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Oil and chemical industry announcements: 26 June 2014

Hydrocarbon Engineering,


Afton Chemical Corporation

Afton will expand its global supply network with the addition of a new chemical additive manufacturing facility on Jurong Island, Singapore. Designed and located to support the growth of the Asia-Pacific and Middle East markets, the plant will start to produce components in January to support the next generation of additive solutions. Construction is scheduled to begin after the June 25 2014 ground breaking ceremony on the island. The site was selected after an extensive analysis focused on local infrastructure, market access, economics, safety and logistics.

Foster Wheeler Singapore will manage the engineering and construction. To support Afton’s Engine Oil business, the first operational unit will produce detergents for commercial use in 2016. Construction and startup of additional units to produce dispersants and anti wear components will follow with full operations expected within the next five years. When completed, the plant will operate around the clock. There is also the opportunity to expand the plant further based on future market conditions.

Clariant

Clariant has announced that its Business Unit Catalysts will establish a state of the art research centre in Shanghai, China. The R&D centre is expected to begin operation by next year with the goal of developing catalytic solutions tailored to Chinese market requirements and enhancing technical service support to Chinese customers.

The new centre will further strengthen Clariant’s technology portfolio and service offerings for coal to chemical applications and provide a complete range of solutions for the market. Clariant has already established an excellent technology position on catalysts for coal to chemicals applications through decades of R&D efforts and collaboration with its process technology partners. For example, the world’s first two coal to propylene complexes started up with Clariant’s methanol to propylene and methanol synthesis catalysts. Clariant has been serving the Chinese market through locally produced catalysts since 2011.

GE

Further building on its long standing partnerships with Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), GE Oil & Gas has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Petroleum Institute University & Research Centre (PI) to provide specialised training programs, summer internship opportunities and educational tools for PI students as part of its commitment to promote human capital development and promote knowledge sharing.

As part of a three year agreement, GE will support at least one senior graduation project per academic year and two training sessions per semester on subjects related to turbomachinery, rotating equipment vibration analysis and inspection technologies. GE will also host at least one field visit per academic semester and provide approximately three or four summer internship opportunities initially with the goal of expanding its to 10 internships in the next three years.

The MoU builds on GE’s long term partnership with ADNOC, providing the company with advanced technologies, as well as training ADNOC professionals through the GE Oil & Gas University held earlier. GE has also contributed a vibration lab and life size gas turbine model to PI, and will now provide a life size plant representation or educational lab equipment that will enable students to obtain hands on knowledge on various aspects of the industry’s operations.

Grupo Coremar

Grupo Coremar and Zenith Energy have announced the award of a contract for the construction on the first phase of a new, multi product liquids terminal in Palermo, Magdalena Department, Colombia. The initial construction phase will satisfy the needs of up to 528 000 bbls of refined and crude oil storage. Featured in the construction will be a new 50 000 dwt ship dock, 6 lane truck racks, as well as accompanying infrastructure. Palermo Tanks will hold a permitted storage of up to 2.5 million bbls for third party merchant storage, allowing for the acceptance of clean products, crude, asphalt, vegetable oil, and petrochemical streams, to and from a 50 000 dwt dock with approximately 12.5 m of draft alongside.

Palermo Tanks is being constructed within Grupo Coremar’s 426 acre Palmero Port Society development; the Port offers a variety of dry, break bulk and liquids services. Importantly, the Palermo Port Society development is especially well suited for efficient business, owing to its ideal location alongside the Magdalena River, as well as its quick access to Colombia’s national highway network.

Engineering and construction work are underway on these initiatives, and commissioning of the new terminal is targeted for the second quarter of next year.

Petrofac

Petrofac has entered into a framework agreement with First Reserve to create PetroFirst Infrastructure Partners. The new venture intends to deploy capital both in purchasing a number of existing assets from Petrofac’s Integrated Energy Services (IES) division, as well as in new energy infrastructure projects that utilise Petrofac’s development capability.

The new venture is anticipated to be funded 80% by First Reserve and its investors, with Petrofac retaining the balance of ownership. Up to US$ 1 billion is expected to be committed by the First Reserve Energy Infrastructure Funds and its investors and Petrofac expects to contribute up to a maximum of US$ 250 million in the form of existing assets and cash. The gross investment capacity of the new venture is expected to be significantly increased through debt leverage available to infrastructure investment.


Edited from various sources by Claira Lloyd

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/26062014/oil_chemical_announcements_26_june/

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