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Refiners continue rebounding from recent increased energy demands, utilisation challenges and margin pressure. Even with the rebound, the challenges remain. To address the issues, refiners continue to evolve their thinking on performance improvement and its impact on the business. Failing to do so invites the risk of competitive vulnerability.
Concerning diesel fuel production, refiners face market and regulatory challenges, including:
Shell Catalysts & Technologies' diesel hydrotreating revamp is a solution that offers a timely, relatively low-cost response to challenges mentioned previously and can bring financial returns on investment. A hydrotreating revamp can resolve operation issues, meet increasingly stringent emission regulations, adapt to market changes, and generate high-value winter diesel and renewable diesel (biofuels)
A European Shell refinery needed to respond to the European Union’s revised renewable energy directive (RED II). Shell Catalysts & Technologies offered two solutions, one low-cost and the other medium-cost. The refinery chose the low-cost option, which meant installing a Shell filter tray to manage the increased fouling and upgrading the reactor safeguarding and number and location of the thermocouples to handle the increased exotherm.
The unit ran with a new biocomponent feedstock without issues in the first three months of the extended test run. The site expects the project to have a significant impact on its profitability. The site estimates it could see a margin benefit of up to $15 million a year with a payback period of under six months.
Through our offerings, we have worked with refiners worldwide to help them operate reliably and efficiently. Submit the form to open a dialogue about how Shell Catalysts & Technologies' solutions may help your organisation.