If you're an on-site machinist, you may be expected to work across a variety of industries - often carrying out in-situ jobs such as flange facing, hot tapping or pipe cutting. It goes without saying that the most important thing is to get the job done efficiently and effectively. But if you can demonstrate your knowledge of what goes on at the plant then your credibility can be enhanced - potentially leading to more work in the future.

Oil refining plants create a huge amount of on-site machining work,  so having a grasp of the main process involved will put you in a good position. The graphic we've created for you below shows the principle behind a fractionating column used to refine crude oil.

Mirage is pleased to bring you details of petrochemical construction projects awarded so far in 2017. These projects are good news for on-site machining companies, who carry out projects such as flange facing, pipe cutting and weld preparation. If this is your area of work and you want to know more about the relevant machining products, check out our portable machine tools section, or download one of our product buyers guides here.

During their career, the more experienced field machinist will come across many different projects across a variety of industries, but for those new to in-situ machining, having a clear idea of what type of projects are likely to crop up from the petrochemicals sector will give you the confidence to demonstrate your knowledge when the opportunity arises.

With this in mind we’ve put together a list of field machining equipment for some of the more common petrochemical onsite machining projects.

Throughout the world, advances in new technology have always remained important for the oil, gas and energy sector, but when the going gets tough do the innovators keep going?

With the current challenges facing the sector and the outlook for the future uncertain, there’s never been a better time to find out.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the U.S in 2012 exported record levels of refined oil products such as diesel and jet fuel because of its efficient refineries operating at near capacity. The U.S. also imported significantly less due to flat domestic demand. Lower imports and increased exports have helped narrow the U.S. trade deficit and strengthen the overall economy.

Here in this infographic from the American Petroleum Institute, the levels of imports and exports from the U.S have been compared from 2006, to the most recent figures in 2012.