Refining
Global: Meeting Africa’s demand for oil products
Demand for refined oil products is expected to continue growing in Africa, both in the short and medium terms. However, the continent’s refining capacity is unlikely to keep pace as commercial risks threaten to hold back planned new refineries and the expansion of existing facilities.
Refining: Refinery investments focus on ultra-low-sulfur gasoline
Mexican oil company Pemex recently announced major refinery improvement projects that will represent a total investment of $23 B over the next three years.
Reliability: Overcome biases and challenges facing industry
When asked about the challenges facing the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI), our answer was swift and direct: The trials we face are bundled, or can be found, in lessons some of us learned decades ago. However, lessons learned and explained decades ago were often disregarded by managers with a short-range focus.
Industry Metrics
US refinery utilization rates have increased in some areas following the peak of maintenance season.
Business Trends: Will India be Asia’s next downstream powerhouse?
The Asia-Pacific region dominates in the total number of active projects in all sectors of the downstream hydrocarbon processing industry. Just as China has seen unprecedented growth over the past decade, India is emerging as the globe’s new oil demand center.
Catalyst replacement strategy for a hydrocracking unit at a Middle East refinery
A Saudi Aramco refinery operates a series-flow, single-stage hydrocracking unit (HU) in a recycle high-conversion mode. The HU has been in operation for over 35 years and is being debottlenecked to increase its throughput by 20%.
Utilize an optimizer to blend gasoline directly to ships
A new control system and single-blend optimization system make it possible to blend gasoline directly into tanker ships for delivery, rather than only into tanks, thereby saving millions in capital and reducing product giveaway.
Optimize isomerization reactor temperatures and component RON
Isomerate is useful because it is paraffinic and contains no benzene, aromatics or sulfur. This pentane and hexane fraction of crude oil is known as light naphtha. The main objective of reactions is to increase the research octane number (RON) of the components. Decreasing fuel consumption without changing the product RON of isomerization units is discussed here.
Syngas from H2S and CO2: An alternative, pioneering synthesis route?
Hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide represent major concerns for the hydrocarbon industry. Both species are contaminants and, since their use as feedstock is minor, are considered troubling byproducts.
People
Amec Foster Wheeler Plc named Halliburton executive Dr. Jonathan Lewis as chief executive officer (CEO), effective June 1.
- U.S. labor board judge rules Exxon's Texas refinery union lockout was legal 11/28
- U.S. crude stocks fall, gasoline and distillate inventories rise 11/28
- Maersk could use 15%–20% alternative fuels for its fleet in 2030 11/28
- Germany's BSW pushes to restore Russian oil to Schwedt refinery, seeks regional legitimacy 11/28
- Asia likely to benefit from cheaper Canadian, Mexican oil if Trump imposes tariffs 11/28
- Singapore distillates stocks tick up for fifth week 11/28
