The Monitor

Offshore oil and gas extraction carried out on large drilling platforms faces many technical challenges and risks. Offshore drilling requires specially formulated drilling fluid, also known as mud. The mud is used to lubricate drilling equipment and to prevent potentially catastrophic blowouts. 

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Topics: Upstream & Midstream

Why you owe it to your customers to obtain representative samples

Hardly a month goes by when there isn’t a major food recall in the news. There are huge costs – in terms of hundreds of millions of dollars in wasted product, and the negative impact to brand equity and consumer trust – associated with each recall.

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Topics: Food & Beverage

Oil and gas producers worldwide – such as in Trinidad – with both onshore and offshore facilities are challenged with the high cost and safety issues associated with retrieving corrosion monitoring and chemical injection equipment from pipelines.

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Topics: Upstream & Midstream

With its numerous mountain ranges and valleys, and the Yangtze River running through it, the Sichuan region of southwest China is the country’s fifth largest province in terms of land. It is an important region that needs to be protected because of its agriculture, wildlife and historical significance to the country. Referred to as “The Land of Abundance,” the province contains many of China’s natural wonders, wildlife preserves, archaeological sites, ancient engineering achievements, museums and historical buildings – all tourist attractions. It also is China's leading agricultural producer of rice, wheat, sugarcane and other crops, and the western plateau and mountainous regions are important environmental and forest regions, rich in bamboo, white wax and ingredients for traditional Chinese medicine.

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Topics: Downstream

Photo courtesy of Anadarko Petroleum Corp.

Oil and gas production in the Gulf of Mexico is carried out on huge production platforms. These production platforms are located many miles offshore into the Gulf. Due to the isolated location, all equipment and facilities needed for power, operations, safety, rescue and worker housing and comfort are necessary parts of the platform design. Although the production platforms are among the largest man-made constructions, the amount of equipment needed for self-contained operations means that space is at a premium and needs to be optimized. Further, all replacement equipment needed on the platform must be transported by water or air. Therefore, lighter tools and equipment are preferred so they can more easily be flown onto the platform.

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Topics: Upstream & Midstream

In the petroleum industry it’s critical that operations run safely and efficiently with controlled, real-time data. Since upstream and midstream operations often are located in remote areas with temperature extremes, oil & gas operators need a partner to provide full solutions with rugged, reliable products that can provide the best in corrosion monitoring and mitigation, chemical optimization and representative sampling to help them maintain seamless and safe operations.

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Topics: Upstream & Midstream

Many regions of the world are experiencing ever-growing demand for electricity, and at the same time, permitted emissions from power plants have been reduced to meet air quality standards. Fossil fuel power plants are a source of CO2, which is one of the greenhouse gases that is regulated and of global concern due to its impact on climate change. The burning of coal, an abundant fuel resource in many of the worlds’ developing regions, produces CO2 – but coal is likely to remain a dominant fuel source for electricity generation in many countries for years to come.

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Topics: Power

In solid and powder sampling applications, it is important to obtain a representative sample with a sampler that enters the material stream, captures a quantity of that material, and extracts a representative sample for analysis. For all solids and powders, the sampler chosen is determined by the material flow rate, the sample amount required, and the material characteristics such as flow behavior, the shape and makeup of the particles, and the tendency of the solid or powder to segregate or group together.

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Topics: Food & Beverage, Solids & Powder

Food allergy is a rising public health concern. Researchers estimate that up to 15 million Americans have food allergies, including 9 million – or 4% – of adults and 6 million – or 8% – of children. Young children are affected most. While some food allergies resolve over time, allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, fish or shellfish generally are lifelong (Food Allergy Research & Education).

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Topics: Food & Beverage

As Homer Simpson once so eloquently said, “Here’s to alcohol: The cause of, and solution to, all of life’s problems.” The processing of raw ingredients into a final product can cause problems for breweries big or small. Ingredient management, and in particular verifying consistency and quality, doesn’t have to be a problem if you choose the right automated sampling solution.

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Topics: Food & Beverage