Asia/Pacific
India's JBF plans new PET plant at BP Belgium site
India-based joint venture JBF RAK has entered into an agreement with BP to build a new 390,000 tpy polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production unit at BP’s petrochemical site in Geel, Belgium. The agreements provide JBF rights to build and operate this PET unit on BP’s existing petrochemicals complex in Geel, adjacent to BP’s world-class purified terephthalic acid (PTA) facility.
WR Grace opens new India construction facility
Grace Construction Products, an operating segment of US-based W. R. Grace & Co., has started manufacturing from a new facility near Delhi, India. This site’s development is part of Grace’s ongoing growth strategy to invest in emerging regions, the company said.
Dow to build plants for polyolefin encapsulant films in Thailand, Germany
Dow Chemical will build two new manufacturing plants in 2012 for its ENLIGHT polyolefin encapsulant films, with one in Map Ta Phut, Thailand, and another in Schkopau, Germany. Together, these sites will more than triple capacity for making specialty films used in photovoltaic modules, and will significantly expand Dow’s ability to supply encapsulant films worldwide, the company said.
Honeywell UOP to design, provide technology for China propylene project
Honeywell’s UOP has been selected by Zhejiang Julong Petrochemical Co. Ltd (ZJLPC) to provide key technology for a new unit to produce propylene at its facility in Pinghu City, Zhejiang Province, China. UOP will provide engineering design, technology licensing, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, staff training and technical service for the project, it said.
Sinopec, Syntroleum open China coal-to-liquids unit
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec) and Syntroleum Corp. announced the grand opening of the Sinopec/Syntroleum demonstration facility (SDF) located in Zhenhai, China. SDF is an 80 bpd facility utilizing the Syntroleum-Sinopec Fischer Tropsch technology for the conversion of coal, asphalt and petroleum coke into high value synthetic petrochemical feedstocks.
Control-valve seat leakage
Enhancing initial performance, extending service life of valves offers benefits
Avoid failures with pump power-end upgrades
Designing-out maintenance and failure risk starts with simple upgrading measures, culminates in re-thinking entire bearing housing configuration
Consider life-cycle costs in specifying control valves
Latest approach improves sizing valves while also incorporating total ownership investment
Use a new calibration method for gas pipelines
An advanced method improves calibrating orifice flowmeters while reducing maintenance costs
Decrease vibration in piping with reciprocating compressors
Case study identifies problems in new compression unit

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