SUEZ to build state-of-the-art laboratory in Texas to enhance innovation for O&G

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SUEZ broke ground on a new laboratory in Tomball, Texas, north of Houston, which is expected to open mid-2018, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

In addition to continuing the research and development (R&D) of specialty chemicals for the industrial segment, the new facility will expand to include further process innovation in the oil and gas industry, focusing on global upstream and downstream applications.

The new laboratory also will provide industrial water, oil, microbiological, deposit and metallurgical failure testing to support SUEZ’s customers. In addition, the site will have an advanced technical training center for engineers and scientists—both internal and customer-oriented.

The facility design is modular—allowing for rapid and efficient lab adaptation to changing priorities and customer-specific projects. Currently designed for more than 80 researchers and support staff, additional support facilities have been engineered in place at the design phase, allowing for efficient and cost-effective future expansion.

For the oil and gas industry, customized experimental simulation capabilities that closely mimic the field environment are being added and upgraded. New research and application development efforts will continue in process and water chemistry for oil and gas production, transport, refining and petrochemicals, emphasizing all unit operation support, failure and root-cause analyses. It also will allow for expert services and application technology as well as a new emphasis on sensors, monitoring solutions and digital domain to further advance our process-focused solutions.
MRC

South Africas petrol, diesel prices to increase in November

MOSCOW (MRC) --The retail price of petrol and the wholesale price of diesel in South Africa will increase from Wednesday due to a weakening of the rand against the dollar, as per Reuters.

The price of petrol will rise by 4 cents to 14.05 rand per liter in the commercial hub of Gauteng province, while that of diesel will go up by 23 cents to 12.35 rand.
MRC

Jordan Petroleum Refinery Company selects KBR VCC technology

MOSCOW (MRC) — KBR, Inc. announced it has entered into an Engineering agreement for the residue hydroprocessing unit at the Jordan Petroleum Refinery (JPRC) Expansion Project, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

This award follows an earlier decision for KBR as selected licensor for its proprietary Veba Combi Cracking (VCC) technology. KBR will provide the basic design package for the unit using its proprietary VCC slurry phase hydrocracking technology. This unique technology is capable of processing a wide range of feedstocks and enables production of fuels that meet environmental specifications without further upgrading.

The VCC technology will be implemented at JPRC's refinery in Jordan and will be the core of the refinery's expansion plans to increase production to 120,000 bpd.

KBR's portfolio of refining technologies enables refiners to process a wide variety of crudes, including heavy opportunity crudes, while retaining the flexibility to adjust the fuel mix and quality to meet ever changing market demands. KBR's experience as a technology developer and licensor, along with comprehensive studies and proven project delivery capabilities, has resulted in KBR licensing, designing or constructing more than 60 greenfield refineries and well over 1,000 refining units of every type and size around the world.

Revenue associated with this project will be booked into backlog of unfilled orders for KBR's Technology and Consulting Business Segment in the Q4 2017.
MRC

Solvay acquires large-tow carbon fiber precursor manufacturer

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Solvay completed the acquisition of European Carbon Fiber GmbH, a German producer of high-quality "precursor" for large-tow (50K) polyacrylonitrile (PAN) carbon fibers. With this acquisition, Solvay is building the foundations to lead the adoption of composites in automotive applications, to serve select industrial markets, and to support the potential adoption of large-tow fibers in aerospace, said the producer on its site.

"The strategic acquisition of ECF enables Solvay to develop a portfolio of large-tow carbon fibers to complement our existing range of pitch and PAN aerospace grade carbon fibers. This comprehensive portfolio will place Solvay as a key supplier to the aerospace, automotive and industrial markets going forward. Thanks to this acquisition Solvay will leverage its polymers and materials science competencies to drive breakthrough innovation in large-tow carbon fibers," said Carmelo Lo Faro, President of Solvay’s Composite Materials Global Business Unit (GBU).

Vertical integration into large-tow carbon fiber technology will position Solvay to ensure cost effective long-term security of supply to its customers.

As MRC informed before, in early July 2016, Solvay completed the divestment of its shareholding in Inovyn (London), bringing to an end Solvay's chlorvinyls joint venture with Ineos. Solvay received exit cash proceeds amounting to EUR335 million (USD370.7 million). The dissolution of the jv follows regulatory clearances from the relevant authorities.

Inovyn was formed on 1 July 2015 as a jv between Ineos and SolVin, a subsidiary of Solvay. Solvay and Ineos signaled their decision to end their chlorvinyls jv in March this year.

Solvay is a multi-specialty chemical company, committed to developing chemistry that addresses key societal challenges. Solvay innovates and partners with customers in diverse global end markets. Its products and solutions are used in planes, cars, smart and medical devices, batteries, in mineral and oil extraction, among many other applications promoting sustainability. Its lightweighting materials enhance cleaner mobility, its formulations optimize the use of resources and its performance chemicals improve air and water quality. Solvay is headquartered in Brussels with around 27,000 employees in 58 countries. Net sales were EUR10.9 billion in 2016, with 90% from activities where Solvay ranks among the world’s top 3 leaders.
MRC

Crown Prince: Saudi Arabia ready to extend oil output cut deal

MOSCOW (MRC) — Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reiterated Saudi Arabia's readiness to support the extension of a global oil production cut agreement, as per Reuters.

"The Kingdom affirms its readiness to extend the production cut agreement, which proved its feasibility by rebalancing supply and demand," the crown prince said in a statement. "The high demand for oil has absorbed the increase in shale oil production," Prince Mohammad added.

Prince Mohammad made similar comments to Reuters in an interview published on Thursday about the position of the kingdom towards the extension of the oil deal and condition of the market. "We will support anything to stabilize the oil demand and supply," he told Reuters when asked whether the kingdom would support extending the agreement until the end of 2018.

"I think now the oil market swallowed the shale oil supply, now we are regaining things again," he told Reuters. His comments gave a boost to oil prices, with Brent crude on Friday trading above USD60/bbl for the first time since July 2015. Saudi Arabia, OPEC's biggest producer is leading OPEC and other oil producers such as Russia to restrict oil supplies under a global oil pact to drain global inventories and boost oil prices.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, plus Russia and nine other producers, have cut oil output by about 1.8 MMbpd since January. The pact runs to March 2018, but an extension is under consideration.

OPEC and non-OPEC producers meet on Nov. 30 to set oil policy.
MRC