Honeywell UOP providing hydrotreating catalysts for ENAP refinery in Chile

MOSCOW (MRC) — Honeywell announced that Empresa Nacional del Petroleo (ENAP) has begun using Honeywell UOP’s HYT-6219 Unity hydrotreating catalyst in conjunction with Unity hydrocracking catalysts to produce cleaner-burning diesel fuel at its Bio Bio refinery in Hualpen, Chile, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The HYT-6219 catalyst pretreats the petroleum feed used to make diesel fuel, removing sulfur, nitrogen and aromatics that would otherwise hurt the performance and longevity of hydrocracking catalysts later in the refining process. The refinery also uses Honeywell UOP’s HC-130 and HC-120 Unity hydrocracking catalysts as part of its production process.

Hydrotreating is a critical step in the refining process where hydrogen and a proprietary catalyst are used to pretreat petroleum and other products by removing contaminants before conversion into transportation fuels. The process helps produce cleaner-burning gasoline and diesel that meet increasingly stringent global fuel regulations such as the Euro V standard, which specifies sulfur content of less than 10 parts per million in transportation fuels.

Honeywell UOP’s line of Unity catalysts includes more than two dozen hydrotreating catalysts for hydrocracking and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) pre-treat, and diesel, kerosene and coker naphtha hydrotreating. Honeywell UOP also offers catalysts for naphtha hydrotreating and FCC gasoline desulfurization. The Unity portfolio is a total solution for hydrocracking loads.

According to the International Energy Association (EIA), global demand growth for transportation fuels is shifting toward emerging economies with a diesel bias, while quality specifications for international marine fuels will drive a shift from residual fuel oil to marine diesel. Trucks, which are a key enabler of commercial activity in emerging economies, will lead to a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 900 MMt through 2050, heightening the need for cleaner-burning diesel fuels.

ENAP is a public commercial enterprise owned by the State of Chile whose main activity is the exploration and production of hydrocarbons through its subsidiary Enap Sipetrol SA and the refining, transport, storage and commercialization of petroleum products through Enap Refinerias SA. The company develops activities and operations in Chile, Argentina and Egypt and is headquartered in Santiago de Chile.
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MOSCOW (MRC) — Aspen Technology, Inc., the asset optimization software company, announced that the Dangote Group, the largest conglomerate in West Africa and one of the largest on the African continent, has selected Aspen PIMS-AO software for economic and operational planning, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

By standardizing on a best-in-class solution that leading refineries and olefins plants around the world use for feedstock selection, product slate optimization and production planning, Dangote further enhances its global presence as the organization builds the world’s largest single train refinery, the 650,000 bpd Dangote Oil Refinery.

The refinery will also house the world’s largest urea plant with a capacity of 3 MMtpy, in addition to a polyethylene plant and gas processing facilities for 3 Bscfd of natural gas transported through 1,100 km of subsea pipeline infrastructure built by the Dangote Group.

Aspen PIMS-AO software is part of the aspenONE suite of products that streamline downstream refining workflows to bridge the gap between planning and scheduling, create optimal production plans quickly and evaluate more scenarios to enable better decision-making. AspenTech has partnered with leading energy companies worldwide to develop a proprietary solving algorithm that ensures accurate results. PIMS-AO also offers nonlinear models which improve accuracy in refining reactors and olefins (pyrolysis) furnaces.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) — China National Petroleum Corp completed the last welding of a 941.8-km pipeline in northeast China, ready to start taking Russian oil from Jan. 1, said Reuters.

The pipeline that starts at the border town Mohe and ends in Daqing city, in Heilongjiang province, is part of the expansion program of the Russia-China pipeline project.

The expansion enables China to receive 30 MMt of Russian crude oil annually, double the current amount. CNPC started building the pipeline that passes Heilongjiang province and Inner Mongolia in August 2016.
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MOSCOW (MRC) — Royal Dutch Shell is selling part of its stake in Australia's largest independent oil and gas company, Woodside Petroleum Ltd, to equity investors for about USD1.7 B, said Reuters.

Shell, which has been slowly divesting its Woodside holding, said on Monday its Shell Energy Holdings Australia Limited (SEHAL) unit had struck a deal with two investment banks over the sale of 71.6 MM Woodside shares for A$31.10 (USD23.79) apiece.

The oil major said that represented 64% of its interest in Woodside and 8.5% of the issued capital in Woodside. The announcement came after the close of trade on the Australian bourse, where Woodside ended 1% lower at A$32.24 a share. Upon completion of the sale, SEHAL will own a 4.8% interest in Woodside.

Shell has so far sold or agreed to sell over USD26 B as part of a 3-yr, USD30 B asset sales program launched following the acquisition of BG Group in 2015. "Proceeds from the sale will contribute to reducing our net debt," Shell’s Chief Financial Officer, Jessica Uhl, said in a statement.

