PROJECT

Grassroots Renewable Diesel

Our team provided engineer-procure-construct (EPC) services for a new, $1.4 billion+ total installed cost renewable diesel facility on the Gulf Coast.

Our team worked on-site to develop the scope of work, which included: outside battery limits (OSBL) development of 24 piperack modules, site preparation, feedstock unloading and blending, 15 miles of pipelines; and inside battery limits (ISBL) units and supporting utility infrastructure, process systems including hydrogen supply, renewable diesel pipelines, and renewable diesel railcar loading. The 470 million gallons per year unit was started up successfully, bringing the client’s total renewable diesel production to 1.2 billion gallons per year. The unit, upon completion, is the largest renewable diesel train in the United States.

A unique feature of this EPC project was 24 OSBL pipe rack modules to connect the main processing infrastructure to the new processing facilities. The modules have multiple layers to accommodate piping and cable tray and allow setting with jacking systems and self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs). The installation plan minimized the plot space required to install the modules and allowed adjacent mechanical activities to proceed in parallel with the module installation. Modules were transported by barge from the fabrication facilities to a dock adjacent to the facility and transported to the site with SPMTs. All modules had been assembled in the shop before shipment, inclusive of steel, piping, insulation, touch-up paint, cable tray and grounding.

Client

Confidential

Location

U.S. Gulf Coast

Services

Oil, Gas & Chemicals

Refining

Renewable Fuels & Chemicals

Industry

Oil, Gas & Chemicals

Scopes of Work Developed

OSBL components

Site preparation

Feedstock unloading and blending at a remote railroad with supporting tankage

Pipelines from rail yard to facility

Expansion of existing crude unloading facility to accommodate proposed fats unloading and renewable diesel loading

Feed and intermediate product tankage

Piping and supporting utility infrastructure for inside battery limits (ISBL) units

Amine regeneration unit

Sour water stripper unit

Integration into refinery utility and process systems including hydrogen supply, renewable diesel pipelines and renewable diesel railcar loading

Brownfield hydrogen plant

Our team also fabricated and installed nine ISBL pipe rack modules designed by another firm. These modules connected to the OSBL pipe rack modules designed by Burns & McDonnell, and our team coordinated all interfaces to allow for smooth installation. The project’s international fabrication footprint reached Spain, Germany, France, India, Italy, Argentina and Mexico.

As part of project development, the client needed to understand the scope and cost of integrating this new facility into existing operating assets. Our team was tasked with overall site and logistics development to determine an efficient and cost-effective plan for site laydown and construction labor parking. At the peak of the project, more than 2,000 construction craft workers were on-site, accumulating more than 5 million direct field manhours. In all, more than 450 pieces of equipment — including reactors, fractionation columns, compressors, pumps and 15 new tanks — were installed.

This renewable fuels facility was delivered safely, on time and on budget. By the end of 2023, the facility was to produce 730 million gallons per year, with a competitive operating profile, robust logistics flexibility and advantaged feedstock slate.