Petroleum coke is a byproduct of oil refining that can be used for a variety of industrial applications. It is an important fuel for power plants, and it can also be used to produce carbon anodes for aluminum production and graphite electrodes for steel smelting.
Fuel-grade petcoke can be burned in boilers, but it requires costly pollution controls to minimize sulfur and vanadium concentrations. It is typically pulverized and mixed with cheaper, low sulfur coal in cement kilns.
The BP group of companies operates globally. Its activities include oil and gas exploration, production, transportation, refining, and chemicals manufacturing. It also provides lubricant and convenience fuels, and has a significant market share in Europe. The company is headquartered in London.
In the late 1970s BP was focusing on developing its North American operations, including the Prudhoe Bay field in Alaska and the North Sea. The company also acquired the U.S. East Coast refinery and marketing facilities of Atlantic Richfield Company in 1977.
In 1998 BP completed the merger with Amoco Corporation, the biggest industrial deal in history at the time. The new company became a global leader in natural gas and diversified its business into other areas. Today BP's major brands include Castrol, Amoco, and Aral. In addition, the company has growing operations in solar power. BP also produces a number of specialty chemicals, including purified terephthalic acid and polyester fibers. Its other petroleum products include asphalt, liquefied petroleum gases, and fuel additives.
The company is a leading downstream energy company and home to the country’s largest refining system. Its business model focuses on producing and selling petroleum products through long-term contracts with retail dealers. The company also specializes in delivering fuels and other products by truck, barge, railcar, and pipeline.
Its refining and marketing operations are concentrated in the Midwest, Northeast, East Coast, Southeast, and Gulf Coast regions of the United States. It also operates international gas operations. In addition, it owns and operates a network of convenience stores and gasoline stations under the Marathon brand.
In 2014, it purchased the retail operations of Hess Corporation. This allowed the Marathon brand to enter the Northeastern United States east of the Appalachian Mountains and north of Pennsylvania. It also expanded its presence in Western Pennsylvania by acquiring the retail contracts of several Shell stations. It also owns the general partner and majority limited partnership interest in MPLX LP, which owns and operates gathering, processing, and fractionation assets.
A scion of the Ruia family, Ravi has made his mark on India’s core industrial sector, building steel plants and acquiring telecom companies. His global exposure and fresh perspective have led to the expansion of the Essar group into other sectors, including energy & gas, refining and metals & mining.
The London-listed essar energy, the Ruias’ flagship for oil business, is stepping up investments to improve the operations and efficiency of its Chester refinery located in northwestern England. It also plans to increase output of low carbon fuels, such as methanol and hydrogen, from the facility.
The company is also planning to pursue new CBM exploration in India’s eastern Raniganj East Block, and it is evaluating other assets that may be suitable for development as part of its vision to support New Delhi’s move toward a gas-based economy. However, the plan depends on financing, and banks, which took a big haircut in their exposure to Essar Steel, are understandably not queuing up to offer loans.
Valero is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of petroleum-based and low-carbon liquid transportation fuels and petrochemical products. It sells its products in the United States, Canada, Ireland, Mexico and Latin America. Its businesses include refining, ethanol, and renewable diesel. The company’s 15 refineries have a combined capacity of over 3.2 million barrels per day. It also owns and operates crude oil and refined product pipelines, terminals, marine docks, truck rack bays, and other transportation and logistics assets. Its marketing operations include the Ultramar, Beacon, Diamond Shamrock and Texaco brands.
Valero entered into a settlement with the EPA to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations at 11 refineries and one import facility. The settlement requires the company to develop and implement a comprehensive Fuels Management System (FMS) to ensure its gasoline and diesel production meets EPA fuel quality standards. The FMS will address corporate procedures, protocols and requirements for sampling, testing, reporting, and recordkeeping. It will also involve the implementation of laboratory measurement systems at refinery laboratories to automatically alert Valero’s management when lab performance is below established levels.
English
Write a Message