MUSCAT -- Oman's authorities are expected to shortly appoint an international consultant to provide design engineering and project management consultancy services linked to the proposed expansion and upgrade of the nation's flagship refinery at Sohar. Seven well-established firms are in contention for the prestigious, multi-million rial contract. In the race are Engineers India Limited, Worley Parsons Oman Engineering, Tecnicas Reunidas, CB&I Lummus, Shaw Energy & Chemicals Group, APS, and Oil Industries Engineering and Construction. A contract award is imminent, it is learnt.
The expansion, estimated to involve an investment of several hundred million dollars, will lead to the optimisation of Sohar refinery's configuration, thereby maximising the output of refined products, feedstock, and other petroleum byproducts. The upgrade is aimed not only at boosting the plant's capacity to produce refined petroleum fuels for the domestic and export markets, but also its ability to meet its feedstock supply commitments to nearby downstream petrochemical schemes.
At the heart of the government's strategy to modernise Sohar Refinery is a proposal to expand its design capacity by more than 60 per cent from the present 116,400 barrels per day (bpd) to 187,774 bpd. It follows a Value Maximisation Study conducted on behalf of the refinery by Engineers India Limited (EIL), which drew up a blueprint for the expansion and optimisation of the plant's configuration. As part of the upgrade, several new units will be added and integrated into the existing refinery complex.
They include a 71,500 bpd Crude Distillation Unit, 96,800 bpd Vacuum Distillation Unit, 66,400 bpd Once-Through Hydrocracker Unit, 42,400 bpd Solvent De-Asphalting Unit, sulphur recovery unit, sour water stripper units, amine regeneration unit, and isomerisation unit, among other systems. Utility generation and offsite storage facilities will be augmented as well. Importantly, the upgrade will lead across-the-board improvements in Sohar refinery's performance, output, and the quality of feedstock committed to the downstream petrochemical projects Aromatics Oman and Oman Polypropylene.
In addition to enhancing the feed quality of the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker, the upgrade will enable Sohar Refinery to supply the requisite quantity and quality of feedstock naphtha to Aromatics Oman. Further, the modernised plant will also be able to meet feedstock commitments in the form of polymer grade propylene to Oman Polypropylene's complex located next door. Additionally, bitumen will be added for the first time to Sohar Refinery's range of commercially valuable products and byproducts.
A key environmental goal will also be realised when the expanded and upgraded refinery is eventually brought into operation. Blended refined products from the refinery will comply with Euro VI emission norms, thereby enhancing the refinery's market appeal for its products globally. As part of its brief, the selected consultant will be required to, among other things, prepare the Basic Engineering Design Package for all the licensed and unlicensed units, as well as utilities, offsite and common facilities that will be added to the existing complex.
The consultant will also explore any further potential for synergies between the existing refinery, the new units, and the Aromatics Oman plant. Commissioned in 2006 with an initial capital investment of $1.35 billion, the Sohar Refinery complex features a Crude Unit with a capacity of 116,400 barrels per day (bpd) and a Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (RFCCU) of 75,260 bpd capacity. Output includes a wide range of refined petroleum products, including regular and premium gasoline, kerosene, LPG, propylene.
© Oman Daily Observer 2011
