BASF expands portfolio of hydrolysis-resistant polyesters

MOSCOW (MRC) -- BASF has further developed its range of hydrolysis-resistant thermoplastic polyesters, as per BASF.

The expanded range of Ultradur HR (HR= hydrolysis resistant) comprises Ultradur B4330 G6 HR High Speed, a particularly flowable and laser markable grade with 30% glass-fiber reinforcement, Ultradur® B4330 G10 HR, a highly reinforced grade with 50% glass fibers as well as Ultradur B4331 G6 HR, the next generation with optimized processing characteristics. Ultradur® B4331 G6 HR is available from now on as uncolored grade, in a black laser markable version, and in orange for components in electric cars.

With its Ultradur HR grades, BASF offers highly resistant PBT materials (PBT= polybutylene terephthalate) which are especially suitable for use in challenging environments. They thus enable a long service life and an excellent operational reliability of automotive components. The HR grades also have a considerably increased resistance to alkaline media which trigger stress corrosion cracking. This is also true of the new Ultradur B4331 G6 HR grade with considerably improved melt stability and flowability. In tests, Ultradur® B4331 G6 HR does not display any increase in viscosity even with long residence times and at high temperatures - the best basis for stable and easy processing. The material can also be colored in orange (RAL 2003) in order to produce high-voltage plug-in connectors for electric cars. Thanks to the unusually high tracking resistance for PBT, the plug-in connectors can be designed smaller and still withstand the higher voltages in electric vehicles. Thus savings on costs and component weight are possible.

The Ultradur 4330 G6 HR series which is already available with 30% glass-fiber reinforcement has been expanded to include the particularly flowable and laser-markable Ultradur® B4330 G6 HR High Speed bk15045. With this grade, thin-walled parts and components which show a high ratio of flow path to wall thickness can easily be produced.

The new Ultradur B4330 G10 HR is filled with 50% glass fibers. It can therefore be processed to components which are simultaneously exposed to moisture and high temperatures (160°C, short term up to 180°C) and keep a high stiffness, e.g. steering modules in the charge air duct. In the temperature range from 140°C to 180°C, the material reaches almost the property level of polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), which is usually employed in this kind of applications.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- His Excellency Dr. Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) Group CEO, held a series of meetings with Chinese oil, gas, refining and petrochemical industry leaders, focused on expanding and deepening investment and partnership opportunities across ADNOC’s integrated Upstream and Downstream value chain, during a visit to Beijing, as per Hydrocarbonprocesing.

H.E. Dr. Al Jaber was in the Chinese capital as part of the effort to expand and deepen business and economic relations with one of the UAE’s largest trading partners.

“Energy cooperation is an important aspect of the UAE’s relations with China, which is the number one oil importer globally and a major growth market for ADNOC’s crude, refined products and petrochemicals. We are keen to expand and deepen that relationship and believe there are mutually beneficial partnership and co-investment opportunities across our Upstream and Downstream value chains. ADNOC is also ready to work with its existing and potential new partners to meet the growing demand for energy and petrochemical products in China," H.E. Dr. Al Jaber said.

At the meetings, H.E. Dr. Al Jaber discussed ADNOC’s plans to develop new Upstream oil and gas resources and to expand ADNOC’s Downstream operations, which will see production of petrochemicals triple to 14.4 million tons per annum by 2025.

As announced earlier this year during ADNOC’s Downstream Investment Forum, the company is making significant investments in new Downstream projects, both domestically and internationally, to grow its refining capability and expand its petrochemical production three-fold to 14.4 mpta by 2025. Planned projects include a world-scale, mixed liquid feedstock Naphtha cracker, as well as investments in new refinery capacity. As a result of the planned expansions in its Downstream business, ADNOC will create one of the world’s largest integrated refining and petrochemical complexes at Ruwais, located in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region.

H.E. Dr. Al Jaber added, "We are keen to partner with value-add strategic partners who can contribute technology, know-how and market access. We believe there is enormous potential to expand our relationship with Chinese companies, especially in the Downstream, as we continue our transformation journey, grow our portfolio of products and maximize value."

The agenda also touched on ADNOC’s new licensing strategy announced earlier this year, which will see six offshore and onshore exploration, development and production blocks made available for competitive bidding.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Valero Energy Corp shut production on the small crude distillation unit (CDU) at its 180,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Memphis, Tennessee, refinery for repairs, sources familiar with plant operations said, as per Reuters.

A Valero spokeswoman did not reply to a request for comment.

Valero plans to keep the 80,000 bpd CDU shut until July 25 for unplanned repairs to clean out fouling from crude oil, the sources said.

As MRC informed previously, an explosion set off a huge fire at Valero Energy Corp’s 225,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) Texas City, Texas, refinery on Thursday afternoon, 19 April 2018, but the fire was quickly contained, according the City of Texas City Emergency Management office. Sources familiar with plant operations said the explosion at about 5 p.m. (6 p.m. EDT/2200 GMT) was on a 12,000-bpd alkylation unit.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Two contractors who were burned last week in a fire at Royal Dutch Shell Plc’s Convent, Louisiana, refinery have been released from the hospital, sources familiar with plant operations said, as per Reuters.

The two contractors, who the sources said were released from the hospital on Friday, were among four workers injured in a flash fire on a hydrogen-like while working on a tail gas treatment unit last Wednesday.

Tail gas treatment units use hydrogen to remove sulfur from motor fuels and their feedstocks. The other two workers injured in the fire were able to return to work the same day.

The 209,787 barrel-per-day Convent refinery is performing a two-month overhaul of the gasoline-producing fluidic catalytic cracking unit and other units, the sources said.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) - Production of unmixed polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in Russia increased to 484,600 tonnes in the first six months of this year, up 4% compared to the same period of 2017. Not all producers increased production volumes over the reported period, according to MRC ScanPlast.

June output of unmixed PVC exceeded 83,900 tonnes against 78,500 tonnes a month earlier, the low indicator of May was a result of a scheduled maintenance works at RusVinyl. Overall PVC production reached 484,600 tonnes in January-June 2018, compared to 467,700 tonnes a year earlier. All plants raised their output, except for RusVinyl.

The structure of PVC production by plants looked the following way over the stated period.

RusVinyl (JV of SIBUR and SolVin) produced about 28,800 tonnes of PVC in June, with emulsion polyvinyl chloride (EPVC) accounting for 2,400 tonnes, compared to 21,500 tonnes a month earlier. The Nizhny Novgorod producer shut down its production for a scheduled turnaround in the third decade of April. The maintenance was finished in early May. RusVinyl's overall production of resin reached 155,800 tonnes in the first six months of 2018, which is practically the same as in Q1 2017.

SayanskKhimPlast increased capacity utilisation last month, the plant's SPVC production reached 27,000 tonnes, whereas this figure was 26,600 tonnes in May. The Sayansk plant managed to produce 149,800 tonnes of resin in the first six months of the year, compared to 136,300 tonnes a year earlier.

Baskhir Soda Company produced about 21,300 tonnes of SPVC in June, against 22,300 tonnes a month earlier. The Bashkir plant's overall production of PVC exceeded 1323,600 tonnes in January-June 2018, up by 2% year on year.

Kaustik (Volgograd) in June decreased SPVC production, reaching about 6,900 tonnes, compared with 8,100 tonnes in May. The plant's overall production of resin exceeded 46,400 tonnes over the stated period versus 45,700 tonnes a year earlier.

MRC