Europe
Optimize sulfur recovery in dilute H2S sources
The new direct oxidation process is an economic method for sulfur recovery from low-H2S content gases, converting H2S in a gas catalytic process directly to elemental sulfur.
Identify and control excess air from process heaters
Process heaters are the largest consumers of energy in most plants. A refinery, on average, burns approximately 2 billion Btu/hr of fuel in fired heaters. The total quantity of fuel burned (heat relea..
Apply new pump-drive software to test performance
Process control schemes involving fluid-flow machinery with traditional adjustable speed drives (ASDs) or modules encounter limitations such as control flexibility and accuracy. In this context, the t..
INEOS to source US shale ethane for European cracker feedstock
The company has agreed to a 15-year deal with Range Resources to take Marcellus Shale ethane from the Marcus Hook facility in Pennsylvania, beginning in 2015.
CB&I to upgrade Polish refinery coking technology
Once the coking technology from CB&I is implemented, the Gdansk refinery of Grupa Lotos will have the capability to process 2,400 to 3,840 tpd of a blend of vacuum resid and ROSE pitch, depending on the season. The Gdansk refinery is the second-largest refinery in Poland.
European refining outlook unlikely to improve for next two years
S&P executives say the depressed outlook for European refiners is unlikely to improve as the industry's export market shrinks and excess volumes of gasoline build.
BP may use sale proceeds from TNK-BP to boost stake in Russia's Rosneft
BP's commitment to Russia follows a meeting of BP chief Bob Dudley, BP chairman Carl Henric Svanberg, Rosneft CEO Igor Sechin and Russian President Vladimir Putin. "If we're successful at selling our stake, we'd be interested in buying a share in Rosneft," a BP spokesman said. BP already owns 1.3% of Rosneft.
Eni to convert Venice refinery to biofuels plant
The Italian firm plans to start biofuels production in January 2014 and complete the conversion in the first half of 2015, citing a crisis hitting the European refining sector.
PGNiG builds gas link to Gdansk refinery in Poland
The agreement for PGNiG to supply the Gdansk-based refinery with natural gas, one of the largest supply contracts signed in recent years, fits into PGNiG's strategy of increasing gas sales, said CEO Grazyna Piotrowska-Oliwa. Grupa Lotos will initially receive 340 million cubic meters/year of gas.
EU plans to limit use of food-based biofuels
The European Union's climate-change commissioner Connie Hedegaard and energy commissioner Guenther Oettinger said Monday they wanted to cap the share of energy in the transportation sector from food crop-based biofuels - such as rapeseed or palm oil - at current levels.
- Chevron Technology Ventures' Catalyst program selects RapiCure 7/15
- GEA promotes more sustainable refinery processes with energy-efficient high-performance decanters 7/15
- Ariel Green pays claim for plastic recycling facility, demonstrating protection for clean energy projects 7/15
- China taps deeper into oil inventories despite biggest drop in refining on record 7/15
- China's Sinopec establishes four business units in major overhaul 7/15
- Japan refiners to diversify crude sources, explore support for Hormuz bypass routes 7/15

