Meridian Energy Group Inc. has let a contract to Emerson Electric Co., St. Louis, to provide automation control systems and technologies for the operator’s grassroots 49,500-b/sd high-conversion Davis refinery to be built in Billings County in the heart of southwestern North Dakota’s Bakken shale region (OGJ Online, Dec. 5, 2018).
As part of the contract, Emerson will become the refinery’s main automation partner and provide control systems and technologies to ensure the plant will set its goal of becoming the standard for lowest-achievable emission rates in the industry, Meridian said.
Specifically, Emerson’s implementation will include an integrated control and safety system as well as terminal manager, truck loading, leak detection, tank gauging, and other components that, combined, enable Meridian to have a safe and reliable plant, as well as maximum output and limited downtime, the service provider said.
The package also will include technologies such as a wireless smart grid, advanced process control, integrated field data management, and predictive analytics to optimize the operation in real-time.
Meridian also confirmed it continues to advance site preparation and grading at the Davis refinery site and is proceeding with the project’s final design, equipment fabrication, and procurement, with full construction to resume later this year.
Scheduled for startup sometime in 2020, the Davis refinery, once in operation, will produce ultralow-sulfur diesel and premium gasoline from prolific crude feedstocks from the Bakken shale basin using advanced technologies intended to maximize operational efficiencies while minimizing environmental impacts (OGJ Online, Dec. 7, 2018).
This latest agreement for the North Dakota refinery follows Meridian’s announcement earlier in the year that it also plans to build a full-conversion, 60,000-b/sd refinery in Winkler County, Tex., in the heart of the Permian basin, that will be permitted under classification as a synthetic minor source of air contaminants like the Davis refinery (OGJ Online, Feb. 11, 2019).
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].
