Located about 120km south of Baghdad, the 140,000 barrel-per-day Karbala refinery is planned to be commissioned in 2020.
Under the contract, Honeywell UOP will supply refining processes while Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS) will deliver automation controls to help the Iraq’s State Company of Oil Projects’ (SCOP) Karbala refinery to maximize production of fuel and other products.
The Honeywell technologies licensed for the Karbala refinery include the UOP Penex process to upgrade light naphtha feedstock to produce isomerate; the UOP fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process to convert heavy feedstocks into high-octane gasoline and the UOP CCR Platforming process to convert low-quality naphtha to high-octane blending components for gasoline.
Additional technologies include the UOP Unionfining process to improve the distillate boiling-range feedstocks quality; the UOP Chlorsorb process to help meet stringent waste gas specifications; and the Experion Process Knowledge System (PKS) which is considered to be the heart of the Integrated Control and Safety Systems (ICSS).
Honeywell will also provide Safety Manager which is designed to integrate process safety data, applications, system diagnostics and critical control strategies, and implements defined safety applications.
The contract scope also includes Fire and gas safety systems, which include SIL3 certified safety systems connected to fire detectors, fire alarm panels, fire suppression systems, gas detectors, sounders and beacons to minimize the impact of any abnormal situations, as well as UniSim training simulators.
Honeywell UOP Process Technology and Equipment business vice-president and general manager Mike Millard said: "The integration of process technology with a controls solution enables the Karbala refinery to make more gasoline, diesel, fuel oil, jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gas and asphalt, and make it more efficiently."
With the technologies, the refinery is expected to help meet the country’s growing domestic demand for oil while meeting international standards.
HPS Projects and Automation Solutions business vice-president and general manager Pieter Krynauw said: "When we combine UOP process technology with the HPS automation and controls, refineries will be able to reach peak performance faster and lower the total cost of ownership while getting the best return of investment for the project lifecycle."
Refinery of Karbala Corporation (RKC) was earlier selected by SCOP to execute the project under build, own and operate (BOO) basis.
