Middle East
US imposes sanctions on Iran petrochemical firms
The US Treasury Department said it identified eight Iranian petrochemical companies as being under the control of the Tehran government, which subjects them to sanctions from the US. Since last year, the US has brandished sanctions against anyone who buys Iran's oil.
Yemen foils Qaeda attempt to blow up gas pipeline
Soldiers opened fire on a vehicle that was speeding towards a gas pumping station, 80 kilometers northwest of Belhaf export terminal on the Gulf of Aden, killing the driver, said the Yemen army official. "The bomb-laden vehicle was driven by an Al-Qaeda suicide bomber," he said.
Troubleshoot and optimize debutanizer columns in hydrocrackers
Saudi Aramco’s Riyadh refinery operates a series-flow, single-stage hydrocracking unit (HCU) in recycle high-conversion mode. The unit underwent a revamp in 1983 and presently processes a mixture..
Case history: New developments with lower catalyst-to-feed ratios for FCC units
A study was conducted using a series of FCC catalysts that included reduced rare-earth content and increased zeolite Y quantity systems. The goal was to raise gasoline yield along with greater yields of olefins.
How to select the ‘best’ fired heater for your operations
With the fluctuation of natural gas pricing, it is important to evaluate technically feasible solutions and choose the most economical alternative. Ultimately, this leads to a simpler and more cost-effective solution.
Successfully design fired heaters using ultra-low-NOx burners
Recent environmental regulations mandate that refinery and petrochemical industries reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions. Emissions legislations are constantly under review, and they differ from coun..
Can process automation increase energy efficiency?
Energy efficiency doesn’t imply producing less to reduce energy consumptions, but rather improving plant productivity and effectiveness, allowing plants to produce the same amount of product with fewer resources.
Tune up the ‘sweetening’ process for your facility
Novel catalysts can improve the oxidation of thiols (RSH) found in light oils. Thiols in petroleum products, such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and light straight-run naphtha (LSRN), usually found ..
Optimize crude preheat train to balance efficiency and operability
Critical attention must be paid when designing the crude distillation unit (CDU) preheat train. Many pitfalls can easily lead to unnecessary expenditures or unsatisfactory operations. Key design crite..
Are you using pinch technology effectively in your daily operations?—Part 1
Pinch technology is the most rigorous, systematic and best documented methodology for process design.1–3 Nearly all optimization projects for heat recovery are conducted with some form of pinch a..
- ABB enhances AI capabilities of flagship industrial device digital solutions 4/17
- XCF, DevvStream, Southern Energy Renewables partner to bring transferable 45Z clean fuel credits to market 4/17
- HyOrc completes independent process and technology verification for waste-to-methanol platform 4/17
- Bottled lightning makes a cleaner fuel: Research shows how bursts of plasma convert methane into methanol without high heat and pressures 4/17
- Evonik launches high performance isodewaxing catalysts for fuels and lubricants production 4/16
- BASF to increase its price for neopentylglycol in the U.S. and Canada 4/16

