Future Refining and Storage Contents 2010
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Contents
Refining restructuring and realignment
The relationship between the refining and storage industries has never been stronger. With rationalisation of the refining sector taking place on a global scale, access to storage infrastructure becomes critical in maintaining the oil products supply chain and staying competitive not only in today’s marketplace but also going forward, as Wood Mackenzie’s John Stewart, Downstream Research Analyst, and Ben Holt, Vice President – Downstream Consulting, Europe, explain.
Blending biofuels – a European perspective
Biofuels are a small, but growing, part of the European energy mix. The EU’s biofuels target of 10% of transport volume by 2020 poses significant challenges to refiners and distributors as they integrate biofuels into their hydrocarbon value chain. Europe, however, is unique in terms of its varying biofuels targets, its sources and its ability to move products. These complications also offer options – those refiners that optimise biofuels blending can create significant cost advantages, as Melissa Stark and Ian O’Gara of Accenture, explain.
Balancing the changes
Fuel refiners are looking to cold flow additives for margin maximisation. They are striving to squeeze every last drop of value out of the barrel by maximising the production of light and middle distillates, ensuring product compliance and creating differentiation, reports formulator, manufacturer and marketer of petroleum additives Infineum.
Weak financials accelerate structural shift
Chronically weak financial performance in the refining sector is accelerating the shift in ownership away from independent oil companies (IOCs) towards national oil companies (NOCs) as never before, writes Richard Krijgsman, CEO Evaluate Energy.
How do you know it won’t happen to you?
A number of recent incidents at bulk storage facilities and refineries in various parts of the world have highlighted the increasing importance of effective process safety management (PSM). Here, Martin Ball MEI, John Pond MEI and Dr Mark Scanlon MEI introduce the Energy Institute’s (EI) PSM framework, specifically developed to help operators identify and manage process safety issues.
Major expansion to Egypt’s refining sector
Egypt is accelerating plans to upgrade existing refineries and increase production of lighter fuel products, reports Osama Diab, in Cairo.
Ins and outs
Some are desperate to get into the terminalling business, others are keen to get out. What’s going on in the market to make this happen? And what’s going to happen next?
A breed apart
High land prices and limited availability of suitable waterfront sites is holding up further development of Japan’s third-party tank terminal capacity, leaving mergers and acquisitions as the main option for terminal operators looking to expand their storage capacity.
Strength in depth
Stainless steel is the ultimate answer to corrosion prevention but terminal operators are often wary of using it. New grades of duplex steel developed by Outokumpu offer some solutions.
Toys for the boys
The Buncefield inquiry threw the use of management and control systems into sharp focus. For its part, Honeywell Process Solutions has responded by updating and expanding its range.
Don’t get upset
Even brief periods of poor performance in wastewater treatment process units can cause a dramatic increase in water contamination levels, leading facility operators into non-compliance issues. An elegant solution is being offered by BPC.
Just in case
A new regime for compulsory stockholding is arriving in Europe. A change in the way that stocks are held will impact independent terminals and the market for storage.
