Saudi Aramcos Ras Tanura refinery places 544-tonnes naphtha splitter column

Aramco said that it took approximately three hours to complete the lift of this 65-meter high column after six weeks of site preparation and crane positioning.

For the lift, a 1,600 tonnes main crane was utilized together with a tailing crane with a total nominal capacity of 600 tonnes.

The 8-meter-diameter column required extensive coordination during transportation, and this included disconnecting several overhead power cables to allow for safe passage and modifying the Jubail-Dhahran highway to avoid bridges.

The column is considered the main feeder to the new world’s largest Continuous Catalytic Reforming (CCR) and Isomerization Units, with a total operating capacity of 90,000 and 65,000 barrels per day, respectively.

The main function of the naphtha splitter column is to split the hydrotreated naphtha into the light and heavy naphtha.

“The project will provide facilities to support Saudi Aramco’s corporate objective of effectively supplying diesel and gasoline products that comply with the future Saudi Aramco gasoline and diesel quality specifications, as per Euro-V fuels quality standards,” Aramco’s statement highlighted.

The new naphtha complex plants, which will be installed as part of the project at the refinery, are comprised of a 138 MBD naphtha hydrotreater, a 90 MBD CCR Unit, and a 65 MBD Isomerization Unit.