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KBR awarded project-management contract from Nigerian National Petroleum Corp.

KBR, Inc. (Houston; www.kbr.com) announced that it has been awarded the Project Management Consultancy Services contract by Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) for front-end engineering design (FEED) definition at the NNPC headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria. Under the terms of the…

Clariant to sell its Masterbatches business for $1.6 billion

Clariant (Muttenz, Switzerland; www.clariant.com) has agreed to sell its entire Masterbatches business to PolyOne Corp. (Avon Lake, Ohio; www.polyone.com). The transaction values the Masterbatches business at $1,560 million, representing about 12.2 times the last twelve months reported EBITDA (ending September…

Selecting Seals for Abrasive Slurries: What to Consider

Abrasive slurries in chemical processing applications impose considerable erosive impact on seals, necessitating careful selection of seal types and materials, to both safeguard process liquid integrity and maximize seal longevity (Figure 1).  Such slurries may be encountered in many applications,…

Hitachi to sell chemicals business to Showa Denko for $8.8 billion

Hitachi, Ltd. (Toyko; www.hitachi.com) announced that it has executed a tender offer agreement with Showa Denko K.K. (SDK; Tokyo; www.sdk.co.jp) and HC Holdings K.K, a wholly- owned subsidiary of SDK, under which Hitachi agrees to tender all shares of common…

Axens signs agreement with PKN Orlen for Vegan Technology License

Axens (Rueil-Malmaison, France; www.axens.net) has signed an agreement with PKN Orlen for Vegan Technology License and Process Book Supply for the production of renewable diesel and jet fuel, through hydrotreating of vegetable oils in its Płock Refinery in Poland. Based…

Industrial Lighting Safety

LED lighting can provide a safer alternative to conventional high-pressure sodium, and fluorescent lighting fixtures in industrial settings In many chemical facilities, lighting is a necessary but challenging feat. Adequate illumination is, of course, essential to operations and worker safety,…

Grupa Azoty selects KBR technology for high-purity nitric acid plant

KBR (Houston; www.kbr.com) has been awarded a contract to utilize its proprietary Plinke Magnac technology to produce high-concentration nitric acid at Grupa Azoty’s Tarnow site in Poland KBR will provide basic and detailed engineering design, equipment, and related advisory services…

2019 CEPCI Updates: October (prelim.) and September (final)

The preliminary value for the CE Plant Cost Index (CEPCI; the most recent available) for October 2019 decreased from the previous month’s value, the seventh decline in the last nine months. The decrease in the overall CEPCI was driven by…

McDermott wins technology contract for refinery modernization project in Serbia

McDermott International, Inc. (Houston; www.mcdermott.com) announced that it has been awarded a technology contract by Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) for the modernization of its existing Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit to be implemented at their refinery in Pancevo, Serbia. As part…

Sasol raises production rates at Lake Charles ethane cracker

Sasol Ltd. (Johannesburg, South Africa; www.sasol.co.za) announced that its Lake Charles Chemical Project (LCCP) Ethane Cracker, located in Lake Charles, Louisiana, is increasing production rates following the successful replacement of the acetylene reactor catalyst. The ethane cracker achieved beneficial operation…