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Americas

Canada crude production likely to double by 2030

In its annual long-term forecast for Canadian crude production, the industry trade group said crude oil production will reach 6.7 million bpd by 2030, up from 3.2 million bpd in 2012. CAPP said its forecast includes oil-sands production of 5.2 million bpd by 2030, up from 1.8 million last year.

US energy group asks Supreme Court to overturn E15 ethanol blends

The API says higher ethanol blends can damage engines and cause vehicles that use it to break down, even on vehicles that EPA has approved to use the fuel, according to Coordinating Research Council testing. Several auto manufacturers have said they will not honor warranties when E15 causes damage.

Kinder Morgan to expand Eagle Ford shale pipeline

Kinder Morgan plans to spend about $107 million to extend its Kinder Morgan Crude & Condensate pipeline system deeper into the Eagle Ford Shale play in Karnes County, Texas.

Foster Wheeler acquires key Mexican engineering company NorthAm

NorthAm is one of the largest Mexican engineering and project management companies, with a track record in upstream, offshore and onshore, downstream and power projects. With its main operations in Monterrey, Mexico City and Poza Rica, the company has approximately 400 employees.

Tesoro formally acquires BP refinery in Carson

HP Editorial Staff: HP News

With the June 1 completion of the $2.4 billion deal, Tesoro took ownership of the 266,000 bpd Carson refinery near Los Angeles as well as the associated logistics network of pipelines and terminals. BP said the transaction was part of a plan to reshape its US fuels business.

US imposes sanctions on Iran petrochemical firms

The US Treasury Department said it identified eight Iranian petrochemical companies as being under the control of the Tehran government, which subjects them to sanctions from the US. Since last year, the US has brandished sanctions against anyone who buys Iran's oil.

CPChem to add ethylene furnace at Texas complex

Construction is targeted to commence within the next quarter, with an anticipated startup in 2014. While the additional furnace will not add to nameplate capacity, the increased operating factor should result in a net increase of 200 million pounds of ethylene availability to provide additional operational flexibility.

Canadian group signs deal with Germany's E.ON to export LNG via Atlantic

Pieridae Energy (Canada) Ltd. said it plans to ship about 5 million tons of LNG annually to Western Europe from a LNG plant it plans to build in Goldboro, Nova Scotia on Canada's Atlantic coast. The exact financial terms weren't disclosed, but E.ON said the contract is worth several billion euros per year.

Case history: New developments with lower catalyst-to-feed ratios for FCC units

RAS, A.V. Topchiev Institute of Petrochemical Synthesis, Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas: Levinbuk, M.
JSC, Gazpromneft: Maksimov, I.  |  Kuznetsov, S.
Gazprom Neft: Galkin, V. V.  |  Makhiyanov, V.

A study was conducted using a series of FCC catalysts that included reduced rare-earth content and increased zeolite Y quantity systems. The goal was to raise gasoline yield along with greater yields of olefins.

How to select the ‘best’ fired heater for your operations

Linde Engineering North America, Inc.: Shahani, G.  |  Remster, J.  |  Ma, D.  |  Hashmi, O.

With the fluctuation of natural gas pricing, it is important to evaluate technically feasible solutions and choose the most economical alternative. Ultimately, this leads to a simpler and more cost-effective solution.