ENOC Jebel Ali Oil Refinery, Dubai, Saudi Arabia

A gas condensate refinery with an output of 120,000 barrels per day was opened in the United Arab Emirates in 1999. The refinery in Jebel Ali, Dubai, has increased the total capacity of the UAE by about 60%. This refinery is the UAE's third refinery after Ruwais and Um al-Nar in the emirate of Abu Dhabi, which have a combined capacity of 200,000 barrels per day. The emirates of Sharjah and Fujairah also have refineries, each with a potential capacity of 80,000 barrels per day, but they have never been operational due to financial and technical problems. The refinery is operated by the Emirates National Oil Co. (ENOC) which is owned by the Dubai government.

The investment in the plant was $500 million. The plant took two and a half years to complete and covers 500,000 square metres. It involved the pouring of around 22,600 cubic metres of cement for foundations, structures and pre-cast pipe rack, as well as the installation of 15,000 tons of equipment and the laying of 223 kilometres of electric cables and 155 kilometres of instrument cables. The construction was completed on time and within budget.

FUNDING FOR THE ENOC REFINERY

A consortium of four banks provided a loan of $170 million to fund the project. ANZ Grindlays Bank, Barclays Bank, the Emirates Bank International (EBI) and the National Bank of Dubai (NBD) each provided $42.5 million.

THE ENOC PLANT AND CONDENSATES

The ENOC plant converts condensates from Qatar, Iran and Australia into LPG, naphtha, jet fuel, diesel and fuel oil. The naphtha, a total of about 66,000 barrels per day, will be exported for petrochemical uses in South and East Asia, and the rest of the liquids will be sold to the domestic market.

CONDENSATE DISTILLATION UNITS

The plant has a pipeline link to the fuel tank farm at Dubai International Airport to provide a constant supply service. The plant is centred on two 60,000 barrels per stream day condensate distillation units and five merox sweetening units. Its storage capacity is in excess of four million barrels of condensate feedstock and petroleum products. Feedstock is acquired from a number of different suppliers within the gulf region and comes to the plant by pipeline or by ships with a capacity of up to 120,000 dead weight tonnes.

PLANT CONTROL SYSTEM

A modern digital control system controls the operating plant, with every critical function and variable closely monitored and adjusted as required. It has its own power source with two efficient 10 mega watt turbo generators. The process stream is supplied by a heat recovery system.

SULPHUR RECOVERY PROCESSES

To minimise sulphur emissions, the sulphur recovery unit processes the streams, which are rich in hydrogen sulphide from amine treating and sour water stripping. Two sulphur plants, each with 100% of the capacity required, provide total protection, even if one plant is completely shut down.

A neutralising unit treats the sulphidic caustic waste from the LPG and naptha, kerosene and diesel merox. This renders the caustics suitable for disposal in the effluent treating plant, which is designed to handle and treat aqueous effluents before disposal according to local environment regulations.

CONTRACTORS FOR THE ENOC REFINERY

The refinery was developed by MW Kellogg under EPCL using front end engineering design (FEED). Site development and tank foundation works were handled by Dubai-based Al Futtaim Wimpey. The lump sum engineering, procurement and construction contract worth $130 million for the process and off-site facilities was carried out by Technipetrol of Italy, which was selected from a number of potential contractors from Europe, America and Japan.

Various local contractors, including Chicago Bridge and Iron, Eastern Anstalt and Al Futtaim Tarmac, were used for engineering, procurement and construction management of the tanks, major buildings and facilities outside the plant fence. Mott McDonald handled the engineering, procurement and construction management of all local contract works.