Engineered cooling solution helps refinery address critical production constraint

Client: Refinery
Location: Midwest
Sector: Petrochemical and refining

Overview

The challenge

A Midwest refinery’s sulfuric acid alkylation unit needed an engineered supplemental cooling system after two existing isobutane refrigeration circuits developed leaks

The solution

What began as a request for a single temporary chiller quickly revealed a broader process challenge

The impact

The temporary package was designed to give the refinery the cooling capacity needed to restart alkylate production

100%Throughput maintained throughout the project

4 systemsDesigned for supplemental alky cooling

Maximum recycleIsobutane feed rate maintained without interruption to operations

Working together

A Midwest refinery’s sulfuric acid alkylation unit needed an engineered supplemental cooling system after two existing isobutane refrigeration circuits developed leaks and became inoperable due to environmental limitations. With alkylate production impacted, FCC throughput would have to be reduced unless additional cooling was applied to the unit.

Since the leak investigation and permanent repairs were expected to take many months, the customer needed a multifaceted solution that could replace the affected cooling duty and create a path to resume full production while permanent equipment options were evaluated.

What began as a request for a single temporary chiller quickly revealed a broader process challenge. Aggreko’s process engineering team evaluated the refinery’s operating conditions, cooling duty, and system interactions to define the full scope of what the job actually required.

Aggreko designed a system to cool both the feed and refrigeration sides of the sulfuric acid alkylation unit, beginning with a detailed questionnaire and an onsite job walk involving process engineers, temperature-control specialists, and electrical experts.

Working together, the team aligned on:

Process design basis and philosophy
Site power generation
Redundancy

These requirements were then translated into an integrated system complete with process design documentation, electrical single-line diagrams, and a coordinated equipment plan. This process-driven approach brought equipment and engineering together in a coordinated solution tailored to the refinery’s production needs.

The temporary package was designed to give the refinery the cooling capacity needed to restart alkylate production while continuing the longer-term leak investigation and repair program.

Using existing site power avoided the need for temporary generators, while integrated transformers, distribution, and remote monitoring created a fully engineered package. Just as important, Aggreko stayed in close contact with the customer. Daily coordination calls kept the team informed of schedules, equipment deliveries, and emerging site requirements throughout the project.

Aggreko’s multidisciplinary team remained available to support installation oversight, commissioning, preventive maintenance, and responsive service from a nearby service center.

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