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October 15 2022

Maruichi Stainless Tube Building $75M Plant in Texas

k999content News chemicals, fabrication, manufacturing, oil and gas, operations 0

Maruichi Stainless Tube Texas Corp. is planning to build a 125,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Seguin. The Seguin Economic Development Corp. and the city of Seguin have announced Maruichi expects to break ground on the project at the beginning of 2023 and be completed at the beginning of 2024. The project will represent a total capital investment of $75 million and will result in the creation of at least 106 new jobs over a two-year period. Products produced by the company are used in power plants, the chemical industry, the semiconductor industry, hydrogen gas stations, the automotive industry and structural machinery.

“Maruichi is very excited to expand our manufacturing operations in Seguin, Texas”, said Takashi Onishi, president for Maruichi Stainless Tube Co. LTD. “Strategic location, access to a skilled workforce, and the partnership and genuine support we’ve received from the SEDC Board of Directors, the Seguin City Council and city staff helped solidify Maruichi’s decision to locate this project in Seguin. We look forward to contributing to the betterment of the city’s economy and becoming the newest member of the business community.” Maruichi Stainless Tube Texas Corp.’s future Seguin facility will produce seamless stainless steel precision tube via steel fabrication to support customers in the semiconductor industry. The demand for stainless steel precision bright annealed, or BA, tubes used for semiconductor manufacturing is significantly increasing due to global increase in semiconductor demand.

The Seguin facility will help Maruichi further meet demand in the United States from multiple construction and mining projects for large-scale semiconductor manufacturing plants and mining plant and equipment, according to a press release from the city of Seguin. “We are delighted that Maruichi has decided to build their new manufacturing facility in Seguin, Texas. This project will help create excellent employment opportunities for our residents and help grow and diversify our economic base. We are proud that they have chosen to do business in the city of Seguin” Seguin Mayor Donna Dodgen said. Maruichi will build the Seguin facility on a 33-acre site to be purchased from the SEDC. The site is situated between Eighth Street and Guadalupe Street, just south of I-10, within the Rio Nogales Industrial Park. The SEDC Board of Directors and Seguin City Council approved a purchase and sale agreement during meetings held Sept. 6.

The SEDC Board of Directors and Seguin City Council also approved a performance-based cash grant formalized through a performance agreement. Maruichi is required to meet capital investment, job creation and payroll performance benchmarks over the term of the agreement in order to realize the SEDC incentive, according to the city of Seguin. “Maruichi’s investment will help diversify and strengthen Seguin’s rapidly growing manufacturing and heavy steel fabrication industry,” said Josh Schneuker, executive director of the Seguin Economic Development Corp. “Economic development is a team sport, and today’s announcement would not be possible if it were not for the collaboration between the SEDC, the city, and our regional partner greater: SATX. The hard work over the past few months helped secure this project to the city of Seguin, Guadalupe County and the San Antonio Region.”

April 5 2022

Processes Involved in Crude Oil Refining

k999content Blog chemicals, cracking, crude oil, distillation, refining 0

Have you ever wondered how crude oil is converted into end-use goods like gasoline, heating oil, cooking gas etc.? It involves a process whereby crude oil is obtained as part of upstream activities, it is refined during midstream activities and finally, it is sold as petroleum products as part of downstream activities. The refining is done in petroleum refineries (with machinery such as pressure vessels) which are large-scale industrial complexes that produce saleable petroleum products from crude oil. This blog will explore further details around the refining process and will look at the various metrics involved in this regard.

Distillation

Distillation involves the separation of materials based on differences in their volatility. This is the first and most basic step in the refining process, and is the precursor to the subsequent steps of cracking and reforming. In this process, crude oil is heated until it boils and is fed into a distillation column. As the temperature of the crude oil in the distillation column rises, the crude oil separates itself into different components, called “fractions.” which are then captured separately. Each fraction corresponds to a different type of petroleum product (e.g., petrol, paraffin, diesel fuel etc.), depending on the temperature at which that fraction boils off the crude oil mixture.

Cracking and Reforming

The heaviest fractions obtained as part of distillation, including the gas oils and residual oils, are lower in value than some of the lighter fractions, so refiners go through a process called “cracking” to break apart the molecules in these fractions. This process can produce some higher-value products from heavier fractions. Cracking is most often utilized to produce gasoline and jet fuel from heavy gas oils. Reforming is typically utilized on lower-value light fractions, again to produce more gasoline. The reforming process involves inducing chemical reactions under pressure to change the composition of the hydrocarbon chain.

Chemical Processes

Chemical Processes in pipe

Apart from the above-mentioned processes, some of the major chemical processes involved in the oil refining process are stated as follows: –

Desalter unit – This washes out salt from the crude oil before it enters the atmospheric distillation unit.
Distillate hydrotreater – This desulfurizes distillates (such as diesel) after atmospheric distillation. Uses hydrogen to desulfurize the naphtha fraction from the crude oil distillation or other units within the refinery.
Coking units – These process very heavy residual oils into gasoline and diesel fuel, leaving petroleum coke as a residual product.
Isomerization – This converts linear molecules such as normal pentane to higher-octane branched molecules for blending into gasoline or feed to pipe fabrication. It is also used to convert linear normal butane into isobutane for use in the alkylation unit.
Cooling Towers – These circulate cooling water, boiler plants generate steam for steam generators, and instrument air systems include pneumatically operated control valves and an electrical substation.

Since modern petroleum refineries are highly automated and technically advanced, nearly all processes are contained within engineering controls and represent a decreased risk of exposure compared to earlier times. However, certain situations or work tasks may subvert these safety mechanisms, and expose workers to a number of chemical (see table above) or physical (described below) hazards. Examples of these scenarios include: System failures (leaks, explosions, etc.), Standard inspection, product sampling, process turnaround, or equipment maintenance/cleaning activities.

Closing Thoughts

The complexity of oil refinery processes corresponds to the staggering array of petroleum products in demand throughout the world. Refining is a very precise set of steps and, if not done correctly, will lead to the end products being compromised with regard to functionality and quality. It also requires significant investment in fixed assets and manpower; thus, a lot of effort is required to ensure that the refining is successful. Hence, the process from “crude” to “refined” is a long one and is very relevant considering the oil demands in the current VUCA world!