Indexes for selected equipment show moderate increase

April 1, 2013

Costs for six selected equipment items used in refining construction operations have been surveyed for 3 years, 2010-12. The accompanying table shows Nelson-Farrar equipment indexes for these items of equipment.

Gary Farrar
Contributing Editor

Valves and fittings showed the greatest increases in cost, rising to 2,352.5 in fourth-quarter 2012 from 2,139.3 in first-quarter 2010.

Four other items showed more modest increases. The category bubble trays rose to 1,777.1 from 1,645.8 during the 36 months. Tube stills increased to 675.6 from 623.1. Non-metallic building materials showed an index gain to 1142.3 from 1,086.8. Fractionating towers showed a 75-point gain, increasing to 1,429.1 from 1,354.0 over the 3 years.

The final category, tanks and pressure vessels, showed a mild gain during the data compilation period. Beginning index value was 1,133.8, while the final value was 1,171.1.