Octane
Refining: Despite decline, Group 1 base stocks are here to stay
Given increasingly stringent automotive specifications and the advent of the International Maritime Organization’s 2020 sulfur regulations, the continued decrease in Group I base stocks demand should come as no surprise for anyone in the industry.
Octane enhancement avoiding both high reformer severity and alkylation
An innovative refinery process arrangementa converts butane-rich, light paraffinic streams—preferably containing a high proportion of isobutane—into butylene by dehydrogenation.
Cost-effective naphtha hydrotreating unit revamp to increase high-octane reformate production
India, which is the third-largest economy in the world, is home to nearly 18% of the world’s population (nearly 1.4 B).
Safe and sustainable alkylation: Performance and update on composite ionic liquid alkylation technology
Market and regulatory factors are pressuring refiners to adopt safe and sustainable processes for the production of clean-burning and environmentally friendly fuels.
Construction
Nigeria LNG (NLNG), a consortium comprised of Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC), Shell, Total and Eni, has greenlighted the expansion of the Bonny Island LNG terminal.
Executive Viewpoint: Fuels and petrochemicals will continue to help humanity thrive
A 15-yr rise in U.S. exports of refined products continued in 2019 with the nation exporting more than ever, underscoring the importance of these products to fueling a growing world. In the latter half of the last decade, U.S. petrochemical production capacity increased—with more than $20 B invested in domestic petrochemical projects in the last 2 yr alone—and exports of petrochemicals and petrochemical feedstocks rose, as well.
FCCU catalyst reformulations: Reducing risk and guaranteeing value with collaboration/testing
Hellenic Petroleum S.A.’s Aspropyrgos refinery is located near Athens, Greece. It has a total refining capacity of approximately 7.5 MMtpy and a Nelson complexity index of 9.7. The refinery was built in 1958 and has undergone several upgrades, including the installation of a fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU).
A new liquid-phase isomerization process for xylene loop debottleneck and energy savings
In a typical xylene loop, C<sub>8</sub> aromatics are fractionated out of a heavy reformate C<sub>8</sub>+ aromatics stream and collected in the xylene column overhead. Then, paraxylene (PX) from the C<sub>8</sub> aromatics stream is recovered as product—usually by an adsorption or crystallization process—in the PX recovery section.
HP Top Project Awards
The editors of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> have identified nine projects that are anticipated to significantly impact the global or regional downstream industries. The winners and nominees of the HP Top Project awards will have a considerable impact on the HPI, whether through CAPEX, satisfying domestic or regional demand, diversifying product offerings, or adding to the resurgence in refining and/or petrochemical processing capacity.
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.
- Digital Feature: Delivering the next-generation workforce by harnessing AI to propel chemical engineering into the future 10/11
- CB&I awarded contract by Saipem Clough JV for Perdaman project in Western Australia 10/11
- Trader Vitol sells Venezuelan oil to Indian refiners 10/11
- Surge in U.S. ethanol exports offsets thriving production 10/11
- Investigation launched into fatal Texas oil refinery leak 10/11
- Nigeria ends state oil firm's role as Dangote refinery's sole buyer 10/11
