Insights

Definition: The “Aromatics” are so called because of their specific perfumed smell. The most well known “Aromatics” are the “Benzene”, the “Toluene”, the “Xylene”. For that reasons the “Aromatics” are also named as “BTX”. Comment: The “Aromatics” are produced from mainly from oil and a few from coal by distillation and then through a steam “cracker” in […]

Samsung Total Petrochemicals, the Joined Venture between Samsung General Chemicals and Total Petrochemicals, has selected the LyondellBasell Lupotech T process technology for their co-polymer project in Daesan, South Korea.  Key features of Lupotech T technology include low manufacturing and investment costs, fast start-up and grade changes, high on-stream factor and capacities of up to 450 KT per […]

Fluor Corp. (Fluor)announced to have signed a  Strategic Global Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) and Construction Management Agreement with The Dow Chemical Company (Dow). This three-year agreement has a two-year extension option for up to five years and Dow’s global capital projects program across all Dow products. This contract includes all the potential new projects across […]

Definition: “Olefin” is the common name given by the “Petrochemical” industry  to the Alkene chemical products. The “Olefins” are classified in two families, the: “Monoolefins“, such as the “Ethylene” and “Propylene“ “Diolefins“, such as the “Butadiene” and the “Isoprene“ Comments: As we can see from the diagram above, the “Olefins” may be produced through a steam”Cracker” […]

Qatar Petroleum International, a QP’s subsidiary, has joined the partners for the Petrochemical complex, to be built in the Long Son Island in Vietnam. In the Joined Venture are also involved PetroVietnam, Vinachem, Siam Cement Group (SGC), Thai Plastic and Chemicals. This project will be located closed to the second refinery and will use a […]

According to an interview of Mr Fu Chengyu, who became chairman of Sinopec‘s parent in April, to Bloomberg, Sinopec is considering to sell its chemical assets in the next five years in order to finance its overseas development. Benchmarking the Majors like ExxonMobil or Shell, Sinopec wants to balance it Upstream activities and Downstream business. With profitability […]

Definition: “Petrochemical” comes from the Ancient Greek language where “Petro” means “rock”  in referring to these rocks, “Petro”, producing “oleum” meaning “oil” to become “petro-oleum”, the “oil of rocks”. Therefore the word “Petrochemical” has been originally given to the chemistry issued from the oil. Comments: From process perspective, the “Petrochemical” industry begins where the “Refining” or […]

Total joins Kuwait Petroleum Corp. (KPC) represented by its wholly-owned subsidiaries Kuwait Petroleum International (KPI) and Petrochemicals Industries Co. (PIC) in the Joined Venture with Sinopec for this $9 billion “Refinery” and “Petrochemical” complex at Zhanjiang, in China’s southern Guangdong province. In fact Total took the opportunity to substitute Shell which had pulled out of […]

TAQA, the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, UAE, has announced to increase capital expenditures from $1.9 billion in 2011 to $2.2 billion in 2012. These investments will go to expend on going projects in Western Canada, North Sea, Netherlands, Morocco and Ghana.  TAQA’s Oil & Gas operations are located in North America, UK and the […]

Definition: The “Naphtha” or “Naphtha petroleum” is the common name given to the “Aliphatic hydrocarbons“.  Comment: The “Naphtha” results from the distillation of the oil in the refinery. But since there are hundreds of different petroleum crude oil worldwide with its own unique composition, there are as many “Naphtha“. Each refinery produces its own “Naphtha” with their own […]