Powering up fast during emergency maintenance
- The Challenge
Provide extra power fast during emergency maintenance
- The Solution
Natural gas generators fueled by the refinery’s own pipeline
- The Impact
Zero downtime and $985,000 saved in fuel costs
Client:Large US oil refinery
Location:West Texas, USA
Sectors:Petrochemical and refining
The challenge
Fast-track power for emergency maintenance
One of the largest refiners in the United States got in touch with us, as they needed to do some emergency maintenance on their boiler system inside the fluid catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) and didn’t have enough power for the replacement units. This was urgent. If the boilers can’t run, the oil to gasoline process won’t work and the plant becomes unstable. They asked us for diesel generators to boost power while they took down and replaced the old system.
The solution
Harnessing the refinery’s own natural gas
After more than 50 years in the business, we often spot efficiencies that customers don’t notice, so when we suggested gas generators instead of diesel, the refinery team was happy to take our recommendation. Not only is gas cleaner to run, it can be up to 40%-50% cheaper, and since the refinery had their own pipeline it made complete sense for this project. We quickly delivered and installed four 300 kW natural gas generators along with all the distribution panels and related equipment.
Our specialist technician worked on site with the refinery’s pipeline gas and was on call personally, 24/7, throughout the whole process.
The impact
No downtime, huge savings and lower emissions
The gas generators provided enough power to keep the refinery running during FCCU maintenance. Not only that, but by using onsite gas rather than diesel, the plant saved around $385,000 in fuel costs, while lowering emissions.