Shell Global Solutions - Impact online 2008 Issue 3 - Latest News

LATEST NEWS
Tüpraş improves margins by changing fuel oil blending
Turkey’s oil refining company, Türkiye objectives of fuel oil blending is to minimise of the product supplied is higher than that
Petrol Rafi nerileri AŞ (Tüpraş), is currently the production of fuel oil and maximise specified) can reduce the amount of distillate
applying a refinery optimisation programme the manufacture of other products with downgraded to fuel oil and therefore the
at its four refineries as part of efforts to higher margins. The study made two volume of the fuel oil pool. The project will
improve operations and maintain its recommendations to achieve this: select the require some additional hardware, for
strategic importance as the country’s optimal diluent and reduce product quality example, online viscosity and flashpoint
energy supplier. The company has giveaway,” says Bekir Yumuk, Special Project analysers to provide better quality control.
commissioned Shell Global Solutions to Manager at Türkiye Petrol Rafi nerileri AŞ. However, these changes are expected to see
assist in implementing the programme and The refinery previously used diesel as the a return on investment within three months.
identifying performance improvements. main diluent in fuel oil production. Replacing
Some of the opportunities revealed by a portion of the diesel with kerosene will
the programme so far have been in fuel free more valuable distillates and reduce
oil production and blending operations the total fuel oil production. Lowering the
at Tüpraş’ Izmir refinery. “One of the product quality giveaway (where the quality
• Contact: Ian Galliard
Email: ian.galliard@shell.com
Operations and staff development in Venezuela
Supporting day-to-day operations at a large Global Solutions’ experts through online measures to achieve a reduction to 15-ppm
South American refining complex is the aim and telephone help desks to evaluate sulphur in diesel.
of a new technical support deal agreed performance and gain immediate responses Omar Bravo, Technical Manager, Centro
between state-owned oil company Petróleos to queries. de Refinación Paraguaná, says, “We are
de Venezuela, SA (PDVSA) and Shell Global A series of training programmes will pleased to work closely with Shell Global
Solutions International BV. be provided for newly recruited staff and Solutions and to leverage its technical
A three-year technical service agreement delivered through courses at Shell Global expertise to improve our organisational
will provide services to help increase the Solutions’ research facilities or at CRP. capability and develop our staff to face the
efficiency of daily operations and to develop The agreement constitutes a flexible legal industry challenges better.”
the professional skills of new engineers at framework that includes technical services
the Amuay and Cardon refineries of Centro and, subject to separate agreements,
de Refinación Paraguaná (CRP) in the north­ technology licences to help improve
western state of Falcón, Venezuela. processes and equipment. Examples of
Under the agreement, PDVSA will have technology licences include the current
access to the Shell network of technical assistance to the revamp of the fluidised
specialists for troubleshooting, and its
staff will have direct contact with Shell
catalytic cracking unit; a process design
package for the amine-treating unit; and
• Contact: Jorge Ardanaz
Email: j.ardanaz@shell.com
04 impact Issue 3, 2008 www.shell.com/globalsolutions

Preserving van Gogh’s magic
Fresh light is being shed on the methods Quantities of barium sulphate, a white
and materials Vincent van Gogh used to pigment, were detected in the first layer
create his paintings through a joint research of paint, which indicated that van Gogh
project between the Van Gogh Museum probably used it to dilute the expensive white
in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Shell lead tube paint, a new product at the time.
Nederland BV and Shell Global Solutions “If we can discover what materials
International BV. were used and how, we can sometimes
The project has given art curators a understand how an artist got those
better understanding of what van Gogh’s wonderful effects you see on a
masterpieces originally looked like, and has painting and explain better what
already led to requests to verify the authenticity might have changed since it was
of several paintings. It may also help to stop made,” says Aviva Burnstock, Head
the artist’s works deteriorating further. of the Department of Conservation &
Ralph Haswell, Researcher, Shell Global Technology at the Courtauld Institute
Solutions International BV, and a team of of Art, University of London, UK.
scientists used focused ion beams (FIB) and The researchers have studied
transmission electron microscopy (TEM) to 97 paintings van Gogh created
reveal the composition of different materials between 1886 and 1888, a
in the artist’s paint. period when little is known about his
Using a technique commonly applied techniques. For the full story,
when examining catalysts, minute paint
samples were removed by bombarding the
visit www.shell.com/swonline.
surface with FIB. The particles in the samples
were then identified using TEM.
• Contact: Ralph Haswell
Email: ralph.haswell@shell.com
Trackside technical support helps power Ducati to victory
Ducati Corse has enjoyed trackside
technical support for the first time during
a Road Racing World Championship
(MotoGP) Grand Prix as part of its technical
partnership with Shell.
