The Champlin refinery, once known as the Pontiac refinery, has undergone several expansions in the years since it began processing crude alongside the Corpus Christi Ship Channel in the late 1930s.
Champlin Petroleum was investing capital to double the size of the refinery's capacity from 65,000 to 125,000 barrels per day. The new alkylation process unit had the ability to handle low- as well as high-sulfur crude and meet current and anticipated environmental standards.
As part of the client's requirements, the existing refinery operations were to be undisturbed and avoid any potential shutdowns during the expansion construction. The new wastewater treatment area needed to be designed to meet new Environmental Protection Agency specifications. Due to the close location next to the ship channel, the construction had to mitigate being 14 feet below sea level and the changing water level due to tides and shifting sand strata.