DuPont awarded five alkylation technology licenses from Sinopec

MOSCOW (MRC) -- DuPont Clean Technologies has signed contracts with China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec) for five grassroots STRATCO alkylation units at five Sinopec refineries in China, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The scope of these contracts includes the license, engineering and supply of proprietary equipment for grassroots STRATCO alkylation units. The most recent awards include one of China’s leading suppliers of olefins and aromatics, Sinopec Yangzi Company (YPC), as well as Sinopec Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Company (ZRCC). In the months prior to these awards, DuPont was commissioned to supply grassroots STRATCO alkylation units for three other large-scale refining facilities at Sinopec Tianjin, Sinopec Qilu and Sinopec Zhongke.

Sinopec is looking to DuPont Clean Technologies for help in complying with the strict gasoline emissions regulations introduced as part of the China V standards in January 2017. The STRATCO alkylation technology enables refiners to produce cleaner-burning fuel with high octane, extremely low sulfur content, low Rvp and zero olefins. The five STRATCO alkylation units commissioned by Sinopec range in size from 7,700 bpsd to 10,300 bpsd alkylate production and will be built in Tianjin municipality and Shandong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Guangdong provinces. Startup for the first four alkylation units is expected by mid to late 2018.

STRATCO alkylation technology is the established global leader in the industry with more than 90 units licensed worldwide and more than 850,000 bpsd of installed capacity. The STRATCO alkylation technology is a sulfuric acid catalyzed process that converts olefins and low-value isobutane into high-value alkylate, a key desirable component for clean fuel. With units built more than 80 yr ago still in operation, the STRATCO alkylation technology is a highly effective, reliable solution for producing cleaner-burning fuel with high octane, low Rvp, low sulfur and zero olefins.

As MRC reported earlier, on 31 August 2017, Dow Chemical Co and DuPont said successfully completed their planned USD130 billion merger to form DowDuPont. Post-merger, Dow and DuPont are expected to break up into three independent, publicly traded units.

DuPont is an American chemical company that was founded in July, 1802. The company manufactures a wide range of chemical products, leading extensive innovative research in this field. The company is the inventor of many unique plastics and other materials, including neoprene, nylon, Teflon, Kevlar, Mylar, Tyvek, etc. DuPont was the developer and main producer of Freon used in the production of refrigeration equipment.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Brazil’s Copersucar, one of the world’s largest ethanol merchants, and BP’s Brazil unit said on Thursday they will form a 50-50 logistics JV in the country, reported Reuters.

The venture will operate Copersucar’s recently built ethanol storage complex in the Brazilian city of Paulinia, the country’s largest fuels hub.

The announcement comes two days after Brazil’s lower house of Congress passed legislation proposing to increase the use of biofuels in the country while fuel sales start to recover from a two-year recession.

Copersucar’s Paulinia ethanol complex has capacity to move 2.3 B liters of the fuel per year and is able to store 180 MM liters at its ten tanks, the companies said in a statement.

"This partnership will allow BP to sharply increase its commercial presence in Brazil," Mario Lindenhayn, country head for BP, said in the statement.

Copersucar did not disclose financial details of the deal, which is subject to approval by regulators.

As MRC wrote previously, in May 2017, BP announced that it had agreed to sell its 50% stake in the Shanghai SECCO Petrochemical Company Limited (SECCO) to Gaoqiao Petrochemical Co Ltd, a 100% subsidiary of China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec), BP’s joint venture partner, for a total consideration of USD1.68 bln.

BP is a leading producer of oil and gas and produces enough energy annually to light nearly the entire country for a year. Employing about 17,000 people across the country, BP supports more than 170,000 additional jobs through all of its business activities.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- ExxonMobil Corporation announced it will combine its refining and marketing operations into a single company, ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants Company, in 1Q 2018. Bryan Milton, currently president of ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company, has been appointed president of the combined division by ExxonMobil’s board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2018, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

By combining activities of the two divisions—ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Company and ExxonMobil Fuels, Lubricants & Specialties Marketing Company—the company will achieve further integration to improve decision making and enhance performance in the market. The improvements will help the company to better respond to the needs of its customers and compete more effectively.

