Sonatrach has selected Honeywell UOP to provide technologies for the expansion of its Skikda Refinery in Algeria.
The refinery produces high-octane gasoline and diesel that complies with Euro V standards. The new technologies will allow Sonatrach to meet growing domestic demands for cleaner-burning transportation fuels.
Under the contract, Honeywell UOP will provide an 81,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd) UOP Unicracking unit and a 24,100bpd UOP/Foster Wheeler solvent deasphalting unit for the production of ultra-low sulphur diesel.
Honeywell will also provide licensing, basic engineering design and other related services for the equipment.
In addition, Sonatrach will have access to Honeywell’s UOP CCR Platforming and UOP Penex isomerisation units for the conversion of 143,000bpd of naphtha into cleaner-burning high-octane gasoline.
Honeywell UOP’s process technology and equipment business vice-president and general manager John Gugel said: “These Honeywell technologies will enable Sonatrach to upgrade low-value feedstocks by efficiently converting them into Euro V diesel.
“Sonatrach also will use an integrated platforming and penex process to produce high-octane gasoline without having to produce or import additives such as methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE).”
The UOP Penex Process uses Honeywell UOP’s portfolio of isomerisation and benzene saturation catalysts to upgrade light naphtha to produce isomerate, a cleaner gasoline blend-stock bereft of benzene, aromatics or olefins.
In addition to the production of reformate for high-octane, low-sulphur gasoline and aromatics, the UOP CCR Platforming Process acts as a source of high-purity hydrogen for the production of other fuel products.
