Americas
Abengoa to build new US waste-to-biofuels plant
Abengoa was selected to build the first US biorefinery using gasification technology to convert municipal solid waste (MSW) into syncrude that will be upgraded into jet fuel.
Western Refining profit nearly triples in early 2015 as demand, margins rise
"In the southwest US, gasoline demand is up and we are seeing strong gasoline margins in the second quarter," Western Refining CEO Jeff Stevens said in a company outlook.
Calumet, MDU launch operations at new North Dakota diesel refinery
The refinery is designed to process 20,000 bpd of locally sourced Bakken crude oil, resulting in a production slate that includes up to 7,000 bpd of diesel fuel that will be sold to regional customers.
Reduce maintenance and production losses by benchmarking asset performance
Benchmarking can help operators identify assets with chronic failures, and it can also drive failure elimination efforts to improve their reliability and availability while cost cutting.
Consider new labyrinth seals to optimize compressor operations
Degradation of labyrinth seals in centrifugal impellers can have a significant impact on not only compressor power consumption but also on plant production rate. Upgrading to rub-tolerant seals can be..
Maximize energy recovery with small steam turbines
Using smaller turbines (50 kW to 300 kW) can aid system efficiency and help conserve energy. We investigate examples in which the application of smaller steam turbines provided return on investment within two years.
Lubrication update for rotating equipment
API-610 is the most widely used pump standard in the petrochemical and refining industries. It includes experience-based recommendations for lubricant applications and one of those recommendations rel..
Improve relief-device sizing under supercritical conditions
Properly sized relief devices under supercritical conditions are vital to processing natural gas and gas condensates into olefins. These processes operate near the critical locus of the process gases ..
Improve measurement of heavy oil viscosity
This work will study the viscosity behavior of bitumen and its blends with diluent at different temperatures, as well as evaluating simulations for prediction of viscosity of the blend.A blend of bitu..
Use new methods to optimize energy efficiency of hydrogen compressors
Hydrogen (H2) is a key to efficient operation of refinery desulfurization units (DSUs). Process H2, both pure and recycled from DSUs, must be compressed to pressures up to 85 kg/cm2. Centrifugal compr..
- UPM unlocks new bio-based markets as Leuna biorefinery produces its first commercial product 12/19
- Stamicarbon awarded technology licensing contract for new urea plant in Eastern China 12/19
- Ford takes $19.5-B writedown on EV business 12/19
- Babcock & Wilcox awarded $40-MM contract for advanced wet gas scrubbing technology at Canadian petroleum refinery 12/19
- Aarti Industries secures methanol and toluene feedstock supply through multiple long-term contracts 12/19
- bp picks first outsider CEO Meg O'Neill after abrupt Auchincloss exit 12/19
