"Overcoming Future Challenges through Engineering Excellence" will be the theme of the 2nd Middle East Process Engineering Conference (MEPEC 2013). The conference will be held under the patronage of the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, H.R.H. Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Sept. 29 - Oct. 2, 2013, at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre. AIChE is the main supporting organization for MEPEC, which was established in 2011 by members of AIChE's Saudi Arabia Local Section.
More than 200 experts from around the world will share best practices, innovative ideas, and solutions to challenges faced by the upstream and downstream sectors of the oil and gas, petrochemicals, and hydrocarbon processing industries. Components of the conference include:
- a 150-exhibitor trade exposition devoted to the oil, gas, and petrochemicals industries -- the first of its kind in the Arabian Gulf region
- 15 keynote speakers
- six plenary sessions by key industry decision-makers
- a digital poster plaza, where selected speakers will present their research using electronic media
- a student component to foster participation by young people in the process engineering sector, including opportunities to meet representatives of major companies
- programs devoted to process safety
- 11 preconference workshops
With its focus on "smart" engineering in the process industries, the MEPEC 2013 program is built around seven topics:
- Manufacturing and Operational Excellence
- Capital Project Efficiency
- Talent and Technology Development
- Process and Molecular Modeling
- Clean Fuel, Environment, and Sustainability
- Process Safety and Risk Mitigation
- Process Automation and Optimization
Roundtable discussions will be devoted to "Project Financing and Economics: Future Outlook," "Shale Gas and Shale Oil: A Game Changer," "Technology Development, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship," and "Talent Pool: Workforce in the Energy Sector."
In addition to being MEPEC's main supporting organization, AIChE is making several contributions. Phillip Westmoreland, AIChE's 2013 President, will be one of the opening-ceremony speakers on Sunday, Sept. 29. Leaders of AIChE's Center for Chemical Process Safety (CCPS) will also contribute, with a talk by Scott Berger, Director of AIChE's Industry Technology Alliances, and a technical session devoted to process safety. CCPS will also present two preconference workshops: "Recognizing Catastrophic Incident Warning Signs and Conduct of Operations" (Sept. 28) and "The Leader's Toolbox for Process Safety Management" (Sept. 29).
To register for MEPEC 2013, and for up-to-date program information, visit www.mepec.org.