Americas
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.
Industry Metrics
US refinery utilization rates have increased in some areas following the peak of maintenance season.
Secure the best benefits from C4 hydrocarbon processing—Part 1: Separation sequences
Crude C<sub>4</sub> streams from the steam cracker unit or the fluidized catalytic cracker unit contain valuable hydrocarbons, such as butadiene and C<sub>4</sub> olefins.
Global Project Data
According to <i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s </i> Construction Boxscore Database, there were nearly 90 new project announcements from January 2015 to June 2015.
A new solution to the challenges of crude selection and scheduling
The state-of-the-art approach to solving the crude selection and scheduling problem is to separate the two challenges.
EIA: China diesel exports grow as refining industry, economy change
China is reforming its refining sector by liberalizing import and export restrictions on crude oil and petroleum products, allowing for increased competition in the domestic transportation fuels market.
GlobalData: Planned projects poised to raise global propylene capacity levels
China and the US are the primary drivers for expanded global capacity that is estimated to increase to almost 130 MMtpy by 2020.
New US PE capacity to help meet rising LatAm demand
Latin America's demand for polyethylene is expanding, but the region's existing and planned PE capacity is expected to fall short of demand.
Marathon lays off 46 employees at Galveston Bay refinery
While the company seeks better efficiencies and cost-saving strategies, no announcements of reductions have been made at Marathon's other six refineries.
Exxon shareholder vote could see climate activist join board
Voters at ExxonMobil Corp.'s annual meeting on Wednesday approved a measure to let minority shareholders nominate outsiders for seats on the board, meaning a climate activist could eventually become a director at the world's largest publicly traded oil company.
- Brazil's Petrobras to invest $4.8 B in integration between Reduc refinery and Boaventura complex 7/8
- Braskem completes first sale of circular polyethylene in South America 7/8
- bp's 440,000-bpd refinery in Whiting, Indiana (U.S.), reported flaring due to operational conditions 7/8
- UK's insolvent Lindsey oil refinery secures some crude supply to keep running for now 7/8
- Brazil's energy minister hints at possible fuel price cuts 7/8
- Marathon Galveston Bay refinery (U.S.) hydrotreater to remain shut until September 7/8
