Hengli Petrochemical to use Honeywell advanced flare and burner technologies to control emissions

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Honeywell announced that Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., Ltd. will use Callidus advanced flares and low-nitrogen oxides (NOx) burner technology at its refinery and petrochemicals complex, one of the largest in China, at Changxing Island in Dalian City, said Yourpetrochemicalnews.

Honeywell will provide a 5,000 ton-per-hour flare system that will be the largest in Asia. In addition, Honeywell will provide more than 1,400 Callidus® low-NOx burners to provide heat for refinery processes, as well as process design and procurement services, key mechanical equipment and instrumentation.

Under the Chinese government's Emission Standard of Pollutants for the Petroleum Refining Industry, emissions of nitrogen oxides from industry furnaces are required to drop 33 percent, from 150 milligrams per cubic meter in 2015 to less than 100 this year. These pollutants are a primary cause of acid rain and increased surface ozone concentration, which have serious and direct impacts on public health and the environment.

Honeywell UOP's Callidus low-NOx burner technology and customized burners will allow Hengli Petrochemical to reduce NOx emissions to half the limit prescribed under the new emission control regulation. The burners are customized to meet requirements of all types of applications at Hengli, including refinery heaters, reformers, ethylene crackers, and CCR (continuous catalytic reforming) and propane dehydrogenation process heaters.

Honeywell recently expanded its China combustion test facility to evaluate the performance of flares. The center, located in Luoyang in Henan Province, is China's only center capable of testing flare emissions for volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.

Hengli Group, founded in 1994, manufactures petrochemicals, polyester, and advanced materials, with operations in weaving, thermal power, machinery, finance, hotels and real estate. In 2010, the company built the Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co., Ltd. Hengli Petrochemical is one of the largest refinery and petrochemical projects in China, with a processing capacity of 20 million tons per year and more than 25 processes in operation.

As part of Honeywell UOP, Callidus Technologies provides total solutions for process heater burners, flares, flare gas recovery systems, thermal oxidizers and selective catalytic reduction units.

Honeywell UOP is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries. Honeywell UOP is part of Honeywell's Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group, which also includes Honeywell Process Solutions, a pioneer in automation control, instrumentation and services for the oil and gas, refining, petrochemical, chemical and other industries.

Honeywell is a Fortune 100 software-industrial company that delivers industry specific solutions that include aerospace and automotive products and services; control technologies for buildings, homes, and industry; and performance materials globally. Our technologies help everything from aircraft, cars, homes and buildings, manufacturing plants, supply chains, and workers become more connected to make our world smarter, safer, and more sustainable.
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DowDuPont declares quarterly dividend, announces initial USD4 Billion share repurchase program

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DowDuPont has announced that its Board of Directors has declared a fourth quarter dividend of 38 cents per share. The Company also announced that its Board has approved an initial USD4 billion share repurchase program, as per the company's press release.

"Rewarding our owners over both the near- and long-term has been a top priority for both legacy companies, and it remains so for DowDuPont," said Andrew Liveris, executive chairman of DowDuPont. "The Board considered many factors in making these decisions, following an approach that delivers benefits to both heritage Dow and DuPont shareholders."

"We’re committed to returning cash to shareholders consistent with the heritage of both Dow and DuPont, and to preserving the financial flexibility to achieve the target capital structures to support the strong independent companies we intend to create," said Ed Breen, chief executive officer of DowDuPont.

DowDuPont’s dividend for the fourth quarter of 2017 will be payable on Dec. 15, 2017, to shareholders of record on Nov. 15, 2017.

As MRC reported earlier, in late September 2017, DowDuPont Materials Science, the business division of newly formed DowDupont, commissioned ethylene and polyethylene (PE) units in Freeport, Tex., as part of Dow Chemical Co.'s previously announced USD6-billion US Gulf Coast (USGC) investment program in Texas and Louisiana on projects to utilize low-cost and advantaged US shale gas feedstock. The 1.5 million-tonne/year ethylene plant and 400,000-tpy PE plant - which is based on Dow’s proprietary Solution process technology for production of the company’s ELITE brand enhanced PE resins - were both in operation as of Sept. 21.

