By Cicely Enright

Jul 26, 2016

Latest Developments Covered in New Manual from ASTM International

Oil and gas provide more than 60 percent of energy worldwide, and the demand for energy is anticipated to increase by 40 percent as the world's population continues to grow. That's according to the editors of a new ASTM International book, who have compiled the manual with the understanding that these expected changes in energy consumption will demand the development of new processes and products.

ASTM Manual 58, Petroleum Refining and Natural Gas Processing, details new technologies for petroleum refining, natural gas processing and refinery management as well as biofuels and biorefineries. With the publication of the manual, professionals working in the global energy industry have a new reference available that covers the most recent industry and research advances on these topics.

The 800-page work addresses developments in various aspects of hydrocarbon downstream technology plus the economic and environmental aspects of hydrocarbon processing. These technologies will continue to become more important as conventional oil reserves decrease, according to Manual 58 co-editor M.R. Riazi, Ph.D., a professor in the chemical engineering department at Kuwait University, Kuwait City.

Riazi edited and co-authored the work with Suresh R. Agrawal, Ph.D., founder and president of Offsite Management Systems LLC, Sugar Land, Texas; Semih Eser, Ph.D., professor of energy and geo-environmental engineering at The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pa.; and José Luis Peña Díez, a research team leader at the Repsol Technology Center in Madrid, Spain.

"No other book covers all these areas in depth," says Riazi. The book packs in 33 chapters contributed by more than 40 scientists, experts and professionals from both academia and industry, many among the world's leading experts in their fields.

Manual 58 emphasizes heavy oil and petroleum residue processing, as well as industry automation, process optimization, and economic and environmental aspects of the refinery industry. Also covered are:

"We believe this is the most comprehensive resource published to date for use by people involved in this worldwide industry," write the editors in the manual preface. Professionals working in petroleum downstream industries - designers, process simulators, process and reservoir engineers, researchers, operators, managers and government officials - will find Manual 58 useful.