Environment & Safety Gas Processing/LNG Maintenance & Reliability Petrochemicals Process Control Process Optimization Project Management Refining

Diesel

Brazilian developments in the biofuels market

Since the 1970s, Brazil has been a world reference in automotive biofuels, especially bioethanol produced from sugarcane. In 1973, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) forced a sharp rise in oil prices, triggering a massive slowdown in the country’s economic growth, which had been going through what was dubbed the “economic miracle,” with growth at an average of 12% of GDP. This study gives an overview of the biofuel sector in Brazil, along with the main business challenges and opportunities in this area.

Construction

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

Equatorial Guinea plans to invest $1 B to build several energy projects, including the construction of two new refineries, each with a capacity of 30,000 bpd–40,000 bpd, as well as oil storage facilities, a methanol-to-gasoline plant and an LNG expansion project.

IMO 2020 stability and compatibility headaches

Refinery Automation Institute, LLC: Curcio, E.  |  Barsamian, A.

The year 2020 will be a mess from the fuel oil stability and compatibility points of view. The year will be price-driven, so the temptation to “cut corners” is great—meaning that a highly variable number of blend components to manufacture the fuel oil will open a “Pandora’s box” of complex and questionable fuel formulations.

Construction

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

Total plans to take a final investment decision (FID) on the Nigeria LNG expansion project by the end of this year. If greenlighted, the 7-MMtpy LNG train would increase the Bonny Island LNG terminal’s capacity to nearly 30 MMtpy. If built, Train 7 is expected to be operational by 2023.

Diversifying the future: Incentives for worldwide adoption of renewable fuels and chemicals—Part 2

Bio-based, renewable fuels and chemicals can reduce the environmental footprint of maintaining global transportation and product demands, while also offering supplementation of traditional fossil fuels in a global environment with increasing energy demand. The renewable energy sector is large and growing rapidly.

Hydrocarbon Processing Awards Winners

<i>Hydrocarbon Processing,</i> the downstream processing sector’s leading technical publication, has announced the winners for its third annual awards. The <i>HP</i> Awards celebrate innovative technologies and people that have been instrumental in improving facility operations over the past year.

Business Trends: One downstream—Strategic imperatives for the evolving refining and chemical sectors

Deloitte Services: Dickson, D.  |  Slaughter, A.
Deloitte Services LP: Mittal, A.

Downstream executives will remember the present decade as a golden age for the industry, driven by low feedstock prices and healthy end-use demand.

Hydrocarbon Processing Awards

<i>Hydrocarbon Processing,</i> the downstream processing sector’s leading technical publication, has announced the finalists for its third annual awards.

Industry Metrics

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Rhodes, Mike

The US gasoline market received a boost from a gasoline supply outage on the East Coast, despite overall supply-side pressure resulting from higher regional refinery intakes.

Construction

Hydrocarbon Processing Staff: Nichols, Lee

Anadarko Petroleum Corp. has reached a full agreement with CCS JV, a JV between Chiyoda, McDermott and Saipem, for the development of its Mozambique Area 1 LNG terminal.