Shell Global Solutions’ technicians tested
the Shell Advance ‡ race oil and the Shell
V-Power ‡ race fuel in the Ducati riders’ bikes
at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany during
the July race weekend, when Casey Stoner
stormed to his third consecutive victory.
The testing, conducted in the Shell Global
Solutions mobile track laboratory behind
the Ducati pit box, helped to determine
that the Shell race fuels and lubricants
were optimised for the benefit of the riders’
performance. Analyses were conducted after
all the riding sessions so that the Ducati team
could detect and rectify any problems.
The technicians were able to confirm
that the Shell V-Power race fuel in the
Ducati Desmosedici tanks met Fédération
Internationale de Motocyclisme
requirements and that it was the same fuel
that had left the Shell Global Solutions
laboratories in Hamburg.
The technicians also gave the green light
to the Shell Advance race oil after trackside
analyses confirmed that the level of wear
metals in the lubricant was within the
expected range.
Luigi Mitolo, Team Technical Coordinator
Assistant, Ducati, says, “Having a technical
partner working physically next door to
the Ducati race team ensured we
had the best possible chance
of optimising performance. Shell Global
Solutions’ support underlines a strategic
relationship in which both parties embrace
engineering development.”
• Contact: Peter Fordemann
Email: peter.fordemann@shell.com
LATEST NEWS
‡ Shell Advance and Shell V-Power are Shell trademarks.
Issue 3, 2008 www.shell.com/globalsolutions impact 05

Pernis unit offers improved production and energy effi ciency
A new polyol unit has come online at the
Pernis chemical manufacturing complex in
the Netherlands to provide an additional
100 k t of capacity while improving the
complex’s environmental footprint.
The unit opened on time and on budget,
and will use less energy and produce
less carbon dioxide compared with units
using traditional polyol manufacturing
processes. The new process also does not
require the use of certain conventional
process chemicals and uses feedstocks
more efficiently, which generates less solid
waste and waste water.
The manufacturing process uses Shell
Global Solutions’ technology, which
increases the production capacity for base
Le Mans glory for Audi
polyol grades in a responsible manner.
The new unit will raise the complex’s
polyol capacity to 255 kt a year to help
meet the growing demand for polyols
like slabstock foam, coatings, adhesives,
sealants, elastomers and mouldings.
Sven Royall, Vice President Customer
Services and Intermediates, Shell
Chemicals, says, “We have successfully
brought the polyols expansion on stream
quickly, safely and efficiently, thus helping
our business in Europe to grow in a
responsible and profitable way.”
• Contact: Shelly Linkerhof
Email: shelly.linkerhof@shell.com
For the third consecutive year, Shell V-Power ‡ Diesel race fuel has
helped to power the winning Audi Sport team to victory in the
24 Heures du Mans race. But this year’s fuel incorporated nextgeneration
biofuel for the first time in a move that highlighted the role
of Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel in testing new technologies and fuels.
A small amount of a biomass to liquids biofuel, developed in
collaboration with CHOREN Industries GmbH, was blended into the
race fuel along with the established gas to liquids (GTL) component,
which has been used in the product since 2006. Shell V-Power
Diesel race fuel includes Shell GTL Fuel to provide cleaner and more
efficient combustion than conventional diesel.
The Audi R10 TDI driven by Tom Kristensen, Allan McNish and Rinaldo
Capello completed the French circuit in 381 laps, as the combination of
Audi TDI engineering and Shell V-Power Diesel technology, supported by
Shell Helix ‡ motor oils, set a new standard for success.
Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Sport, says, “A key part of our
success lies in ensuring we have the right fuel to provide the car with
more power, for longer. Shell V-Power Diesel race fuel is essential to
Audi Sport’s success at Le Mans.”
• Contact: Richard Karlstetter Email: richard.karlstetter@shell.com
‡ Shell Helix and Shell V-Power are Shell trademarks.
Indian refineries to benefi t
from improvement programme
The Centre for High Technology, India, has reached an agreement
with Shell Global Solutions International BV for the next phase of
an integrated refinery business improvement programme (IRBIP).
This is designed to generate more efficient ways of working to help
maximise performance at four of the country’s coastal refi neries.
Phase two will focus on gross refinery margins, energy and loss
performance, operations and asset management at the refi neries
in Mangalore (Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited),
Haldia (Indian Oil Corporation Ltd) and Mumbai (Bharat Petroleum
Corporation Limited and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited).
