Shell refinery hydrocracker in Norco partially shut due to malfunction

Shell refinery hydrocracker in Norco partially shut due to malfunction

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The hydrocracker at Royal Dutch Shell Plc's 227,400 barrel-per-day (bpd) Norco, Louisiana, refinery was partially shut because of a malfunction, reported Reuters with reference to sources familiar with plant operations.

The second stage of the 40,000-bpd hydrocracker was taken offline, the sources said.

Hydrocrackers break down feedstocks, usually, gas oil to make diesel and other motor fuels. The unit's first stage continues to operate.

As MRC informed previously, in late May, 2021, Shell agreed to sell its controlling interest in a Texas refinery to partner Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex) for about USD596 million. And in early May, Shell announced the sale of its 149,000 barrel per day (bpd) refinery in Washington to Hollyfrontier Corp.

Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 744,130 tonnes in the first four month of 2021, up by 4% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. At the same time, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.

Royal Dutch Shell plc is an Anglo-Dutch multinational oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the biggest company in the world in terms of revenue and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors". Shell is vertically integrated and is active in every area of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution and marketing, petrochemicals, power generation and trading.
MRC

RPM International acquired high-performance coatings producer Dudick

RPM International acquired high-performance coatings producer Dudick

MOSCOW (MRC) -- RPM International Inc, a specialty coatings and sealants manufacturer headquartered in Medina, Ohio, acquired Dudick Inc, said the company.

RPM International Inc.announced that its Carboline subsidiary has acquired the Dudick Inc. business. A provider of high-performance coatings, flooring systems and tank linings, Dudick is headquartered in Streetsboro, Ohio, and has annual net sales of approximately USD10 million. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"Dudick will be a natural fit in our Performance Coatings Group, bringing with them a strong reputation for high-quality products and excellent service built under the leadership of Tom Dudick,” stated Frank C. Sullivan, RPM chairman and CEO. “This acquisition of the Dudick business will allow Carboline to strengthen its position in the secondary containment linings market with an established and trusted product while simultaneously opening the door to expanded sales and future growth opportunity worldwide."

As per MRC, RPM International Inc. announced that it acquired Prime Resins to be part of its USL Group. Prime Resins is a manufacturer of specialty chemicals and equipment for infrastructure construction and repair. Headquartered in Conyers, Georgia, Prime Resins has annual net sales of approximately USD7 million. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to be accretive to earnings within one year, were not disclosed.

As MRC informed before, Russia's output of chemical products rose in March 2021 by 5.4% year on year. Thus, production of basic chemicals increased year on year by 6.7% in the first moths months of 2021. March production of polymers in primary form was 958,000 tonnes versus 861,000 tonnes in February. Overall output of polymers in primary form totalled 2,740,000 tonnes over the stated period, up by 8.5% year on year.

Founded in 1970, Dudick is a manufacturer of high-performance linings and secondary containment coatings, providing solutions for corrosion resistance and chemical containment systems across a broad range of applications including food processing, steel production, chemical processing, pulp and paper, electronics, power and biological research labs. The company’s products are manufactured in the U.S., with additional manufacturing relationships in Taiwan and South Korea, and are distributed worldwide. The Dudick business will become part of RPM’s Carboline subsidiary, which is a leading U.S. manufacturer of high-performance industrial coatings, linings and fireproofing products.

RPM International Inc. owns subsidiaries that are world leaders in specialty coatings, sealants, building materials and related services. The company operates across four reportable segments: consumer, construction products, performance coatings and specialty products.
MRC

Greiner Packaging produces first cup prototypes made of PP

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Greiner Packaging is for the first time incorporating renewable resources in the production of food cups made of polypropylene (PP) with in-mold labeling (IML) as the decoration technology, said the company.

Initial prototypes of the cups are available now. The new premium polyolefins designed for circularity by Borealis offer a host of advantages: manufactured using second-generation feedstocks not based on fossil fuels, same performance as virgin materials; drop-in solution, approved for food contact, ISCC PLUS certification, based on the mass balance approach, carbon footprint reduced by up to 120%.

Greiner Packaging is pursuing various approaches to make its packaging solutions as sustainable as possible. One course of action is to use so-called circular materials – that is, renewable, non-fossil fuel feedstocks. For the first time, the packaging manufacturer has now produced a food cup made of premium polyolefins obtained exclusively from waste and residue streams. The Bornewables line of products is manufactured by Borealis, a leading supplier of polyolefins based in Vienna, Austria.

Unlike renewable raw materials produced with agricultural crops grown for food and livestock feed, the Bornewables products are made from second-generation (i.e., renewably sourced) feedstocks derived solely from waste and residue streams: from vegetable oil production as well as oil waste and residues, from the timber industry, or from the food industry – for instance, used cooking oil.

