Honeywell announces that SPEC Energy DMCC will use a range of Honeywell UOP process technologies at its refinery to convert low value vacuum gasoil and vacuum residue into high value products such as gasoline and alkylate. SPEC Energy DMCC is a UAE based EPC company with its head office in Houston, Texas.
Phase one of the project includes the installation of a new UOP residue fluidized catalytic cracking (RFCC) unit that is reportedly tailored to improve gasoline yield, and a UOP wood solvent deasphalting process unit (SDA) which will improve the feed quality to the RFCC. A UOP Merox unit will also be installed that will reduce the level of mercaptans in the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) streams, in addition to a UOP InAlk process unit which will process the mixed C4 olefinic rich stream from the Merox unit to produce alkylate, a high-octane blending feedstock for the gasoline pool. A UOP SelectFining Process unit will be used to process the RFCC naphtha stream to meet the desired sulfur content.
The Honeywell UOP RFCC process utilizes proprietary reactor technologies that minimize byproducts, increase gasoline yield and provide high feed flexibility and high reliability for processing residue feedstocks in an economical manner, according to the company. The catalyst regeneration will be done by using UOP’s high efficiency combustor-style regenerator which uses a fast-fluidized combustion zone to achieve the best coke burning and full combustion of CO to CO2. A catalyst cooler will be added to remove variable heat from the regenerator, providing feed processing flexibility and the ability to adjust the catalyst-to-oil ratio for higher conversion and production of valuable steam from the RFCC unit.
UOP says it will provide technology licensing, design services, key equipment and state-of-the-art catalysts and adsorbents for the project in Pakistan. When completed, the total conversion capacity of the complex is expected to be 45,000 BPSD (or 6898 MT/d), being a combination of vacuum gasoil and vacuum residue, according to the company.
For more information, visit: www.uop.honeywell.com