ExxonMobil Fuels & Lubricants Company, along with ExxonMobil affiliates, will manage crude purchasing and logistics, refining, supply, trading, midstream, marketing and sales of refined products.

Milton, 53, joined Exxon Chemical in 1986 at Fawley in the U.K., where he worked in various plant and developmental engineering roles, including assignments as operations manager and as plant manager. He also spent time in upstream natural gas commercial sales. He previously held various leadership positions within ExxonMobil Chemical Company in Houston and in 2004 was named managing director for ExxonMobil Aviation fuels, based in the U.K.

Milton was appointed manager of the Baton Rouge chemical plant in 2006, and in 2008 he was assigned executive assistant to the chairman and chief executive officer of ExxonMobil Corporation. In 2009, he was appointed vice president of Basic Chemicals for ExxonMobil Chemical Company. Before his current role, Milton was president of ExxonMobil Global Services Company. Milton was appointed to his current position in 2016
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Negotiations on December shipments of suspension polyvinyl chloride (SPVC) began among Russian producers and converters on 28 November. All producers announced a Rb3,000/tonne price reduction from November, according to ICIS-MRC Price report.

A serious reduction in demand from the domestic market and a tangible decline in export prices in China made Russian producers to make a significant reduction in PVC prices in November. The situation repeated again in November, demand from the domestic market continues to decline, besides Chinese producers announced another tangible reduction in export prices of acetylene PVC.

Negotiations on December supplies of Russian PVC started and taking into account all above said producers had to reduce prices by Rb3,000/tonne or more in comparison with the November level. Chinese producers in the second half of October began to dynamically reduce the export prices of acetylene PVC.

As a result several companies resumed purchases of acetylene PVC, imports in November rose to 2,500 tonnes.
Chinese producers announced another decline in export prices, price offers fell below USD800/tonne DAP Moscow, for container shipments by rail.

Demand for PVC by Russian consumers in November seriously reduced under the pressure of the seasonal factor, despite the reduction in purchases, part of the converters will enter in December with sufficient PVC stocks left since November.

Demand from a number of consumers will even more decrease in December, as in the middle of the month converters will begin to shut their capacities for long-term prevention. Producers faced difficulties in selling PVC in the domestic market in November, as consumers were in no hurry to agree on deals and often forced competitors to compete with each other. As a result, some converters have managed to achieve lower prices than announced earlier this month.

Reduction of demand in the domestic market, some producers tried to compensate by the growth in export volumes.
But demand in foreign markets is not good enough to help Russian producers sell all PVC surplus.

Negotiations for the December supplies were similar to the November ones, the converters were not in a hurry to agree the deals and are trying to achieve the maximum possible concessions. Overall, deals for November shipments were done in the range of Rb62,000-63,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, for K=65/67 and for quantities up to 500 tonnes. Negotiations over prices for resin with K70 started from Rb62,000/tonne CPT Moscow, including VAT, and higher.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) — Mexico's national oil company Pemex has declared force majeure on the loading of Isthmus crude, two sources with knowledge of the matter said, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The producer informed buyers late on Tuesday the force majeure would affect cargoes loading in early December, the sources said. Pemex has offered to replace Isthmus supplies with another Mexican crude grade, Maya, one of the sources said.

The source said force majeure on Mexican crude loadings routinely happens during winter due to poor weather conditions, usually lasting a few days.

Pemex could not be immediately reached for comment as its office is closed during Asian hours. Four oil tankers are waiting off Dos Bocas port to load Isthmus crude, shipping data on Thomson Reuters Eikon shows.

These include supertanker Maran Ajax and three suezmax tankers Pentathlon, Suez Fuzeyya and Trinity.
MRC