Uchenna Izundu
International Editor
LONDON, June 4 -- Saudi Aramco and Total SA have awarded a contract to Axens, Paris, to design a 32,000 b/d vacuum gas oil fluid catalytic cracker and other units for the planned 400,000 b/d refinery in Jubail, Saudi Arabia.
Aramco and Total recently confirmed plans to construct the refinery under a joint venture company, whereby Aramco will supply Arabian heavy crude and both companies will share marketing responsibilities.
Axens will also produce an aromatics complex with a capacity of 700,000 tonnes/year of paraxylene and 143,000 tonnes/year of benzene. The refinery will start operations in 2012.
Axens said the technology suite comprises a 68,000 b/d naphtha hydrotreater and continuous catalytic regeneration reformer to produce gasoline blend stock and mixed xylenes.
The FCC unit is designed to produce more than 10 weight percent propylene.
Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].
