Refining
Big short position on biofuels generated profit for Icahn's refiner
NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Carl Icahn's big bet on falling prices for biofuels credits generated a rare profit in that area last quarter for the billionaire investor's refining company CVR Energy, according to public filings.
India cuts oil import plans from Iran by a quarter over gas field row
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -- India plans to order about a quarter less Iranian crude oil than it bought last year, people familiar with the matter said, as state refiners cut term purchase deals over a row between New Delhi and Tehran on development of a natural gas field.
Vitol to acquire Rotterdam splitter from Koch Supply & Trading
LONDON (Reuters) -- Commodities trader Vitol has agreed to buy an 85,000-bpd condensate splitter in the Netherlands from Koch Supply and Trading, a subsidiary of US conglomerate Koch Industries, Vitol said in a statement on Tuesday.
Equipment critical analysis: The need for an effective maintenance program
Oil refineries and large petrochemical plants contain thousands of pieces of process and utilities equipment that are subject to wear, erosion, deterioration, aging, etc., resulting in increasing breakdowns and outages. Imagine being a maintenance engineer and receiving 50 work orders during an overhaul with a limited budget, time, labor, spare parts, tools, machines, etc. How does that engineer prioritize the work?
HP announces launch of IRPC Europe, WGLC Europe, and HP Awards in Vienna
Three co-located events allow for ease of networking and attendance in one of Europe’s most renowned cultural and artistic centers.
Engineering Case Histories: Case 96: Career paths—technical and management
I have spent most of my career in the mechanical engineering technical area because that is what I do best. I was a manager of advanced engineering for many years, but then realized that it was not my calling.
Global: The future growth of Argentina’s oil and gas industry hinges on additional investments
Attracting new investments is vital to revive the Argentine oil industry. It is essential to involve multinationals, due to the lack of financial resources of the Argentinian government. The modernization of the country’s downstream infrastructure is crucial to improve productivity, and the nation will need international support to obtain profitable results.
Industry Metrics
A lack of gasoline export opportunities amid increasing inflows of middle distillates impacted the European market. Stronger US domestic gasoline demand and falling inventories ahead of the transition to summer-grade quality supported refinery margins. The Asia market was impacted by a stronger domestic gasoline demand amid an upcoming switch to summer grades.
Business Trends: Human reliability—a disruptive innovation
Annual bottom-line losses due to equipment failures total more than $100 MM at major refineries and petrochemical complexes. Corporate executives charge plant personnel with improving the reliability of the facility.
Editorial Comment: Maintenance—a value-added expense
This issue of <i>Hydrocarbon Processing</i> tackles one of the most integral aspects of the downstream industry (or any industry, for that matter): maintenance and reliability. These two terms go hand-in-hand and help to ensure efficient and safe operations.
- NAPCOR releases 2024 PET recycling report highlighting system efficiency gains and continued strength of PET circularity 12/12
- OQ courts other partners for petrochemical complex in Oman as SABIC drops out 12/12
- Brazil's BNDES approves $71 MM for carbon storage project 12/12
- Cuba on edge as U.S. seizure of oil tanker puts supply at risk 12/12
- China oil demand to plateau between 2025 and 2030 12/12
- Germany's PCK refinery says no impact from pipeline leak 12/12
