Middle East
Total partly replacing Iran oil with Saudi crude - CFO
Total stopped buying Iranian crude oil for its refineries and trading activities at the end of 2011 - six months ahead of a European embargo - and has partly replaced it with oil from Saudi Arabia, according to its CFO. The company has removed its exposure to Iran as the US and Europe have tightened sanctions.
Qatar inks Korea LNG deal as it boosts gas to Asia
Qatar said Thursday it has signed a deal to supply South Korea with 2 million metric tpy of liquefied natural gas, or LNG, for 20 years from 2013, the latest in a string of deals struck over the last two months with energy-hungry Asian countries. RasGas already supplies Kogas with 7 million tpy of LNG.
Saudi Aramco signs 20-year crude supply pact with Korean refiner S-Oil
South Korea-based refiner S-OIL said it signed 20-year long-term crude supply contract with Saudi Aramco. S-OIL’s refining capacity is 669,000 bpd and Saudi Aramco’s total annual supply volume to S-OIL is approximately 230 million bbl in respect of the refiner’s production size.
India boosts Iran oil imports, largely offsets China reduction - sources
India has boosted its imports of Iranian oil, becoming the Islamic Republic's largest customer last month and largely offsetting a cut in Chinese purchases as sanctions fail to dent Tehran's sales for now, people within the oil industry said this week. Iranian crude exports to India were up 37.5% from December.
Global automation groups form single solution for device integration
The five major automation foundations have developed a single common solution for field device integration (FDI). FDI Cooperation’s mandate is to develop a single technology for the management of information that comes from all intelligent devices throughout all areas of the plant.
Qatar plans LNG shutdown if Iran closes Hormuz
Qatar, the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, is drawing up a contingency plan to close down its vast LNG facilities in an emergency, if Iran carries out recent threats to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz. Qatar has no alternative export routes for its LNG in the event of a blockade.
Debottleneck crude-unit preheat exchanger network inefficiencies
Simulation models can be effectively used to optimize heat transfer and boost operational performance
Consider total value when optimizing catalytic cracking units
Low rare-earth catalysts balance activity and selectivity against cost
Increase energy efficiency for your refinery
Behavioral and organization changes are often needed to effectively maximize operating profits
Use advanced catalysts to improve xylenes isomerization
This refiner wanted to increase ethylbenzene conversion while limiting aromatics losses
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