The Bornewables offer the same characteristics as virgin polyolefin materials while boasting a substantially reduced carbon footprint. “The Bornewables portfolio represents a key step in our efforts to offer products decoupled from traditional feedstock, with the aim of providing a solution to the CO2 challenge. Through this product range, we are helping our customers and the value chain achieve their own sustainability targets, maintain their existing quality standards, and provide packaging solutions that are approved for food contact. We focus on the needs of our customers and the value chain as we work to drive the transition to a circular economy for plastics,” says Trevor Davis, Head of Marketing, Consumer Products at Borealis.

As per MRC, plastic packaging manufacturer Greiner Packaging partnered with Russian plastic packaging manufacturer Plastic System to create a joint venture called Greiner Packaging System. This enterprise, located in the city of Noginsk, Moscow Region, will focus on the production of containers by injection molding (IML) and printed products, as well as large-sized packaging for consumers of the food and non-food industries in the Russian Federation.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.

Greiner Packaging is one of the leading manufacturers of food and non-food plastic packaging in Europe. It has operating enterprises in 19 countries of the world. The company includes the Packaging divisions of the K and Kavo groups as well as the Assistec division.
MRC

FCC plant at Germany largest refinery gets new reactor head during overhaul

FCC plant at Germany largest refinery gets new reactor head during overhaul

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The FCC plant of the Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein (MiRO) in Germany received a new FCC reactor head as part of a major scheduled turnaround, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.

During the preparatory phase of the turnaround, Mammoet already unloaded this new reactor head at port and transported it by SPMT to the pre-assembly area in the refinery. There, the heaviest and largest single component, weighing 270t, was temporarily stored on a pre-assembly rack until it was finally to be replaced.

Since 2018, Mammoet had worked in close cooperation with the client MAN Energy Solutions SE und MiRO to establish the feasibility of the project, and the smoothest execution method. The reactor head was to be pre-assembled as far as possible to save time during the turnaround.

The engineering concept was as follows. A CC6800 crawler crane would be used in continuous day and night shifts to replace the pre-assembled reactor head. It would also be used for all other heavy lifts in the FCC plant. Due to the confined conditions on site, the crawler crane had to be assembled before the start of the turnaround, as the only access road to the FCC plant could not be closed. However, sudden wintry weather delayed the erection of the crane. Nevertheless, through joint efforts on site, the deadline for lift standby was met.

Four weeks later, the new reactor head was moved in the same manner from the pre-assembly area to the FCC plant, rigged with the COGAS winch, lifted into place and installed.

During the turnaround, a storm came up. The wind speed was so high that the boom of the crawler crane would need to be lowered. However, this would have blocked the only access road to the FCC plant, which would have meant an interruption to all other work. Thus, another solution had to be found.

Despite the challenging weather conditions, and the additional complicating restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, the overall schedule was met.

As MRC wrote previously, tasked by company Grupa Azoty (Tarnow, Poland), one of the main players on the European fertilizer and chemical market, Mammoet has recently completed the first scope of work that will lead to the construction of the propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene (PDH/PP) blocks of its client’s chemical facility.

Propylene is the main feedstock for the production of polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, PP deliveries to the Russian market were 523,900 tonnes in January-April 2021, up by 55% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whereas shipments of PP random copolymers decreased.
MRC

OxyChem force majeure on PVC supply remains in force in early June

OxyChem force majeure on PVC supply remains in force in early June

MOSCOW (MRC) -- OxyChem, the chemical division of Occidental Petroleum, left force majeure (FM) on polyvinyl chloride (PVC) supplies from its plants in North America in force as of 2 June, 2021, reported S&P Global with reference to the company's letter.

OxyChem, a major manufacturer of chlor-alkali and vinyl products, including chlorine, caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, ethylene dichloride (EDC), vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), and PVC at plants in Texas, Louisiana and Alabama, Tennessee, New Jersey and New York.

The total capacity of OxyChem's plants and subsidiaries for the production of chlorine and caustic soda is about 3 million mt/year, and its PVC production is almost 2 million mt/year.

The FM was declared on 15 February, 2021, due to the deep freeze that hit the region. The severe weather conditions affected then all Texas and western Louisiana facilities.

As MRC informed before, OxyChem had a seven-day PVC turnaround slated for April, 2020, at its plant in Pasadena, Texas, USA. This plant's production capacity is 1 million mt/year.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's overall PVC production reached 346,100 tonnes in the first four months of 2021, down 1% year on year. All producers decreased production volumes over the reported period, with the exception of the Bashkir Soda Company.

Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OxyChem) is a California-based oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the United States, the Middle East, North Africa, and South America. Oxychem is Oxy's Texas-based subsidiary which manufacture polyvinyl chloride (PVC) resins, chlorine and caustic soda used in plastics, pharmaceuticals and water treatment chemicals.
MRC