Phillips 66 lets contract for Sweeny refinery

Phillips 66 has let a contract to Elliott Group, Jeannette, Pa., to supply a compressor string for a major project at its 247,000-b/d Sweeny refinery in Old Ocean, Tex., that will enable the plant to meet requirements set forth by the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Tier 3 clean fuels standards.

Elliott’s scope of work under the contract includes delivery of an Elliott 25 vertical-split, motor-driven recycle compressor, Elliott said.

The compressor, which has a maximum flow rate of 25,000 cu m/hr, is designed to increase clean-product yields at the refinery, Elliott said.

The contract, for which a value was unlisted, also includes a master service agreement between Elliott and Phillips 66.

Delivery of the compressor is scheduled for early 2016, the service provider said.

Elliott identified Jacobs Engineering Group as the engineering procurement contractor for the Sweeny Tier 3 project, but further details regarding the nature of the project were not disclosed.

In its annual report for 2014 released last month, Phillips 66 said it plans $1.1 billion in capital expenditures on refining during 2015, about 75% of which will be capital-sustaining investments related to reliability and maintenance, as well as safety and environmental projects that include compliance with new EPA Tier 3 gasoline specifications.

While Phillips 66 is proceeding with its 2015 capital investment plan for refineries, some projects involved in the program have not been announced for a reason, the company said.

“Specific details related to these projects are considered proprietary, and therefore, we are not disclosing any further information at this time,” Phillips 66 spokesperson Dennis Nuss told OGJ via e-mail.

In addition to the Tier 3 project at Sweeny, Phillips 66 continues to progress with construction of its Sweeny Fractionator 1, which is in Old Ocean close to the refinery (OGJ Online, Dec. 11, 2014; Mar. 21, 2014).

As of March, construction on the 100,000-b/d NGL fractionator was more than halfway completed, with the unit still on schedule for start-up during this year’s second half, the company said in its 2014 annual report.