Thai Oil lets contract for Sriracha refinery’s clean fuels project

Thai Oil PLC has let a contract to a division of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. Ltd. to supply critical equipment for the operator’s ongoing Clean Fuel Project (CFP) at its 276,000-b/d refinery at Sriracha, in eastern Thailand’s Chonburi province (OGJ Online, Mar. 18, 2020).

In mid-November, Godrej Process Equipment completed supply of a high-pressure separator with a design pressure above 160 bar and a shell-wall thickness of more than 310 mm, which follows earlier delivery of other critical project equipment, including pressure vessels, high-pressure breech-lock heat exchangers, and columns, the service provider said.

Once completed, the CFP will increase the refinery’s overall production of high-quality clean fuels by 45%, according to Godrej & Boyce.

Designed to enhance competitiveness by improving process efficiency and improve quality of transportation fuels to Euro 5-quality standards, the Sriracha CFP—which primarily focuses on reduction of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions—will also expand the refinery’s crude processing capacity to 400,000 b/d, allowing the refinery greater flexibility to process a more diverse slate of less expensive crudes (OGJ Online, July 28, 2020).

In its latest annual report to investors, Thail Oil said the CFP—currently under construction—is scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2023.

Additional CFP components

Alongside expanding processing capacity and increasing clean-fuels production, the Sriracha CFP also included a crude oil tank (CFP C-COT) project to accommodate future increased storage demand. The CFP C-COT reached completion earlier this year, according to Thai Oil.

The operator also confirmed a related project under way aimed at upgrading additional existing units at the refinery to further expand the site’s production of Euro 5-quality fuels. The revamping project is due to be completed by yearend 2022, about 1 year ahead of Thailand’s enforcement of Euro 5 emission standards that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2024, Thai Oil said.