Tag: Refinery

YPF says that its modernisation of the Luján de Cuyo refinery has taken a step forward with the installation of a hydrodesulphurisation reactor, designed to remove sulphur compounds from diesel fuel by means of a catalytic process using hydrogen. The installation forms part of the refinery’s New Fuel Specifications (NEC) project, intended to produce of fuels with a lower environmental impact. The new reactor was built in Mendoza by IMPSA. With a length of 38 meters and a weight of 456 tons, it was moved from Godoy Cruz to the YPF plant in a logistic operation that involved Vialidad Nacional, Mendoza Police and local authorities. It will now be integrated into the HDS II unit, designed to reduce sulphur content in diesel to 10 parts per million, in line with current environmental requirements. The NEC plan includes new process units, such as H2 II and SE33, the adaptation of existing facilities and the improvement of auxiliary services. The project, already 85% complete, will allow all the diesel oil produced in Luján de Cuyo to comply with the highest emission requirements.

Topsoe has been selected as the renewable diesel technology partner for CountryMark’s Mount Vernon, Indiana refinery. Located in southwestern Indiana, the refinery processes 35,000 bbl/d of crude oil. With the addition of Topsoe’s HydroFlex technology, CountryMark aims to produce up to 250,000 barrels of renewable diesel annually. The new unit is expected to enable an emission avoidance of approximately 84,500 t/a of CO2 e. CountryMark, a farmer-owned cooperative, will use local soybean oil as the primary feedstock to produce renewable diesel, helping create a locally sourced renewable fuel economy in Indiana.

Sulphur output in North America continues to decline due to refinery closures and conversions at the same time that acid demand is increasing for metals processing projects.

Thyssenkrupp Uhde’s BioTfueL® technology has been selected for the BioTJet project by Elyse Energy and its partners (Axens, Avril, IFPEN). This project will produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from end-of-life wood waste and local forestry residues. together with the addition of green hydrogen. By 2029, BioTJet will supply sustainable aviation fuel to reduce carbon intensity in air

The US Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) has released a second update on its ongoing investigation into the fatal hydrogen sulphide release that occurred on October 10, 2024, at the PEMEX Deer Park Refinery in Deer Park, Texas. Two contract workers died during the incident, and over 13 tonnes of hydrogen sulphide gas were released. Local authorities issued shelter-in-place orders lasting several hours for the neighbouring cities of Deer Park and Pasadena.

Samsung E&A has announced the termination of its $1.6 billion contract with the Mexican state-owned oil company PEMEX for a sulphur recovery facility project. Samsung says that the contract, originally signed nearly a decade ago, has faced significant delays and suspensions due to budget cuts imposed by the client. It concerns a hydrodesulphurisation (HDS) facility aimed at removing sulphur components from diesel fuel at the Salamanca refinery in Guanajuato state, central Mexico. In a statement, Samsung E&A confirmed that they have reached an amicable agreement regarding the contract termination, stating, “We have been fully compensated for the expenses incurred during the project suspension, and since this project was not included in our sales or operating profit forecasts for this year, there will be no financial loss due to the contract termination.”

The Middle East remains the world’s largest regional exporter of sulphur, with additional capacity continuing to come from both refineries and particularly sour gas processing.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni of Uganda has overseen the signing of signed an implementation agreement for the Uganda Refinery between the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, the Uganda National Oil Company (UNOC) and joint venture partner Alpha MBM Investments. Alpha MBM is a UAE-based company led by Sheikh Mohammed bin Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, a member of the Dubai Royal Family. The agreement paves way for the design, construction and operation of the 60,000 bbl/d refinery to be undertaken at Kabaale. Construction is expected to take three years, with UNOC and Alpha MBM Investments as the project partners. The refinery, which will be East Africa’s first major crude processing plant, aims to reduce Uganda’s dependency on imported petroleum products and is expected to meet the local and regional demand for petroleum products.

TotalEnergies has signed an agreement with the German developer RWE to supply 30,000 t/a of green hydrogen to the Leuna refinery for fifteen years, beginning in 2030. The green hydrogen will be produced by a 300 MW electrolyser, built and operated by RWE in Lingen. Green hydrogen storage will be provided locally. The green hydrogen will be delivered by a 600 km pipeline to the gates of the refinery and will prevent the site’s emission of some 300,000 tons of CO2 beginning in 2030. This is the largest quantity of green hydrogen ever contracted from an electrolyser in Germany.

Astron Energy, a subsidiary of Glencore, says that it will spend $328 million to upgrade its South African crude oil refinery in order to comply with the country’s upcoming cleaner fuel regulations. The investment aims to bring the facility in line with South Africa’s Clean Fuels II standards, which mandate lower sulphur content in both petrol and diesel. The 100,000 bbl/d refinery near Cape Town is one of only two remaining operational refineries in the country. Astron says that construction work is already under way for a gasoline hydrotreating plant that will reduce sulphur levels to Euro 5 (<10ppm sulphur) specifications. The regulations have been delayed to July 2027 due to concerns over the cost of upgrading existing refining infrastructure. n