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Abu Dhabi Oil Refinery Company (Takreer) is a step closer to upgrading its bunker-producing refinery in Ruwais following the selection of UOP LLC to supply technology and engineering services for the expansion project.

US firm UOP LLC, which is part of the American conglomerate Honeywell International Inc. and headquartered in Illinois, said that the basic engineering design is currently in progress and the refinery upgrade is expected to be completed in 2014.

Once the project is finished, the Ruwais refinery will be able to produce bunker fuel, gas oil, aviation turbine fuel, kerosene, unleaded gasoline, naphtha, liquefied petroleum gas(LPG), propylene and other hydrocarbon derivatives.

Located approximately 240 km from Abu Dhabi, the Ruwais plant currently produces 120,000 barrels-per-day (bpd) of crude oil and 280,000 bpd of condensate.

Abu Dhabi Oil Refinery Company is responsible for all the refining activities of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), which sources its bunker fuel from the Ruwais facility.

Fuel oil and gasoil is available ex-pipe to vessels calling at the Ruwais refinery terminal. ADNOC also offers bunkering services to customers at Abu Dhabi.

The new facility at Ruwais will utilize a wide range of UOP technologies for the production of clean, low sulfur distillate and gasoline. The UOP Unicracking™ process in conjunction with the UOP Distillate Unionfining™ process will upgrade heavy feedstocks to produce ultra-low-sulfur diesel.

Additionally, through an alliance with Albemarle Corp., UOP was able to provide a complete portfolio of catalyst solutions for the new Takreer units. UOP and Albemarle launched the Hydroprocessing Alliance in 2006 to offer a full suite of hydroprocessing solutions to refiners leveraging the expertise of both companies in this area.

“This facility will help us to meet the growing demand for clean fuels and chemicals in the Middle East and around the world,” said Jasem Al Sayegh from Takreer. “UOP’s hydroprocessing solutions are an integral part of this effort.”

“UOP prides itself on having the most complete offering of hydroprocessing solutions. We have built a portfolio and knowledge base, both internally and through partners, that is designed to meet the unique needs of our customers worldwide,” said Peter Piotrowski, senior vice president of UOP Process Technology and Equipment.

“We are pleased to be working with Takreer again to help them maximize return on their assets,” added Piotrowski.