Sulzer provides pumps to major refinery-conversion project in California

Sulzer pump manufacturing (Photo: Sulzer)

Sulzer announced Dec. 8 that it has supplied flow-technology solutions to convert an existing U.S. West Coast refinery* into one of the world’s largest renewable biofuels plants.

The pumps will support a number of critical applications to convert waste oils and fats into renewable fuels with a lower carbon cost.

Once complete, the new facility is expected to produce 3 billion liters (close to 793 million gallons) of renewable fuels per year.

The conversion will slash greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions from the plant and help its customer and California to achieve their low-carbon targets.

As the world moves to cleaner forms of energy, renewable fuels offer an immediate method to decarbonize the transition period.

Once fully operational in 2024, the facility will produce renewable diesel, gasoline and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from used cooking and soybean oils, waste fats and greases.

The project is a landmark development and part of a portfolio for renewable and sustainable fuel production.

The refinery conversion offers a dual benefit—simultaneously reducing GHG emissions at the site by 50 percent while providing lower-carbon fuels to customers.

Critical oil-recycle pumps supplied by Sulzer will enable the production of renewable diesel, which is a key aspect of the project.

Sulzer’s technology solutions will also support general processing, hard condensate pumping and caustic transfer at the facility.

“It is exciting to be involved in this innovative project and the move to low-carbon, renewable fuels,” said Suzanne Thoma, executive president of Sulzer. “Sulzer’s flow solutions, specially engineered to fit the new performance parameters of the applications, will play a critical role in the facility and in achieving California’s emissions-reduction targets. We will also enable millions of tons of waste oils and fats to be put to productive use.”

*Editor’s note: Sulzer did not disclose which refinery-conversion project the company is providing its flow-technology solutions to. Phillips 66 has an 800 mgy project in Rodeo, California, while the Marathon joint-venture project with Neste in Martinez, California, is scaled at 730 mgy.