Equity capital markets teams from a number of international banks had been asked earlier on Monday to submit bids and lock in cornerstone investors, a banking source requesting anonymity told Reuters. Shell said it had agreed not to dispose of any of its remaining shares in Woodside for a minimum of 90 days from completion of the latest sale.

Even before Shell set out to sell assets, it was distancing itself from Woodside. In November 2010, it sold 10% of the issued capital of Woodside, taking its stake to 24.27%. This was further diluted to 23.08% after Shell decided not to participate in Woodside’s dividend re-investment program.

In June 2014, Shell sold another 9.5% of Woodside’s issued shares, dropping its interest to 13.28% after again opting out of the dividend reinvestment scheme. Australia blocked a takeover bid by Shell for Woodside in 2001 on national interest grounds.

Shell will remain joint venture partner in two liquefied natural gas projects in Australia, according to Woodside. "Woodside will maintain a close working relationship with Shell - as a joint venture partner and customer of Shell technology—and we recognize that Shell will always be part of our history," Woodside Chief Executive Peter Coleman said in a statement.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Evonik Industries has opened another membrane production facility at its Austrian plant in Schorfling, said the producer in its press release.

The new hollow fiber spinning plant predominantly produces membrane modules for efficient nitrogen generation and for process gases. Nitrogen accounts for roughly 40 percent of the estimated global gas separation market, making it the second-largest market after natural gas.

Dr. Harald Schwager, deputy chairman of Evonik’s Executive Board, says: "The membrane business is an excellent example of how important innovations are for corporate success. Here, we are generating growth for Evonik with new products, and harnessing new markets in close cooperation with our customers."

In Schorfling, Evonik currently produces gas separation modules predominantly for the biogas market and helium recovery. The new hollow fiber spinning plant doubles the existing production capacities for SEPURAN membranes.

Dr. Claus Rettig, chairman of the Board of Management of Evonik Resource Efficiency GmbH, says: "The Schorfling investment expands our possibilities for placing the membrane portfolio on an even broader footing. Our aim is to offer our customers and partners custom-tailored membranes in the entire gas separation market."

In total, Evonik has invested an amount in the mid double-digit million euro range in the expansion of the Austrian plant. Besides the new hollow fiber spinning plant, additional facilities have been created for technology development, application technology, membrane testing and quality assurance. Over 30 new jobs have been created in production and administration.

The company’s plant in Lenzing near the Schorfling site manufactures the source material polyimide, a high-performance polymer, which is spun and then further processed in Schorfling. The infrastructure in Lenzing is being correspondingly upgraded as part of site expansion.

SEPURAN membranes are used for the highly efficient separation of gases such as methane, nitrogen, or hydrogen from gas mixtures. The innovative hollow fiber membranes made from high-performance plastic are at the heart of the separation process. They are highly resistant to high temperature and pressure, and can be adjusted to customer requirements. The advantages in using Evonik’s membrane technology for gas separation are down to the more precise separation of the gases and the greater productivity this offers.

The SEPURAN product family of Evonik’s Resource Efficiency Segment includes membranes for biogas processing, on-site nitrogen generation as well as for helium and hydrogen recovery. Within this Segment, the High Performance Polymers Business Line has been developing and producing high-performance plastics for more than 50 years that allow for resource-efficient innovations in a wide range of industries.

In 2011, SEPURAN Green membranes were successfully launched on the market for biogas treatment, and have been installed in over 100 biogas treatment plants all over the world.

Since then, the membrane technology has been continuously developed. Meanwhile, the SEPURAN Noble membrane for helium and hydrogen recovery has been added to the product range. Evonik expects the helium and hydrogen market to grow in the low double-digit percentage range in the next few years. In 2016, the specialty chemicals company and the technology group The Linde Group stepped up their collaboration in the gas separation market using membranes. The partnership has already resulted in a reference plant for helium recovery in Mankota (Canada) – the first of its kind in the world to combine both separation processes, membrane and pressure swing adsorption technology. The new plant processes more than 250,000 standard cubic meters of crude gas per day, and produces industrial-grade helium (99.999%).

The new hollow fibre membrane for efficient nitrogen generation - SEPURAN N2 - was added to the membrane portfolio in early 2016.

As MRC reported earlier, Evonik is expanding its production facilities in Birmingham (Alabama, USA) and Darmstadt (Germany). This will create additional capacity for the production of biodegradable polymers marketed globally under the brand names RESOMER and RESOMER SELECT. These poly-lactic-glycolic-acid (PLGA) copolymers are primarily used to manufacture bioresorbable medical devices and controlled-release formulations for parenteral drug delivery.

Evonik, the creative industrial group from Germany, is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals. Its activities focus on the key megatrends health, nutrition, resource efficiency and globalization. Evonik benefits specifically from its innovative prowess and integrated technology platforms. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world.
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