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U.S. specialty chemical markets accelerated in Feb., ACC says

The American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes rose a strong 0.6 percent in February. This follows an upwardly revised 0.4 percent gain in January. Volumes have generally been moving up since May.…

Lubrizol to take majority ownership of JV with Indian Oil

The Lubrizol Corp. (Wickliffe, Ohio; www.lubrizol.com) announces its intention to increase its equity in Lubrizol India Private Limited (LIPL), currently a 50-50 joint venture between Lubrizol and Indian Oil Corporation Limited (Indian Oil). Indian Oil has received in-principle approval from…

Fluor awarded five-year maintenance contract by Huntsman

Fluor Corp. (Irving, Tex.; www.fluor.com) announced that Stork, Fluor’s maintenance, modification and asset integrity segment, was awarded a five-year contract by Huntsman Corp. (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.huntsman.com) for maintenance and sustaining small capital projects at four of its differentiated chemicals…

Indian refinery to use Honeywell UOP technology to meet rising domestic demand for clean fuels

Honeywell today announced that Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL) is using technologies from Honeywell UOP (Des Plaines, Ill.; www.uop.com) for the expansion and modernization of its refinery at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh on the southeast coast of India. Included in…

CB&I awarded contract for hydrocracking unit for Afipsky Oil Refinery expansion project

CB&I (The Woodlands, Tex.; www.cbi.com) has been awarded a contract valued at approximately $460 million by NefteGazIndustriya, LLC, through project developer China National Chemical Engineering Co., for the Afipsky Oil Refinery Expansion Project in Krasnodar, Russia. The project was included…

Chemical Activity Barometer sees strongest Y/Y gain in years, ACC says

The Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB), a leading economic indicator created by the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com), posted its strongest year-over-year gain in nearly seven years. The 5.5 percent increase over this time last year reflects elevated consumer…

Abengoa to divest bioethanol plants in Spain and France

Abengoa (Seville, Spain; www.abengoa.com) and private equity firm Trilantic Europe have signed an agreement under which Trilantic will acquire Abengoa’s four bioethanol plants in Spain and France. The deal is valued at €140 million, including the debt assumed by the…

Pump Selection Considerations

A number of factors need to be considered to properly size and specify a vacuum pump.  In some of our previous posts, we've discussed topics like how to determine the right flow rate for your new pump.  Considerations such as…

3M to buy Scott Safety for $2 billion

Johnson Controls (Milwaukee, Wis.; www.johnsoncontrols.com) announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its Scott Safety business to 3M Co. (St. Paul, Minn.; www.3m.com) in a cash transaction valued at approximately $2.0 billion. Scott Safety is a leader…

Current economic trends: CEPCI January (prelim.) and December (final)

The preliminary value for the January CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) represents a gain from the last reading of 2016. With that, the annual CEPCI number for 2016 was calculated to be 541.7, using the average…