Chexpress - February 12, 2013

North America

Propane Dehydrogenation Project

 

Fluor Corporation has been awarded a contract by Williams
to provide preliminary engineering services for a proposed propane
dehydrogenation (PDH) project near Redwater, Alberta, Canada. The proposed PDH
facility would primarily use the propane recovered at Williams’ existing
fractionation facility in Redwater and convert it into polymer-grade propylene,
a petrochemical feedstock used in plastics manufacturing.
 

Diesel Refinery

MDU Resources Group, Inc. and Calumet Specialty Products
Partners, L.P. have formed a joint venture to develop, build and operate a
diesel refinery in southwestern North Dakota. The joint venture will be called
Dakota Prairie Refining, LLC. MDU Resources Group’s participation in the joint
venture will be through its wholly owned subsidiary, WBI Energy, Inc. The
facility will process 20,000 barrels/day of Bakken crude oil. Construction
could begin this spring and is expected to take up to 20 months. The facility’s
engineering and plant design are in the final stages.

Acquisition

 

Ellsworth Adhesives has acquired Adhesive Methods and
Technology (AMT). With operations based in Memphis, Tennessee, AMT specializes
in industrial adhesives and dispensing equipment. This acquisition strengthens
Ellsworth Adhesives' presence throughout the mid-south and allows the company
to provide enhanced service, support and infrastructure throughout the area.

 

World

 

Additional Capacity

 

Shell has taken decided to upgrade its Singapore
production facility for polyols, raw materials used in the manufacture of
high-quality foams in furniture, bedding and the automotive industry. This
investment is expected to increase existing polyols capacity by more than
100,000 tons/year and add new grades to Shell’s product offer. The polyols
upgrading will be achieved by optimizing existing facilities and deploying a
catalyst that improves the on-site conversion of propylene oxide and ethylene
oxide to polyols. The project is expected to be completed in 2014.
 

Isobutylene Plant

 

UOP Oleflex process technology from UOP LLC, a Honeywell
company, has been selected by China’s Longgang Chemical Co. to produce key
ingredients for fuels and synthetic rubber. Honeywell’s UOP C4 Oleflex process
will be used to convert refinery-derived isobutene to isobutylene, a valuable
petrochemical used in the production of fuels and synthetic rubber. In addition
to technology licensing, Honeywell’s UOP will provide basic engineering,
catalysts, adsorbents, specialty equipment and engineering for the project.
Longgang Chemical Co. will use the technology to process 175,000 metric tons of
mixed butane feedstock/year at its facility in Dongying City, China. The
facility is expected to start up in 2015.

Isomerization Unit

Neste Oil has decided to build an isomerization at is
Porvoo refinery. The EUR 65 million investment is intended to increase the
output of high-octane gasoline and improve refining flexibility at the site.
The new unit is expected to be completed in 2015. The isomerization unit will
have a capacity of 600,000 tons/year.

 

Job Cuts

 

ThyssenKrupp will slash at least 2,000 jobs by 2015 as
part of a cost-saving drive as the company copes with high commodity costs and
the struggling European economy. The German steelmaker says a further 1,800
jobs may be lost as it sells parts of the company.