Highlights from the 2024 AIChE Spring Meeting and 20th Global Congress on Process Safety (GCPS)

Mark Lashier, President and CEO of Phillips 66, welcomed attendees to the conference with the AIChE Government and Industry Leaders (AGILE) Award Keynote address on Mar. 25. Lashier discussed the regeneration of the energy industry, and why it’s crucial for companies to maintain a culture of safety.
Mark Lashier, President and CEO of Phillips 66, welcomed attendees to the conference with the AIChE Government and Industry Leaders (AGILE) Award Keynote address on Mar. 25. Lashier discussed the regeneration of the energy industry, and why it’s crucial for companies to maintain a culture of safety.

More than 2,200 chemical engineers, process safety professionals, and allied stakeholders worldwide surveyed their profession at the 2024 AIChE Spring Meeting and 20th Global Congress on Process Safety (GCPS) — held Mar. 24–28 in New Orleans, LA.

The meeting’s focus

Looking to the future and the pivotal roles that chemical engineers will play in shaping industry and society, the Spring Meeting showcased the breadth of chemical engineering contributions in a program incorporating nearly 200 technical sessions. The meeting’s focus on emerging opportunities for chemical engineers was spotlighted in topical conferences devoted to the energy transition and advanced manufacturing, the latter incorporating resource-efficient techniques in process intensification, as well as Industry 4.0 concepts such as cybersecurity, digitalization, and data analytics.

Spring programming

Programming organized by AIChE’s Fuels and Petrochemicals Div. ranged from traditional fuel production to considerations of how the oil and gas industries are adapting to the changing landscape of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonization. Other topical conferences included the 36th Ethylene Producers’ Conference, as well as tracks devoted to distillation, refinery processing, gas utilization, hydrogen safety, plastics circularity, and more.

Billy Bardin (left), Global Climate Transition Director at Dow and AIChE’s Past President, spoke at a plenary co-hosted by the Fuels and Petrochemicals Div. and the Industry 4.0 topical conferences. Gunther Kracker (right), Head of Product Management at Linde, presented the keynote at the Ethylene Producers’ Conference. Both speakers discussed the path to net zero.
Billy Bardin (left), Global Climate Transition Director at Dow and AIChE’s Past President, spoke at a plenary co-hosted by the Fuels and Petrochemicals Div. and the Industry 4.0 topical conferences. Gunther Kracker (right), Head of Product Management at Linde, presented the keynote at the Ethylene Producers’ Conference. Both speakers discussed the path to net zero.

The meeting’s technical content was enhanced by plenaries, keynote talks, panel discussions, poster sessions, exhibits, and networking events. In addition to the events illustrated in the accompanying photos, AIChE’s Process Development Div. hosted a keynote by Shyamal Bej (Shell), who described process development in the conversion of sustainable feedstocks into low-carbon fuels. Another plenary highlighted the importance of data analytics and artificial intelligence in improving process safety, reliability, and productivity.

AIChE extends its appreciation to the meeting’s session chairs, presenters, volunteers, and sponsors, and offers special thanks to the Spring Meeting Program Chair and Co-Chair, Tony Cai (Fractionation Research, Inc.) and Virginia Sommer (Fluor), respectively; and the Program Chair and Vice Chair for the Global Congress on Process Safety, Laura Ankrom (Process Safety Core Consulting) and Irfan Shaikh (Chevron), respectively.

Daily luncheons featured speakers who contributed perspectives on the meeting’s key topics. On Monday, Mar. 25, Teresa Keating, Global Director of Business Operations at Dow Performance Materials and Coatings, explained how “principles, process, and people” are essential for a successful process safety culture.
Daily luncheons featured speakers who contributed perspectives on the meeting’s key topics. On Monday, Mar. 25, Teresa Keating, Global Director of Business Operations at Dow Performance Materials and Coatings, explained how “principles, process, and people” are essential for a successful process safety culture.

The 20th GCPS

Process safety professionals commemorated the twentieth year of the Global Congress on Process Safety (GCPS). Organized by AIChE’s Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS), the GCPS incorporated the programming of the 58th Annual Loss Prevention Symposium, the 39th CCPS International Conference, the 26th Process Plant Safety Symposium, and the 13th Process Safety Management Mentoring Symposium. Reinforcing CCPS’s vision of “a world without process safety incidents,” the GCPS delivered “Perspectives on Process Safety from Around the Globe,” with some talks presented in Portuguese, Spanish, and Chinese. “Case Histories and Lessons Learned” provided process safety insights related to train derailments, the impact of natural disasters on chemical plants, a gas poisoning incident, and more.

The GCPS kicked off on Mar. 25 with a plenary keynote talk by Yatendra Lodha, Group Head of Safety and Operating Risk at Reliance Industries Ltd. Lodha discussed “Process Safety Challenges and Approaches for the 21st Century.”
The GCPS kicked off on Mar. 25 with a plenary keynote talk by Yatendra Lodha, Group Head of Safety and Operating Risk at Reliance Industries Ltd. Lodha discussed “Process Safety Challenges and Approaches for the 21st Century.”

GCPS programming

Panels delivered perspectives on human performance in process safety and mentoring for today’s workforce, as well as a session where experienced safety professionals (“Yodas”) gave insights to the next generation (“Grogus”). Programmers also marked the 20th anniversary of the GCPS with “best of the best” presentations, updating noteworthy talks delivered at past Global Congresses. The presenters covered HAZOPs and LOPAs (Wayne Chastain, Eastman); facilities siting (Scott Davis, GexCon); hydrogen vapor clouds (J. Kelly Thomas, BakerRisk); distillation columns (Brenton Cox, Exponent); operator line errors (Jerry Forest, Jerry Forrest LLC), and looked beyond CCPS’s Vision 20/20 objectives (Kathy Kas, Dow).

Conference sponsors

Diamond Sponsors

  • AcuTech
  • Dow
  • ioMosaic
  • IPEX

Platinum Sponsors

  •  Chemstations
  •  Chevron
  • GEXCON
  • Phillips 66
  • Wolters Kluwer

Gold Sponsors

  • BakerRisk|FORTRESS
  •  ExxonMobil
  • Open Range Engineering Services
  • Shell
  • Siemens Energy
  • Smith & Burgess
  • Wiley

Silver Sponsors

  • ABS Group
  • E2G
  • Elsevier
  • Eschbach
  • FM Global
  • Fauske Associates
  • H.E.L Group
  • JCL Risk Services
  • TÜV Rheinland Risktec
  • Valero
  • Voovio

Bronze Sponsors

  • American Elements
  • SLB

View more photos from the 2024 AIChE Spring Meeting and 20th GCPS below!

View the 2024 AIChE Spring Meeting and 20th GCPS collection.