This podcast explores trends in refinery transactions, the short- and long-term opportunities for investors and what to keep in mind when deciding whether to invest.
Duration:00:11:24
The propylene production gap is an opportunity for integrated downstream players
11/16/2023
Maximizing propylene production can offer attractive opportunities to refiners. Refiners with the ability to integrate petrochemical units into existing operations will have a competitive advantage as transportation fuels are forecast to decrease and petrochemicals demand forecasted to significantly increase to 2050.
Duration:00:11:33
Simplify oil and gas predictive modeling
11/16/2023
The oil and gas industry are increasingly relying on chemometrics and Raman spectroscopy to expedite quality assurance, processing and distribution, with predictive modeling playing an important role. This podcast looks at how predictive modeling is helping companies achieve faster turnaround, higher throughput and real-time results for the processes that they are looking to monitor, quantify or blend.
Duration:00:08:02