Petroleum, and Nippon Oil. This partnership has developed an innovative high-severity fluid catalytic cracking process to enhance light olefins and aromatics production. “This process, which has been demonstrated in our Ras Tanura Refinery, is now entering the commercialization phase with the installation of an HS-FCC facility in a Japanese refinery by 2010,” Al-Falih said. Al-Falih underscored the need for greater collaboration between academia and the petroleum industry, noting that “our technology agenda has tremendous ramifications for the world of tomorrow.” Saudi Aramco and its academic and research partners have two primary challenges, he said: first, to provide stable energy supplies to power human development and social progress, and second, to meet this need in an environmentally sound and ecologically sustainable manner. “Here, there are exciting new fields of research and development,” Al-Falih said, “including carbon management; formulation of cleaner fuels; increasing the efficiency of motors, engines and other equipment; and technologically driven conservation measures, such as creating lighter, more durable and more easily recycled materials.” --MORE