DowDuPont (DWDP) is a holding company comprised of The Dow Chemical Company and DuPont with the intent to form strong, independent, publicly traded companies in agriculture, materials science and specialty products sectors that will lead their respective industries through productive, science-based innovation to meet the needs of customers and help solve global challenges.
MRC

ADNOC signs MoU with Linde to explore expansion of nitrogen facilities

MOSCOW (MRC) -- State-owned energy and petrochemical firm Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with The Linde Group to explore the expansion of nitrogen facilities at Ruwais in Abu Dhabi, UAE, said Chemicals-technology.

The MoU builds on the joint business development commitment by the two parties that led to the formation of the joint venture Adnoc Industrial Gases ten years ago. In the initial stage, Linde will conduct a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for the new Air Separation Units, which are expected to meet the expanding nitrogen requirements of ADNOC’s gas processing, petrochemicals, and refining businesses.

Subsequent steps will follow as the two companies grow together to satisfy the growing demand for industrial gases from ADNOC’s downstream businesses. ADNOC Downstream director Al Hajri said: "In line with its 2030 smart growth strategy, ADNOC plans to expand and diversify its downstream refining and petrochemicals activities, while also optimising efficiency and costs.

"The Ruwais Air Separation Unit Project will be carried out in two phases, each with the capacity to produce 70,000m? per hour of nitrogen."

ADNOC Industrial Gases specialises in producing gaseous nitrogen, liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen for its sites in Abu Dhabi. It was formed in 2007 as a joint venture between ADNOC and Linde. ADNOC has a 51% interest in the JV, while Linde holds the remaining stake.

Initially, the company was named ‘Elixier’ and its first plant, called ELIXIER I, being commissioned in 2009. The company’s name was changed with the launch of ADNOC’s unified brand last month.
MRC

SK Advanced shut PDH plant for maintenance

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SK Advanced has taken off-stream its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant for a maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the company has commenced maintenance at the plant on November 20, 2017. The plant is expected to remain off-line for a period of around one month.

Located in Ulsan, South Korea, the plant has a propylene production capacity of 600,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, in May 2016, SK Advanced Co. began trial production of propylene at its completed PDH plant in Ulsan, South Korea. Commercial operations started in the second quarter of 2016.

SK Advanced, a joint venture of South Korea's largest LPG supplier SK Gas and Advanced Petrochemical Company (APC) of Saudi Arabia.
MRC

Covestro presents matte films for medical equipment

MOSCOW (MRC) -- At Compamed tradeshow, Covestro has exhibited the first blown Platilon films with a very high matte level, which was previously only obtainable with cast films, as per the company's press release.

They are well suited for wearable health patches, which have to remain on the skin of patients for extended periods.

Covestro exhibited a new line of Platilon films with very matte surfaces. The products were developed for a variety of medical applications, including wound care, surgical drapes and wearable health patches. They are the first blown films with a very high matte level, previously only obtainable with cast films. The new products enable a more efficient production yet support modern design.

Thanks to their matte surface, the films are pleasant to the touch. In contact with clothing, they feature lower friction than glossy films and are therefore longer-lasting. And in the operating room, the anti-reflection films prevent staff from being blinded by bright light.

Wearables have enormous market potential, although the technology still needs to clear a few hurdles. Small electronic patches, however, are in broader use in the health care sector. Consumers can use them to determine their level of physical fitness, measure body temperature and pulse rate, or evaluate the quality of their sleep. In the future, improved and even smarter products are expected to play a supporting role in medical diagnosis and treatment, and even deliver medications in accurate dosages.

For these applications, wearables have to remain on the skin of patients for extended periods and be comfortable to wear. "A clever combination of different materials results in products that cling gently to the skin and are also breathable and hypoallergenic," says Gerd Buschel, a films expert at Covestro. The patch is affixed to the skin by means of a skin-friendly, breathable adhesive, which also is solvent-free. "In addition to the new matte films, we also market customized polyurethane raw materials for the manufacture of the electronic plasters," says Gerd Buschel.

As MRC wrote earlier, in September 2017, German drugs and pesticides group Bayer further reduced its holding in Covestro to 31.5% from 40.9% by selling 19 million shares in the plastics business for a total of EUR1.2 billion (USD1.4 billion).

With 2016 sales of EUR 11.9 billion, Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 15,600 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2016.
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