Oil storage blast in central Iran kills two, fire contained

MOSCOW (MRC) - An explosion at an Iranian oil storage facility in the central industrial zone of Khomein killed two people and wounded another, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, as per Reuters.

"An oil purifier unit in the Khomein facility caught fire around noon ... which caused a blast in which two people were killed," the deputy governor of Iran’s Markazi province, Fatollah Haghighi, told Tasnim.

"The fire has been completely contained but firefighters will remain at the scene until the cooling operation is completed."

The official said that technical issues caused the fire.
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MOSCOW (MRC) -- Сandu Energy, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, has secured a contract to offer decommissioning services for the Saskatchewan Research Council’s (SRC) Safe Low-Power Kritical Experiment (SLOWPOKE-2) research reactor, as per Compello.

The design of the SLOWPOKE-2 reactor is inherently safe and poses a very low risk. For 37 years, the reactor has operated safely in SRC’s Environmental Analytical Laboratories in Saskatoon.

"Decommissioning is the end of the nuclear lifecycle that SNC-Lavalin supports with the latest technology, modern tools and training – all with a focus on safety,” said Sandy Taylor, President, Nuclear at SNC-Lavalin. "We have successfully decommissioned similar reactors at Dalhousie University and the University of Alberta in recent years, and our track record speaks to our commitment to the Saskatchewan Research Council that its SLOWPOKE-2 reactor will be safely retired in the most environmentally responsible manner."

SRC’s SLOWPOKE-2 nuclear reactor was mainly used as an analytical tool for neutron activation analysis to determine uranium and other elemental concentrations in a wide variety of sample types. Developed by Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. (AECL) in the 1960s, SLOWPOKE-2 reactors support nuclear education and research.

The specialized techniques used for SLOWPOKE-2 decommissioning, heavy water reactor decommissioning projects as well as large, commercial reactor refurbishments can be applied to the global decommissioning market to increase certainty in schedule, cost and outcome. These techniques are not just efficient in terms of project management, but are also safe and effective practices.
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MOSCOW (MRC) - Russia and China delayed a U.S. push for a U.N. Security Council committee to order a halt to refined petroleum exports to North Korea, asking for more detail on a U.S. accusation that Pyongyang has breached a cap, diplomats said, as per Reuters.

Russia's mission to the United Nations told the 15-member committee it is "closely examining this request and is seeking additional information on every single case of 'illegal' transfer of petroleum," diplomats said. China backed the request for information.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- TechnipFMC has been awarded a substantial contract by the state-owned Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) for a grassroot Hydrogen Generation Unit (HGU), as per Yourpetrochemicalnews.

The project is part of the brownfield expansion for HPCL’s Visakh Refinery Modernization Project located in Visakhapatnam, in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India.

The contract covers project management, technology licensing, preparation of basic design and engineering package, as well as detailed engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and performance guarantee test run on a licensing, engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning basis.

This HGU is being installed to cater to the needs of HPCL Visakh refinery to enhance its refining capacity from 8.33 MMTPA to 15 MMTPA. TechnipFMC’s scope includes an HGU comprising two trains with a design capacity of 113 KTPA each and a Pressure Swing Adsorption Unit of 36 KTPA hydrogen production.

TechnipFMC advanced the application of its proprietary steam reforming technology beyond the conventional fired reformer by adding its TechnipFMC Parallel Reformer (TPR), a convective, high temperature heat exchange reformer. This combination reduces overall firing demand by taking high temperature heat from the effluent of the conventional reformer to supply heat needed for the TPR. In addition, the design includes a power generation unit that utilizes excess steam, making the plant electrically self-sufficient.

NelloUccelletti, President of the Onshore/Offshore business at TechnipFMC, commented: "Our proprietary steam reforming and TPR technologies were key differentiators in this award. By maximizing energy efficiency, lowering feed consumption, reducing power import and minimizing emissions, these technologies will enable us to provide HPCL with a self-sufficient HGU which is one of a kind in the industry."

TechnipFMC previously executed two HGUs for HPCL and has a strong presence in India. The company is a global leader in the design and supply of hydrogen plants, with more than 270 built worldwide.
MRC

MOSCOW (MRC) -- The CITGO Lemont Refinery announced that it was honored for its exemplary 2017 safety record by the Three River's Manufacturers' Association (TRMA), the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers (AFPM) and BNSF Railway, as per Hydrocarbonprocessing.

CITGO Lemont Tank Car Loaders were presented with the BNSF Product Stewardship Award by Jeff Hawthorne, CITGO Operations Unit Supervisor, and Glenn Rabinak, CITGO Engineering and Business Services General Manager.

Through best practice standards, consistent employee training, and performance metrics and auditing to continually meet a high-level safety performance, the Lemont Refinery surpassed its previous safety record by reaching over 14 million work hours with zero lost workday cases at the end of 2017.

On April 4, 2018, the Lemont Refinery received the Partnership Award for its outstanding safety performance during the TRMA Annual Dinner Meeting in Joliet, Illinois. This award is given to industry leaders with a total Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) workplace recordable incident rate of less than 0.30 for the calendar year.

For the second consecutive year, the Lemont Refinery received a Safety Achievement Award from AFPM during the organization's annual conference in May. To be considered for this award, the company must surpass six key criteria, including an OSHA recordable incident rate below 0.4 and no employee or contractor injuries requiring hospitalization.

For four consecutive years, the Lemont Refinery has received the BNSF Railway Product Stewardship Award for zero non-accidental releases of hazardous products during a calendar year. To qualify for the award, a company must have tendered a minimum of 400 orders to BNSF during 2017.

"Safety is our top priority at CITGO. Through teamwork and collective diligence, the Lemont Refinery will continue to work at exceeding expectations, and strive for an incident-free workplace during 2018," said Jim Cristman, CITGO Vice President of Refining.
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