Petrochemicals
Construction
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.
Industry Perspectives: There’s still time to vote for the best!
The nominees for the 2019 Top Project awards are out. Using <i>Hydrocarbon Processing’s</i> Construction Boxscore Database, the editors have identified nine projects that are anticipated to significantly impact the global or regional downstream industries.
Editorial Comment: Honoring the industry’s best … take 2!
Due to Tropical Storm Imelda, Hydrocarbon Processing issued its first force majeure in postponing the third annual HP Awards.
When digital transformation hits all four sustainability buckets
Sustainability is emerging as a critical business topic, as many companies focus resources toward lowering emissions, waste and energy use in their production processes. This important concept can apply broadly to company operations, especially when considering the expansive view of the triple bottom line that measures the impact of company operations on profits, people and the planet.
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.
FCC catalyst deactivation studies to mimic refinery conditions for high-propylene applications
The fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) is a conversion unit located at the heart of many refineries. Its main purpose is to crack crude oil-derived feedstocks into valuable liquid products, primarily LPGs (propylene and butylenes), and gasoline and light-cycle oil (LCO) precursors. The process uses a fluidizable catalyst, comprising an alumina-silica framework and tailored for each refinery to meet its specific needs. Often, the changing of a catalyst includes catalyst testing evaluations, employed by about 50% of the FCCUs in the world. The testing process is cumbersome, in which multiple methods are available to refineries.
Unlocking FCC potential with an innovative catalyst solution
In 2010, a JV embarked on the deployment of a MHY zeolite technologyb developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This novel zeolite technology improves traditional zeolite catalysts through the introduction of highly interconnected channels of medium pore size, which enhance diffusion of feed molecules inside zeolite crystals, leading to higher-value product yields, improved process efficiency and increased refinery profitability.
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.
Innovations
In the oil and gas industry, failing to perform ongoing maintenance on equipment can have severe consequences, including reduced equipment service life, unplanned shutdowns and degraded performance.
Business Trends: One downstream—Strategic imperatives for the evolving refining and chemical sectors
Downstream executives will remember the present decade as a golden age for the industry, driven by low feedstock prices and healthy end-use demand.
- Valmet to acquire Severn Group to strengthen Process Performance Solutions segment 12/22
- World’s first dynamic green ammonia plant starts operations in Denmark 12/22
- Baker Hughes to supply liquefaction equipment for Commonwealth LNG export project 12/22
- China's November fuel oil imports up 15% from October 12/22
- Azerbaijan sends first gasoline shipment to Armenia after decades of war 12/22
- Ethanol producer Inpasa to invest $630 MM in Brazil biorefinery projects 12/22

