Environment & Safety
PBF restarts some units at Martinez refinery after February fire; fire-damaged units remain shut
PBF Energy is restarting several refinery process units at the Martinez facility that were shut after a fire broke out in February. The process will take approximately two weeks
Ergon to invest $400 MM to expand gasoline production at Vicksburg refinery (U.S.)
Ergon Refining Inc. has announced plans to invest $400 MM to expand processing capabilities at our Vicksburg, Mississippi, refinery to include gasoline production, which is expected to come online during the first quarter of 2027.
Optimize sulfur recovery: Sub-dewpoint sulfur recovery with interstage membrane
The author’s company’s new sub-dewpoint sulfur recovery with interstage membrane (SSRIM) technology is a breakthrough for the sulfur recovery industry, as it is the first technology capable of achieving an overall recovery efficiency of > 99.9% without requiring a tail gas treating unit. This article discusses the basic SSRIM configuration and its advantages when compared to a traditional Claus/TGT configuration.
Optimizing NGL treatment for sulfur and methanol reduction at Pembina NGL Corporation’s Redwater fractionation plant—Part 1
This article details a project that optimized sulfur treatment and methanol reduction at Pembina NGL's Redwater plant in Canada.
Solvay partners with Cavalinho to reduce emissions at Brazilian chemical plant
Solvay will be one the first companies in Brazil to adopt biofuel-powered trucks for transportation, supporting its goal of cutting scope 3 emissions by 20% by 2030.
Motiva FCCU at Texas refinery shut for two more weeks after unsuccessful restart
A fluidic catalytic cracker unit (FCCU) at Motiva Enterprises' refinery in Port Arthur, Texas, is expected to remain shut for two weeks after a second unsuccessful restart attempt over the weekend.
Cenovus refinery in Ohio (U.S.), plans to shut multiple units for 6 weeks for maintenance
Cenovus will begin planned maintenance work on multiple units at its 160,000-bpd refinery in Toledo, Ohio in mid April.
Refractory lining reliability challenges in hydrogen-fueled process fired heaters
This article provides an overview of the potential impact of H2-rich fuel firing on refractory integrity and suggests safeguards to mitigate challenges. While this article discusses refractory issues in process fired heaters, the information presented can be broadly applicable to fired equipment where a flame is present.
Methods for increasing the heat transfer rate on steam condensation surfaces
Traditional systems rely on filmwise condensation for heat transfer; however, for large energy consumers, dropwise condensation will help improve heat transfer efficiency and reduce steam consumption and carbon footprint. This can be achieved through water treatment technologies—specifically the dropwise condensation technology—that help facilities increase productivity and reliability while reducing energy consumption.
Motiva Texas refinery (U.S.) preparing second attempt to restart FCCU
Motiva Enterprises is preparing a second attempt to restart the gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracker-3 (FCC-3) at its 626,000-bpd Port Arthur, Texas refinery.
- Asian gasoline margin spikes to highest since August 2023 11/14
- Lukoil-Moldova grants free use of airport fuel terminal to government amid U.S. sanctions 11/14
- Croatia rejects Russian vacuum gasoil cargo after U.S. sanctions 11/14
- Bulgaria wins UK sanctions reprieve on refinery, petrol stations 11/14
- China's Sinochem shuts one crude unit at Quanzhou after fire 11/14
- Enbridge approves $1.4-B project to boost Canadian oil flows to U.S. refiners 11/14

