Refining
API: Study shows US ethanol mandates in RFS as safety risk
The statutory biofuel mandates in the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) are infeasible to achieve in 2015 and beyond and may harm US consumers, according to the API study.
Flint Hills contracts Wood Group for engineering of Corpus refinery upgrade
Wood Group Mustang completed the conceptual and front-end engineering design phases of the project and is now providing detail engineering, procurement services, module fabrication oversight and construction engineering support services. Work is being done in Houston and Bogota, Colombia.
Total limits Texas refinery operations after worker dies in bulldozer accident
Thomas Courts, a 66-year-old contractor from Denton, Texas, drowned in the large pit beneath the coker after the bulldozer he was driving flipped over early on Saturday.
Fire injures four at REG’s biorefinery in Louisiana
The fire injured four people, REG reported, including one REG employee and three contractors. All are being treated at the Baton Rouge General Hospital. REG noted that emergency crews quickly responded to contain the fire, and it was declared completely extinguished by 4:20 a.m.
Gevo completes first US marine sales of gasoline blended with isobutanol
Gevo's bio-based isobutanol helps meet renewable fuel and clean air standards, while solving concerns that many boaters have with ethanol-blended fuels, which can damage internal engine parts.
API: New EIA report shows US crude oil exports could lower fuel costs
“The EIA report provides a final, non-partisan confirmation that ‘70s-era trade restrictions on US oil are bad for American consumers,” said Kyle Isakower, the API's vice president of regulatory and economic policy.
Unload the SRU to reduce operating costs and plugging problems
The SWAATS process can unload SRU capacity and reduce plugging problems and operating costs in a safer and environmentally-friendly way, especially as refiners find rising amounts of ammonia and SWSG.
Enabling the refinery of the future—Safety first
Within this “new” economy, automation systems must be capable of delivering new levels of productivity and scalability, while ensuring safety, managing globalizations and addressing new workforce demographics.
Implement best practices in enterprise-wide operations management
Several lessons learned were identified during the refinery project implementations.
Central America: A downstream outlook to 2020
Due to the growth in the region’s middle class, Latin America has seen tremendous petroleum products demand growth over the past decade.

- Brazil's Petrobras to invest $4.8 B in integration between Reduc refinery and Boaventura complex 7/8
- Braskem completes first sale of circular polyethylene in South America 7/8
- bp's 440,000-bpd refinery in Whiting, Indiana (U.S.), reported flaring due to operational conditions 7/8
- UK's insolvent Lindsey oil refinery secures some crude supply to keep running for now 7/8
- Brazil's energy minister hints at possible fuel price cuts 7/8
- Marathon Galveston Bay refinery (U.S.) hydrotreater to remain shut until September 7/8