Economics
Viewpoint: Reducing the sulfur shadow— Who pays the price?
The International Maritime Organization’s (IMO’s) 2020 regulation has been described as the most disruptive change to impact the oil industry in the past 30 yr.
Risk: Measuring margins—Avoiding complacency when the market is stable
When top oil marketer Geneva Energy Markets LLC liquidated its trading book holding<sup>1</sup> “millions of barrels of open interest across crude oil, refined products and natural gas,” managing partner Mark Vonderheide emphasized the pressures and potential damage of new market regulations.
The road to successful plant modernization
Any personnel working in a refinery or heavy petrochemical plant with “vintage” automation equipment are painfully aware of the effects a distributed control system (DCS) from the 1990s, 1980s or even earlier can have on operations.
Amine pumps upgraded for improved operations and reliability
A gas processing plant in Malaysia eliminated a source of expensive failures in its acid gas removal unit (AGRU).
Industry Metrics
US margins recorded losses as crack spreads declined for all products except fuel oil, despite lower refinery crude intakes.
Refining: Chinese refining industry eyes production cuts, consolidation
The Chinese refining industry is on the verge of massive production cuts and consolidation. A new tax rule aimed at curbing alleged tax evasion by independents and the end of an era of liberalization in the industry are driving the downsizing.
Hydrocarbon Processing Awards
<i>Hydrocarbon Processing,</i> the downstream processing sector’s leading technical publication, has announced the winners for its second annual awards.
Technical considerations for the Heydar Aliyev refinery revamp
The following case study describes the early development phases of SOCAR’s ongoing major revamp project at the Heydar Aliyev Refinery (HAR) in Baku, Azerbaijan, and its interface with the associated Azerikimya (AZK) steam cracking complex near Sumgait. References are made to the related SOCAR polymer project in Sumgayit, as well.
People
Elliott Group has appointed Mark Babyak as VP of its cryodynamic products business, formerly the cryodynamics division of Ebara Intl. Corp.
Industry Metrics
With the exception of fuel oil, US product markets showed losses against pressure from across the barrel and high crude oil prices.
- Borouge reaffirms commitment to local manufacturing with new industry supply agreements 1/10
- Update: Turkey's Izmir refinery now expects to restart crude unit in Feb, IIR says 1/10
- Pertamina unit to produce ISCC-certified SAF in 1Q 1/10
- WTO panel largely backs EU in palm oil case against Indonesia 1/10
- Howard Energy Partners acquires ethylene pipeline from EPIC Midstream Holdings 1/10
- U.S. to impose further sanctions on Russian oil fleet and traders 1/10
