LSR Hydrotreater for Tier 3 Gasoline

Objective:
The primary objective of the study was to write a butane Merox specification.

Summary:
A client needed to meet the Tier 3 10 ppm sulfur in gasoline specification. Their initial path was to add a polishing reactor to their FCCU gasoline and a Merox to treat their n-butane. This project was expected to cost upwards of $100MM to implement. Ascent’s initial scope was just to write a butane Merox specification, but Ascent convinced the project team and refinery organization that the better approach was to instead hydrotreat the higher sulfur Light Straight Run product.

Ascent completed the butane Merox specification and worked with the vendors. As project goals became clearer, Ascent identified that a butane Merox would treat a relatively low sulfur contributor, whereas a more attractive project would be to treat the higher sulfur Light Straight Run stream. This took considerable persuasion and movement amongst the large organization, but eventually the clear advantages of treating the higher sulfur stream became obvious and the project direction pivoted to focus on the LSR product. Ascent worked on new hydrotreater designs and eventually landed on a revamp of two existing idle hydrotreaters.

Bottom Line:
Ascent completed the original project scope (which was subsequently removed from the project scope), but more importantly brought to the client’s attention that the butane Merox likely would be insufficient to meet Tier 3 for all crude diets and conceived and designed the superior Light Straight Run Hydrotreater option.

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