ConocoPhillips'
Lake Charles Refinery selects S Zorb Sulfur Removal Technology
Posted: 21 June 2003
Third company-owned site to utilise S Zorb SRT
ConocoPhillips will use its S Zorb Sulfur Removal Technology (SRT)
for gasoline desulfurisation at its Lake Charles Refinery, located
in Westlake, La.
The unit should be completed by fourth quarter 2005 and have a
capacity of 35,000 BPD.
The Lake Charles facility, which has a crude oil processing capacity
of 252 MBPD, will be the third location within the ConocoPhillips
refining system to build an S Zorb unit. Other units are located
in Borger, Texas, and Ferndale, Wash. The technology is licensed
for use at a total of 42 refineries in the U.S. and abroad.
"S Zorb Technology is a significant, proven technology that
enables refiners to meet or surpass world mandates on lower sulfur
content in gasoline and diesel, and improve overall environmental
performance," said Brian Evans, division manager, Fuels Technology.
"The S Zorb unit will enable our Lake Charles refinery to
comply with EPA's Tier II gasoline sulfur regulations in advance
of the 2006 deadline, as well as reach any future, lower sulfur
standards.
"Cost efficiency has been continually improved by recent advancements
in the S Zorb process design and in the catalyst sorbent material,"
continued Evans.
An assessment of the Lake Charles installation led engineers to
adapt the S Zorb process design to better accommodate the facility's
process needs.
The new engineering design is expected to reduce capital and operating
costs from 10 to 25 percent over previous S Zorb process designs.
In addition, the unit's reliability, while consistently high, will
be further improved.
S Zorb SRT was developed to help oil companies comply with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Tier II and the European
Commission's Auto Oil sulfur regulatory levels.
Beginning in 2004, gasoline sold in the United States will have
sulfur content phased down to a level no higher than 30 parts per
million (ppm) on average. Today's average gasoline contains 340
ppm.
In 2002, Platts/Business Week recognised S Zorb SRT as the "Most
Innovative Commercial Technology of the Year."
ConocoPhillips is the largest refiner in the United States, with
crude oil processing capacity of just under 2.2 MMBPD; and the fifth
largest refiner in the world, with crude oil processing capacity
of about 2.6 MMBPD.
ConocoPhillips is an integrated petroleum company with interests
around the world. Headquartered in Houston, the company had approximately
56,600 employees, $80 billion of assets and $100 billion of annualised
revenues as of March 31, 2003.
For more information see www.conocophillips.com.
Posted by Richard Price,
Editor Pipeline Magazine
Information supplied by companies
or PR agencies who are responsible for content. Send press releases
to info@pipelinedubai.com |
