Sasol Natref Clean Fuels II (FEED)

Fluor performed basic engineering and development of a Class 3 cost estimate for an upgrade to the Natref refinery in Sasolburg, South Africa to meet Euro V clean fuels specification. Work scope included greenfield, brownfield and revamp of the Natref refinery to meet Clean Fuels 2 specifications, as well as future ULP 95 market demand.

Client's Challenge

On January 1, 2006, new regulations regarding the prohibition of lead-based additives into petrol and the reduction of the sulfur content of diesel to 500ppm came into effect. These regulations are commonly referred to as ‘Clean Fuels Phase 1.

At that time, the South African government indicated that it would “further engage with stakeholders to improve the standards of road transportation fuels based on environmental considerations, international trends and national imperatives.” This next step change ‘improvement' in road transportation fuel specifications is referred to locally as ‘Clean Fuels 2'.

Project objectives include compliance to Euro V fuel specifications, energy efficiency as a key design priority and meeting 2020 air and effluent specifications for the Clean Fuels 2 project.

Fluor's Solution

Fluor performed basic engineering services for the Natref Clean Fuels 2 project, following the successful completion of a feasibility study and conceptual engineering. The project entailed the development, design and building of new process units to meet legislated fuel specification, as well as the evaluation and consideration of some extensive modifications to existing units.

Basic engineering was led by Fluor's Woodmead, South Africa office, with work share in Amsterdam and New Delhi. A key component of the basic engineering phase was detailed up-front planning and developing a viable and cost-objective project execution strategy to safely drive efficient project delivery, which included modularization. Fluor mobilized key resources and subject matter experts from around the world to ensure that the entire planning and execution of the project was conducted smoothly.

Offsite prefabrication was adopted to allow a safer work environment for the craft, while at the same time improving productivity and efficiency. This approach further reduced on site labor requirements with the associated permitting issues. The Fluor team developed a detailed labor relations plan, involving a high content of local craft involvement.

Conclusion

Fluor performed basic engineering and execution phase planning for upgrade of the Natref refinery in Sasolburg, South Africa. The upgrade will allow the refinery to meet South Africa's Clean Fuels 2 specifications. The project was completed on schedule and achieved 275,000 hours without incidents.