Chevron Corp. has let a contract to WorleyParsons Ltd. to provide engineering, procurement, and construction management services for conversion of the existing 4,500-b/d hydrofluoric acid (HF) alkylation unit at its 53,000-b/d refinery in Salt Lake City, Utah, into the first-ever alkylation unit in the US based on ionic liquids alkylation technology (OGJ Online, Oct. 4, 2016).
As part of the $67-million EPCM contract, WorleyParsons will execute a retrofit of the unit, replacing the HF process with ISOALKY, a proprietary alkylation technology developed by Chevron USA Inc. and licensed by Honeywell International Inc.’s UOP LLC, that uses ionic liquids instead of HF or sulfuric acids as a liquid alkylation catalyst for production of high-octane fuels, the service provider said.
To minimize construction in the vicinity of the refinery’s other operating units, WorleyParsons will modularize the new installations, which will be fabricated in Canada by subsidiary WorleyParsons Cord Ltd., Alta., under a separate $20-million contract.
In addition to increasing C3-C5 olefin feed flexibility and lower handling risks vs. HF and sulfuric acid, ISOALKY technology will enable catalyst regeneration to occur within the unit itself, lowering catalyst consumption by 400 times vs. sulfuric acid, UOP said upon first announcing the project last year.
The replacement technology also will reduce environmental impacts and safety risks associated with the HF alkylation process.
The Salt Lake City’s retrofitted ISOALKY unit is scheduled for startup sometime in 2020.
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].
