http://www.hydrocarbonprocessing.com Hydrocarbon Processing http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2025/03/varo-buys-swedish-refiner-preem-in-bet-on-biofuels/ Varo Energy, backed by private equity giant Carlyle Group and the world's biggest trading house Vitol, said it had agreed to buy Swedish refiner Preem, betting on growing demand for biofuels. http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2025/03/cenovus-refinery-in-ohio-us-plans-to-shut-multiple-units-for-6-weeks-for-maintenance/ Cenovus will begin planned maintenance work on multiple units at its 160,000-bpd refinery in Toledo, Ohio in mid April. http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2025/03/ineos-enterprises-completes-the-sale-of-ineos-composites-to-kps-capital-partners-for-17-b/ INEOS Enterprises has completed the sale of its composites business to KPS Capital Partners for approximately €1.7 B. The composites business is a global leader in producing resins and gelcoats that are used to make strong, lightweight composite plastics found in everything from cars and boats to buildings and electronics. http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/magazine/2025/march-2025/heat-exchangemanagement/refractory-lining-reliability-challenges-in-hydrogen-fueled-process-fired-heaters/ This article provides an overview of the potential impact of H2-rich fuel firing on refractory integrity and suggests safeguards to mitigate challenges. While this article discusses refractory issues in process fired heaters, the information presented can be broadly applicable to fired equipment where a flame is present.  http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/magazine/2025/march-2025/heat-exchangemanagement/methods-for-increasing-the-heat-transfer-rate-on-steam-condensation-surfaces/ Traditional systems rely on filmwise condensation for heat transfer; however, for large energy consumers, dropwise condensation will help improve heat transfer efficiency and reduce steam consumption and carbon footprint. This can be achieved through water treatment technologies—specifically the dropwise condensation technology—that help facilities increase productivity and reliability while reducing energy consumption. http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/magazine/2025/march-2025/trends-and-resources/scaling-pyrolysis-a-critical-step-toward-plastic-circularity/ Pyrolysis has potential to process hard-to-recycle plastics and expand the scope of recycling, but scaling up pyrolysis to meet global demand remains a significant challenge. From technical optimization to creating market confidence, addressing these barriers is essential if pyrolysis is to reduce plastic pollution and advance circularity.  http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/news/2025/03/brazils-petrobras-lowers-diesel-prices-for-first-time-in-more-than-a-year/ Brazilian state-run oil company Petrobras said it will lower refinery gate diesel prices for the first time in more than a year, as local prices currently stand above import parity. http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/magazine/2025/march-2025/special-focus-petrochemical-technologies/optimize-direct-air-carbon-capture-systems-for-petrochemical-sustainability/ The advent of direct air carbon capture (DACC) systems presents a groundbreaking opportunity to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) and repurpose it as a valuable feedstock for petrochemical products like methanol and synthetic fuels. http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/magazine/2025/march-2025/special-focus-petrochemical-technologies/lldpehdpe-swing-technology-platform/ This article highlights and compares the various technology platforms available to provide technical insight into the selection of the best LLDPE/HDPE platform for a given facility. A high-level overview of the various technology platforms is provided based on open-source available data and the authors’ years of technical and operating experience.  http://admin.hydrocarbonprocessing.com/magazine/2025/march-2025/process-optimization/minimize-risks-and-unlock-profitability-with-opportunity-crudes/ This article focuses on new digital technologies that enable refiners to extract the most profit out of opportunity crudes.