Chevron Corp. has let a contract to WorleyParsons Ltd. to provide engineering, procurement, and construction management services for conversion of the existing 4,500-b/d hydrofluoric acid (HF) alkylation unit at its 53,000-b/d refinery in Salt Lake City, Utah, into the first-ever alkylation unit in the US based on ionic liquids alkylation technology (OGJ Online, Oct. 4, 2016).
As part of the $67-million EPCM contract, WorleyParsons will execute a retrofit of the unit, replacing the HF process with ISOALKY, a proprietary alkylation technology developed by Chevron USA Inc. and licensed by Honeywell International Inc.’s UOP LLC, that uses ionic liquids instead of HF or sulfuric acids as a liquid alkylation catalyst for production of high-octane fuels, the service provider said.
To minimize construction in the vicinity of the refinery’s other operating units, WorleyParsons will modularize the new installations, which will be fabricated in Canada by subsidiary WorleyParsons Cord Ltd., Alta., under a separate $20-million contract.
In addition to increasing C3-C5 olefin feed flexibility and lower handling risks vs. HF and sulfuric acid, ISOALKY technology will enable catalyst regeneration to occur within the unit itself, lowering catalyst consumption by 400 times vs. sulfuric acid, UOP said upon first announcing the project last year.
The replacement technology also will reduce environmental impacts and safety risks associated with the HF alkylation process.
The Salt Lake City’s retrofitted ISOALKY unit is scheduled for startup sometime in 2020.
About WorleyParsons
WorleyParsons provides a comprehensive range of refinery services through all project phases and has been doing it for over 60 years. Our experience in grassroots, revamp and expansion projects, both locally and globally, allows us to provide our customers with optimal project delivery solutions for their refineries.
The Industry
Maintaining and optimizing existing assets is becoming an increasingly higher priority for refiners as they are affected by new developments for upgrading units and by the introduction of unconventional feedstocks.
WorleyParsons helps our customers succeed in this dynamic and competitive business environment by supplying innovative, cost-effective and safe project solutions. We’re a leader in delivering these solutions in a way that meets the latest government mandates for clean fuels and exceeds the expectations of our customers around the world.
Over the last 20 years we have been modernizing refineries–enabling customers to maintain plant efficiency, throughput and margins while effectively managing the increasing amounts of sulphur production from generally heavy, sour feedstocks. In all project phases, we focus on the optimization of common critical issues such as budget, schedule, quality, operating reliability and technical integrity.
The technical integrity delivered with our refining projects stems from our technological neutrality. WorleyParsons’ specialist front-end business line, Select, is comprised of concept strategy specialists that develop business models and financial analysis prior to FEED. This conceptual review includes the evaluation of technologies, which ensures that the final recommended solution maximizes investment return and underlying confidence.
Our ability to deliver refining projects locally with global capabilities and resources is driven by our high-value project delivery centers in California and London. Through our proven workshare processes, customers around the world have access to the cumulative knowledge gained from over 60 years of refining EPCM experience, and from our delivery of over 2,100 refining and petrochemicals projects worldwide.
Our Services
WorleyParsons provides engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) services, as well project management consultancy services, to refineries and sulphur management facilities around the world. These facilities range in capacity from 5,600 BPD to 400,000 BPD and encompass:
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Crude and vacuum units
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Naphtha hydrotreating and CCR reforming
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Delayed and fluidized coking
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Fluid Catalytic Crackers and hydrocracking
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Visbreaking and solvent deasphalting
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Gas concentration units
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Alkylation
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Hydrogen plant
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Hydrotreating
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Sour water stripping, amine treating and sulphur recovery
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Tank farms
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Utilities and offsite facilities
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