Polymers
How high can polyethylene and polypropylene plant capacities rise?
Polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) plants are the popular downstream derivatives of ethylene crackers or petrochemical fluidized catalytic cracking (petro-FCC).
Fuels and chemicals: Finding the right refinery configuration for a less predictable world
The refining industry links the upstream production of crude oil with the end markets for fuel products, as well as for the petrochemical/chemical industry.
Construction
TechnipFMC has begun construction on Assiut National Oil Processing Co.’s new hydrocracking complex in Egypt.
Editorial Comment: Will 2021 be a rebound year?
Needless to say, 2020 was an unprecedented year.
Optimizing methanol plant operations through minimal capital investments
In the constant search for improvement, Methanex has developed a state-of-the-art project to improve plant operation at its methanol production facility in Punta Arenas, Chile (FIG. 1).
Editorial Comment: HPI spending forecast to reach $491 B in 2021
Who could have known that the hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) would have been hit with such market volatility entering the new decade?
Hydrocarbon Processing Top Project Awards 2020
The global hydrocarbon processing industry (HPI) continues to expand and modernize to efficiently meet growing demand for energy, transportation fuels and petrochemicals.
Editorial Comment: Optimizing operations by advancing process controls, instrumentation and automation technologies
When driving by or visiting a refinery or petrochemical plant, one cannot help but gaze at the expansive sea of metal towers.
Unconventional improvement of propylene recovery yield at the PP splitter
Thermocompression-equipped propane-propylene (PP) splitters are used to upgrade large quantities of refinery-grade propylene (RGP) to polymer-grade propylene (PGP).
FTO: An enabling emission control technology for petrochemical plant expansions
For the petrochemical industry, the U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) has the locational advantage of proximity to cheap feedstock, and to an abundance of pipeline infrastructure and terminals for export markets.

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