Americas
Shell completes ethylene unit upgrade, expansion at Singapore complex
Royal Dutch Shell has completed a revamp of its Singapore ethane cracker. The olefins unit is part of Shell’s integrated refinery and petrochemical complex.
US plastic resins output surges over 2014 levels
US production of major plastic resins totaled 6.1 billion pounds during February 2015, an increase of 6.8 percent compared to the same month in 2014, according to statistics released by the ACC.
Top seven causes for lost olefin production
Long-term trends in production losses, showing total loss production measured in seven biennial studies, are discussed in this article to determine if these losses are increasing or decreasing over time.
Use vapor distributors to improve fractionation column performance
Vapor distribution has often been neglected in fractionation columns. Although the importance of liquid distribution is well understood and has been a consideration in column design from the early sta..
Bolivia expands petrochemical capability with Bulo Bulo ammonia complex
The Bulo Bulo ammonia-urea facility will be Bolivia’s first petrochemical venture. This new facility is expected to produce sufficient urea/ammonia supplies for domestic demand and will provide surplus product for export.
US petrochemical construction boom and refining margins cushion profits
Domestic refiners and petrochemical producers will face changing supply and demand conditions, particularly as the sharp decrease in oil prices influences drilling decisions.
How Cr compounds discolor refractory brick walls of an ethylene cracking furnace
Unusual pink coloration was noticed on the entire refractory brick wall in the radiant section of an ethylene cracking furnace of a petrochemical plant. The problem was investigated by evaluating the ..
Update on the catalytic cracking process—Part 2
One of the prime challenges in the operation of a fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) is keeping the catalyst circulating. Compared to other challenges with FCC operations, correcting erratic catalys..
HP Editorial Comment: Accessing the value of methane and the North American petrochemical revolution
The North American (NA) petrochemical industry is experiencing a renaissance of new project announcements and manufacturing expansions. This wave of activity is supported by abundant, low-cost natural gas supplies. In particular, many ethylene projects are under various stages of development.
HP Reliability: The true cost of poor quality
Knoxville, Tennessee-based System Improvements, Inc., has been in the forefront of teaching structured root-cause analysis throughout the world. System Improvements, Inc. has used its proprietary soft..
- Eberhard Bau signs long-term solar diesel offtake agreement with Synhelion 2/3
- Abundia Global Impact Group appoints Burns & McDonnell as front-end engineer for waste plastics-to-fuels facility 2/3
- Rutgers University researchers develop catalyst that can convert nitrate pollution in water directly into ammonia 2/3
- Italy's Eni teams up with Q8 to build biorefinery in Sicily 2/3
- French ethanol use jumps 15% in 2025, driven by gasoline demand 2/3
- Indian refiners await government advice on Russian oil import halt 2/3
