ABB and Coolbrook to reduce emissions in petrochemical market

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ABB and Finnish technology company Coolbrook have signed a memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to commercialize and accelerate the adoption of Roto Dynamic Reactor (RDR) technology in a bid to significantly reduce GHG emissions in steam cracking plants, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The agreement will unite the two companies’ expertise and create a combined offering of Coolbrook’s novel electrically driven RDR technology and ABB’s integrated, pre-engineered energy solutions, initially for use in petrochemical and chemical markets.

Olefins, such as ethylene and propylene, are the key raw materials used in the chemical industry – primarily for polymer production. Currently, the leading technology for olefin production is steam cracking by high-temperature pyrolysis (thermal decomposition) of primarily hydrocarbon feedstock, diluted with steam inside a cracking furnace.

Coolbrook’s novel turbomachine will be able to replace a conventional furnace by directly imparting the rotor shaft’s mechanical energy to the hydrocarbon fluid. This is achieved by aerodynamic action through a rotating blade flow. When powered by electricity from renewable sources, the technology completely eliminates CO2 emissions in the steam cracking process. Coolbrook technology can also be operated with various feedstocks, including recycled and renewable feedstocks.

According to the International Energy Agency’s ‘Tracking Industry 2021’ report, direct global CO2 emissions from chemicals and petrochemical processes amounted to 1.2 billion metric tons in 2020[1]. Electrifying process industries will significantly reduce carbon emissions, and ABB has committed to support their customers in reducing their annual CO2 emissions by 100 million metric tons by 2030.

As per MRC, MOL Group and ABB embark on a three-year collaborative project to transform Asset Integrity Management (AIM) across four key chemical and refinery sites in Europe. ABB has been awarded the contract to improve asset integrity across MOL’s downstream assets, through changing mindset, standardizing processes and software and ensuring integrity management is focused on the right equipment.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,265,290 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2021, up by 14% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,363,850 tonnes in January-November, 2021, up by 25% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Marathon Petroleum, the largest refiner in the United States, is evaluating a conversion of Phillips 66’s Alliance, Louisiana, refinery into a renewable fuel plant, said Reuters.

The two companies are scheduled to meet next week and tour the 255,600 barrel-per-day refinery, which has been idled since late August, a day before Hurricane Ida roared over the area and swamped the site. Phillips 66 spokesperson Bernardo Fallas declined to comment.

Marathon spokesperson Jamal Kheiry said the company does not comment on “rumor or market speculation." It was unclear if Marathon was interested in acquiring the refinery or operating it through a joint venture with Phillips 66, one of the people said.

Phillips 66 said in November it would convert the Alliance refinery into an oil and refined products terminal to take advantage of its location on the Mississippi River, 20 miles (26 km) south of New Orleans.

Hurricane Ida caused flooding that breached the flood wall around the refinery and inundated control systems causing millions of dollars of damage to the facility.

At least three companies were potential buyers of the refinery before the hurricane struck. They included Hilcorp, Valero Energy and Saudi Aramco’s Motiva Enterprises , people familiar with the matter had said.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,265,290 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2021, up by 14% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,363,850 tonnes in January-November, 2021, up by 25% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.

Marathon Petroleum Corporation (MPC) is a leading, integrated, downstream energy company headquartered in Findlay, Ohio. The company operates the nation's largest refining system. MPC's marketing system includes branded locations across the United States, including Marathon brand retail outlets.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- China's privately-owned Shenghong Petrochemical is expected to reach commercial operation at its newly commissioned 320,000-bpd plant in Lianyungang in May, 2022, reported Reuters with reference to two sources.

Shenghong declined comment.

As MRC informed previously, Shenghong Petrochemical started test runs at this crude unit in late, 2021. The new plant, based in the eastern port city of Lianyungang, will be the only greenfield oil refinery that came on stream in China last year, with its capacity equal to nearly 3% of the country's crude oil imports.

Initially, commercial operations at the plant were expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022, upon completion of its downstream petrochemical facilities.

Shenghong Petrochemical's complex includes an oil refinery, a paraxylene plant of 2.8 million mt/year and an ethylene plant of 1.1 million mt/year, as well as various other plants.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,265,290 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2021, up by 14% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,363,850 tonnes in January-November, 2021, up by 25% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- North American chemical railcar traffic fell for a third straight week, led by a 16.2% decline in Canada, according to the latest data from the Association of American Railroads (AAR).

For the first three weeks of 2022 ended 22 January, North American chemical rail traffic was down 3.6% year on year to 137,191 railcar loadings.

In the US, chemical railcar loadings represent about 20% of chemical transportation by tonnage, with trucks, barges and pipelines carrying the rest. In Canada, producers rely on rail to ship more than 70% of their products, with some exclusively using rail.

With the exception of coal, total North American freight railcar traffic for the week fell in all the major commodity categories AAR is tracking.

As per MRC, North American chemical railcar traffic fell by 3.3% year on year for the week ended 15 January, as a small increase in US shipments was more than offset by declines in Canada and Mexico. The decline followed a 6.7% decline in the previous week, ended 8 January. For the first two weeks of 2022, ended 15 January, North American chemical railcar loadings were down 5.0% year on year to 91,437.

We remind, US crude oil and gasoline inventories rose last week, alleviating a bit of the market's concerns about supply, though fuel demand surged close to record highs. Crude inventories rose by 2.4 million barrels in the week to Jan. 21 to 416.2 million barrels, compared with analysts' expectations in a Reuters poll for a 728,000-barrel drop.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- East China-based Zhejiang Petrochemical, the country's single-largest refiner, aims to operate its newly built 800,000-bpd crude units at full rates this year, reported Reuters with reference to two company executives.

That will represent an increase of 280,000 bpd versus 2021.

Zhejiang Petrochemical didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

As MRC informed earlier, Zhejiang Petrochemical Co Ltd (ZPC) has started up its No. 2 cracker in Zhoushan, China, which is part of the company's phase 2 petrochemical project in the county. Thus, the cracker with an annual capacity of 1.4 million tons/year of ethylene and 700,000 tons/year of propylene began trial runs in the first week of April, 2021.

Earlier, in the first half of November 2019, ZPC started operations at its No. 1 cracker, and the commercial production at this cracker was received in late December 2019.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,265,290 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2021, up by 14% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,363,850 tonnes in January-November, 2021, up by 25% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
MRC