The IRBIP will involve an assessment and an implementation
phase at each refinery. This will be followed by final delivery and
ongoing support. The programme is planned to last at least three
and a half years.
K.S. Balaraman, Executive Director, Centre for High Technology,
says, “The contract is a demonstration of our collective commitment
to assisting Indian refineries to extract maximum value from their
assets and natural resources with sustainability in mind. Shell Global
Solutions can help us to achieve these objectives, and we look
forward to a continuing and fruitful relationship.”
The contract follows an agreement in 2006 involving four other
refineries in the Indian public sector oil group where the IRBIP
team examined business processes covering margins, energy and
operations, and asset management.
• Contact: Bart Van de Ven Email: bart.vandeven@shell.com
06 impact Issue 3, 2008 www.shell.com/globalsolutions

Korean company first to start up new
OMEGA technology
The Lotte Daesan Petrochemical other advantages for licensees include
Corporation (Lotte) chemical lower capital investment costs, 20%
manufacturing facility in Korea has lower steam consumption at equal EO
become the first plant to start up the reaction selectivity and 30% less waste
new Shell OMEGA (Only MonoEthylene water produced.
Glycol Advantage) Process. The Lotte plant start-up was successful,
Shell has been licensing ethylene and all the contractual design guarantees
oxide (EO)/mono-ethylene-glycol (MEG) for capacity, product quality and process
technologies for 50 years: the fi rst yields were achieved. The design work
licensed plant was started up in 1958. for the project began in 2006 and was
Development of the Shell OMEGA Process, completed in 29 months. The plant was
which is based on catalytic conversion built by Samsung Engineering.
of EO to MEG instead of the traditional Hokyung Lee, Project Manager, Lotte
thermal method, began in 2002 with the Daesan Petrochemical Corporation, says,
purchase of catalytic reaction technology “The fast and smooth start-up of the Lotte
from Mitsubishi. 400-kta MEG plant reflects the excellent
As in the conventional Shell MASTER preparation for this project by Lotte Daesan
Process, ethylene first reacts with oxygen Petrochemical and Shell, and demonstrates
to form EO using a high-selectivity Lotte’s commitment to developing leading
catalyst from Criterion Catalysts & technology at our operations.”
Technologies. The EO then catalytically
reacts to MEG in a way that does not
produce the usual heavy glycol byproducts
– a major benefit. Some of the
• Contact: Arthur Rots
Email: arthur.rots@shell.com
Chemicals that make washing cool
LATEST NEWS
SK Energy increases
capacity and quality
SK Energy Co. Ltd has signed an agreement
with Shell Global Solutions BV to license
two technologies: a visbreaker to process
40,000 barrels per stream day of feedstock
and a coker naphtha hydrotreating process
for a residue-upgrading project at its
Incheon refinery in Korea.
These technologies help a refi nery to
upgrade oil residue into more valuable
products and meet market demand.
Nam-Kyu Choi, Vice President of Refi ning
Technology and Business Planning, SK
Energy Co. Ltd, said, “Our decision to alter
the refi ning configuration will enable us to
expand our refining processes and develop
higher quality products. We feel that Shell
Global Solutions’ strong process technology
and advanced catalyst technology for the
hydrotreating process will reinforce our
efforts to be a major supplier of quality
distillate products.”
• Contact: Johan Hazejager
Email: johan.hazejager@shell.com
As detergent manufacturers are facing increased pressure from Used by most of the world’s leading detergent manufacturers,
consumers to demonstrate environmental credentials, they have NEODOL products are biodegradable and non-toxic in aqueous solutions.
developed more complex formulations to work at lower temperatures Jack Perini, Global Derivatives Business Manager for Shell
and created concentrated products. More concentrated detergents Chemicals, says, “The development of NEODOL by Shell Global
reduce packaging, transport costs and shelf space. Solutions has the potential to make an even bigger impact globally.
Over the last 10 years, the average temperature of a wash has Although the use of low-temperature laundry detergents is well
reduced from 60°C to 30–40°C. As independent analysis shows established in mature markets, its impact could become much more
that washing and rinsing in cold water can save 50% of the energy significant in major developing economies as personal ownership of
used for each load, Shell Global Solutions’ scientists have been washing machines increases.”
working to modify the structure of surfactants to provide better
cleaning at lower temperatures.
The advanced molecular structure, with an altered surfactant
tail, of NEODOL
‡ NEODOL is a Shell trademark.
‡ • Contact: Warren Schmidt Email: warren.schmidt@shell.com
products offers more flexibility to develop lowtemperature
formulations and achieve high performance without
compromising cleaning ability.
Issue 3, 2008 www.shell.com/globalsolutions impact 07