Crude oil
China’s Sinopec seeks investors for $20 billion in oil retail unit sales
Sinopec’s move is its first step to meet a government promise to encourage more private investment in state-owned industries, as part of China’s biggest package of reforms since the 1990s.
Occidental moves headquarters to Houston, plans to spin off California
In the new arrangement, Occidental will hold E&P operations in Texas, the Middle East and Colombia; a midstream and marketing segment; and Occidental’s chemical subsidiary, OxyChem.
GE launches new global business for downstream technology solutions
GE Oil & Gas on Monday announced the launch of its new downstream technology solutions (DTS) business to more efficiently supply equipment and services to refining and petrochemical markets.
Case history: Characterization of shale oils and heat exchanger performance
LTOs are paraffinic, low in asphaltenes but high in filterable solids. Understanding the impact of these mechanisms can shed light on preheat exchanger performance and the prediction of fouling rates.
Optimize hydrogen plant efficiency with new MTS catalysts
To study the impact on plant efficiency of using MTS catalysts, a comparison case study was held between the HTS-based and MTS-based H2 designs currently in operation.
Russian refiners use oxygenates to preserve octane
A case study was conducted regarding the physical and chemical properties of key gasoline oxygenates, such as methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME) and other blending components.
Improve the isomerization of alkanes by catalytic distillation
The isomerization of light gasoline fractions is crucial to producing high-octane fuels and to reducing the benzene content in gasoline. One of the most promising options for isomerization is catalytic distillation.
A biofuels roadmap for Europe to 2030
What will the transport sector use as an energy source in 2030? If you answered gas, electricity or hydrogen, you could be on the right track. These sources are becoming increasingly useful to meet cl..
HP Editorial Comment: What’s next for the energy industry?
Year-end always leads to insightful predictions for the upcoming 12 months and possibly some longer-term insights. In writing this editorial at the end of December, HP reviewed several 2014 outlooks t..
HP Boxscore Construction Analysis: Kuwait eyes top spot in Middle East clean fuels production
Kuwait National Petroleum Co. is investing $31 billion in projects to modernize the country's Mina Abdullah and Mina Al-Ahmadi refineries, as well as to construct the region's largest refinery, the Al-Zour plant. Once completed, these projects will reshape Kuwait's refining sector.

- bp's 440,000-bpd refinery in Whiting, Indiana (U.S.), reported flaring due to operational conditions 7/8
- Hydrocarbon Processing launches AI platform to accelerate decisions in the downstream sector 7/7
- Digital Feature: The critical interdependency of relief valve analysis and flare system considerations during HAZOP 7/7
- Trafigura to use Babcock's ammonia fuel supply system onboard gas carriers 7/7
- Lotte Chemical Titan secures $3-B ethylene supply deal in Indonesia 7/7
- Diesel East-West price spread nears 1.5-yr high amid supply concerns West, stable East 7/7