Riyadh Refinery is using a combination of new technologies, smart thinking and cohesive teamwork to achieve both environmental and economic gains through a series of modernisation efforts.

This includes the commissioning of a sulphur plant, the construction of a new Diesel Hydrotreater (DHT) Complex, increased gasoline production and the commissioning of a co-generation plant.
The new Sulphur Recovery Unit (SRU) Trains 1 and 2 were commissioned in May, with each train designed to produce 70 tonnes per day (tpd) of molten sulphur, much of which goes to local customers.
The sulphur recovery unit has eliminated the incineration of acid gas, or H2S, resulting in a cleaner environment for the Riyadh area.
The sulphur plant will bring extra benefits of $3 million per year to the refinery.
The combination of new technologies, innovation and teamwork is having an impact on Riyadh Refinery's operations and profitability, and the DHT project is a good example.
The DHT construction is continuing as planned, with completion set for May 2006. The project will provide a 45,000 barrel-per-day (bpd) DHT unit to supply low sulphur diesel to the city of Riyadh.
To support the DHT, the project provides a new hydrogen plant, a third SRU train, a 4,500 gallon per minute cooling tower, and a 400 gallon per minute amine regenerator.
Supplying low-sulphur diesel to Riyadh will help meet the ambient air quality standards of the Presidency of Meteorology and Environment.
The blending of high-octane gasoline imported from the Eastern Province with the local surplus of light naphtha is another production innovation that has allowed the refinery to increase its profitability.
During 2005, the high octane gasoline blending component, platformate, continued to be imported from the east to absorb part of the surplus of light naphtha production. That has resulted in increased gasoline production by 4,500 bpd and has reduced the amount of gasoline imported to the Central Region.
A major achievement for energy conservation was the commissioning of the cogeneration plant in May 2005. Riyadh Refinery commissioned three combustion turbine generators and three heat recovery steam generators (HRSG).
Each generator is designed to produce 22 megawatts per hour and is synchronised with Saudi Electricity Co. Each HRSG is designed to generate 50 tonnes per hour of steam, which can be increased to meet the refinery's high-pressure steam header requirements.