Petrochemicals
Mexico's Alpek to pay up to $700 million for Petrobras' petchem assets
Mexico's Alpek SA de CV is expected to offer up to $700 M for Brazilian state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA's petrochemicals units in the northeastern state of Pernambuco.
LyondellBasell to build high density polyethylene plant on US Gulf Coast
The proposed plant will employ the company's new proprietary technology and is expected to create up to 1,000 construction jobs.
People
Courtney McShane has joined Willbros Group Inc. as director of business development for the Marcellus Shale region and Eastern Seaboard.
Understand the sources of oil pollution in water
Oil in water is one of the most common types of water pollution.
SABIC wants to grow its way out of earnings slump
SABIC aims to grow its way out of an extended earnings slump brought on by the impact of lower oil prices on the petrochemicals sector.
Brazil's Petrobras in talks to sell petrochemical assets to Mexico's Alpek
Petrobras is in exclusive talks for 60 days with Mexico's Alpek over the potential sale of PetroquimicaSuape and Citepe assets in Brazil's northeast.
SABIC and ExxonMobil evaluating petrochemical JV on US Gulf Coast
SABIC and an affiliate of Exxon Mobil Corp. are considering the potential development of a jointly owned petrochemical complex on the US Gulf Coast.
Iran says fire at Bu Ali Sina petrochemical complex contained
A fire that broke out at Iran's Bu Ali Sina petrochemical refinery complex has been contained with no casualties.
Catalyst replacement strategy for a hydrocracking unit at a Middle East refinery
A Saudi Aramco refinery operates a series-flow, single-stage hydrocracking unit (HU) in a recycle high-conversion mode. The HU has been in operation for over 35 years and is being debottlenecked to increase its throughput by 20%.
Optimize isomerization reactor temperatures and component RON
Isomerate is useful because it is paraffinic and contains no benzene, aromatics or sulfur. This pentane and hexane fraction of crude oil is known as light naphtha. The main objective of reactions is to increase the research octane number (RON) of the components. Decreasing fuel consumption without changing the product RON of isomerization units is discussed here.

- CNOOC completes construction on $2.9-B, 1.8-MMtpy integrated complex in east China 8/22
- bp's Whiting refinery (U.S.) continues to flare days after severe thunderstorm 8/22
- Bachmann introduces latest version M-Target for Simulink 8/22
- U.S. to rule on biofuel waivers, but big oil refiners may need to wait 8/22
- Chinese independent refiner Hongrun buys Canadian, Brazilian crude 8/22
- Ukrainian attack suspends Russian oil flows to Hungary, Slovakia 8/22