The year 2005 was another big year for Saudi Aramco's Refining division, as projects and initiatives stimulated its ability to provide the Kingdom with refined products in a safe and environmentally friendly manner while driving down operating costs and improving performance.

Teamwork was a major theme as Yanbu Refinery shut down for a test and inspection (T&I) and to build tie-ins for new projects.
Capping a year of accomplishment with a recognition ceremony for the Yanbu team, Abdulaziz F Al-Khayyal, senior vice president of Refining, Marketing and International, said, "I am here to convey corporate management's thanks and appreciation for a job well-done."
Khalid G Al-Buainain, vice president of Refining, said that though the project itself was sizeable, the teamwork that got it done was, in some ways, more significant than the task itself. "Without team spirit, these results would not have been achieved," he said.
Reliability
Elsewhere, the Refining division spent the year enhancing plant reliability with several projects, including dredging Ras Tanura Refinery's seawater canal to ensure an adequate supply of seawater for cooling, especially during low tides.
Also at Ras Tanura, High Pressure Boiler No 9 was commissioned after a six-month rehabilitation and retubing project, helping to optimise steam production from high-pressure boilers.
Riyadh Refinery was the site of several reliability and efficiency upgrades. Its T&I replaced eight hydrocracker heat-exchanger shells, installed steam generator tube bundles and loaded catalyst in the Hydrocracker Reactors, along with inspection of 133 other pieces of process equipment.
Riyadh also commissioned three combustion turbine generators and three heat-recovery steam generators as part of the cogeneration project.
The increased efficiency of the gas burning cogeneration facility will provide a reliable source of energy and steam to the refinery and will reduce the company's electricity bill.
New feed-conditioning facilities have been completed at Riyadh, which will remove water and solids from incoming crude oil, stemming production losses by reducing unforeseen interruptions at the crude stabilisation facilities.
In the Western Region, Jiddah Refinery's Marine Terminal and mooring facility upgrade projects enabled night-time ship berthing operations, as well as the ability to handle larger ships.
The outer harbour breakwater gateway was widened and high spots were dredged. That will boost crude oil supplies to the Jiddah Area by allowing ships to carry more crude and will reduce the number of ship calls.
Projects added three new breasting dolphins closer to the cargo loading manifold and 10 new mooring dolphins along the shore, where modern tankers ranging from 45,000 to 100,000 dead weight tons can now be accommodated.
New desalination plants started producing water commercially for Rabigh Refinery and the community under the build, own, operate and transfer (BOOT) model.
A 146 km, 36-inch pipeline extension from the East/West Crude Pipeline to Rabigh Refinery, commissioned in January, now transports 450,000 bpd of Arabian Light crude to Rabigh Refinery and reduces the number of vessel calls.
Among initiatives undertaken in 2005 to get the most revenues for Refining's efforts, Rabigh Refinery began supplying Luberef with straight-run fuel oil, gasoline production was increased in Ras Tanura and Jiddah refineries through efficiency measures, and high-value products such as diesel and kerosene were increased in all of the refineries.
Refining also has been applying state-of-the-art technology to reduce hydrocarbon losses and product giveaway with blending optimisers, online analysers, and simultaneous heat and mass balance modules.
And in an example of synergy, Yanbu' Refinery now imports Luberef-II marine heavy fuel oil to increase the fuel-oil pool.
In June, Ras Tanura Refinery brought the mothballed NGL Fractionation Plant 40 back into service, where it is processing 50,000 barrels per day of products. The increased fractionation capacity opened the way for the Ju'aymah Gas Plant T&I and higher crude production.
Environment
The Refining division continues to keep its eye on environmental protection. Sulphur dioxide emissions will be reduced greatly with the commissioning of Riyadh Refinery's Sulfur Recovery Unit.
The new Sour Water Stripper and Amine Treating units also are helping protect the environment.
Last year was the year that Yanbu Refinery received the President's Award for Environmental Stewardship, based on its performance and compliance to regulations in 2004.
The refinery was one of three organisations with the highest environmental performance points for that year.
Internal floating roofs with double seals were installed on three Yanbu naphtha storage tanks in 2005, bringing the total number of converted tanks to six. The roofs prevent the venting of light hydrocarbons to the atmosphere.
A Ras Tanura Refinery Industrial Waste Water Treatment Plant expansion project, finished in March, doubles wastewater handling capacity and essentially eliminates the possibility of overflow into Tarut Bay during heavy rains.
Refining continued in 2005 to develop the workforce of the future through such initiatives as the Refining Professional Internship Program, workshops, courses and conferences, as well as through short-term assignments with joint ventures and other Saudi Aramco organisations.
Employee certification targets also were met, and in some cases surpassed.
Best Practices
As part of the corporate strategic imperative of transforming corporate performance, the Best Practices Program has, since its inception, generated more than $54 million in revenue and cost avoidance.
In 2005, six teams joined the programme, which has established more than 90 best practices and was extended to domestic and international joint ventures.
Plans are in the works to talk to other major oil companies about sharing best practices, and a Best Practices Symposium was held in March.