Refining
Saudi Aramco, France's Total study mixed feed cracker
KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) — Saudi Aramco and France's Total are considering building a mixed-feed cracker and derivatives in Jubail, near their joint refining complex, industry sources said.
Indian Oil plans to buy N. American sour crude for the first time
SINGAPORE/NEW DELHI (Reuters) — India's top refiner has issued its first tender to buy high-sulfur, or sour, crude from North America as it seeks to diversify imports, three trading sources said on Tuesday.
Sinopec upgrades 11 refineries to meet stricter fuel standards
BEIJING (Reuters) — China's Sinopec says on Monday the company has upgraded 11 refineries in North China to meet the stricter standards for fuel.
Japan's Idemitsu: No plan to call shareholders' meeting on Showa Shell merger
TOKYO (Reuters) — Japan's Idemitsu Kosan Co said it had no plans to call a shareholders' meeting to vote on a merger with rival Showa Shell Sekiyu after the issuance of new shares, which would dilute the stake held by the refiner's founding family.
Business Trends: Innovative commissioning and startup technologies for industrial projects
The performance of capital project facility commissioning, startup and initial operations often falls short of expectations, and the opportunity for innovative commissioning and startup technologies has yet to be discussed extensively.
Design and troubleshoot the orifice chamber in an FCCU
The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process remains one of the most important secondary conversion processes due to its inherent capability to upgrade residual streams and its flexibility to maximize the desired product, depending on market dynamics.
Enhanced flash zone design for coker fractionators
Since the flash zone is the first process undergone by the coke drum effluent vapor upon entering the column, the operation of the flash zone is critical to the operation of the entire coker fractionator column.
View/Alt-View: Giving voice to alternative views
Our publication often features a Viewpoint column, an executive-level short opinion piece that usually focuses on the author’s sector of the hydrocarbon processing industry. This month, we are featuring two columns back-to-back, presenting alternative views on a single topic. We use the word “alternative” deliberately—rather than “opposing”—as we wish to highlight views that present legitimately different perspectives.
Could your facility benefit from a marine terminal assessment?
How sure would a terminal manager at a distribution terminal, or a line manager at a refinery or a chemical plant that has marine loading and unloading docks, be that those docks are being operated at a level that ensures long-term safe performance?
Viewpoint: The future of India’s refining capacity and the rise of clean fuels
India is emerging as the world’s new oil demand center, with burgeoning consumption providing huge potential for downstream oil and gas growth. With a GDP ranked in the top 10 globally and a large, growing population, India has seen continuous increases in demand for energy in all forms.

- LanzaJet, ATOBA Energy sign MoU to expand access to SAF market 6/4
- U.S. renewable diesel production and biodiesel production declined in 1Q 2025 6/4
- Chart Industries and Flowserve combined to form $19-B enterprise 6/4
- Airlines must ink long-term deals on greener fuels to boost volumes: Bayer exec 6/4
- EIA: U.S. crude stockpiles fall, fuel builds as refiners hike output 6/4
- PetroChina to close last unit of biggest north China refinery end-June 6/4