Shell selects KBR Rose unit for solvent deasphalting duties

KBR, an American engineering, procurement and construction company, has been selected by Shell to utilise its Rose solvent deasphalting technology at Shell’s Pernis refinery.

The Rose unit is set to remove heavier fractions from crude oil, allowing the Rotterdam, Netherlands-based refinery to upgrade a larger proportion of its oil intake into lighter, high-grade products.

KRB and Shell expect the Rose unit to significantly enhance Pernis' refinery performance and competitiveness.

Construction work is planned to start next year, subject to permit approvals, with completion expected by 2018.

The Rose technology will split residue from a mix of crude oils into deasphalted oil (DAO) and asphaltene.

The new unit will not change the refinery's total processing capacity, but will allow a different product mix and will give the refinery more flexibility to respond to market developments and reduce the environmental footprint of its products.

The Pernis refinery is Shell’s largest integrated refinery complex in Europe.

KBR has licensed over 55 Rose units globally, with a combined capacity of nearly 1.3 million barrels per day.