Fluor was contracted to perform engineering, procurement and construction management on the refinery expansion. Our process engineering scope covered the full range of activities from conceptual design to start-up assistance, including process design of the fractionator, light ends and other facilities.

Several significant features were part of the refinery expansion. For example, the project's regenerator is one of the largest shop-fabricated regenerators ever constructed. Shop fabrication in Canada of both the reactor and the regenerator saved time and costs. In addition, we managed the activities of more than 40 local contractors in the execution of the project.

We took several important steps to achieve Ultramar's scheduling objectives. Our engineering approach was specifically adapted to require each contractor's schedule to meet Ultramar's completion schedule. Extra effort was made to ensure the on-time delivery of materials. Our procurement guidelines called for maximum use of eastern Canadian suppliers located close to the Ultramar refinery.

The project had one of the largest pressure vessels ever fabricated in Canada at the time. We not only managed the fabrication of the regenerator, but also the transportation of the vessel to the site. The vessel traveled 16 hours on a specially fitted barge down the St. Lawrence River, then another eight hours by road to the refinery.

Local residents gathered along the transport route to view the vessel. One Fluor rigging engineer observed that the people were quite amazed at the size of the vessel.