Bechtel announced today that it has signed a license agreement with JSC Pavlodar Oil Chemistry Refinery (POCR) for a major modernization and process design of a delayed coking unit (DCU) complex in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan. The DCU complex will use Bechtel’s ThruPlus® Coking technology, a proprietary process for upgrading heavy oil into high-value, light hydrocarbon liquids and petroleum coke.

“The ThruPlus Coking technology and our DCU expertise will improve the safety and efficiency of the Pavlodar refinery coker. The upgrade will debottleneck the production of high-quality liquid products, and greatly reduce drum cycle times from current operation,” said Scott Johnson, vice president and general manager of Bechtel’s Onshore Oil and Gas/Downstream division. “We look forward to working with POCR to achieve its goal of modernizing and expanding the refinery’s capabilities for heavy oil upgrading.”

The ThruPlus Coking technology will significantly increase the refinery’s feed processing capabilities from 600,000 metric tons per year to 925,000 metric tons per year. It will also make high quality liquid products for transportation fuel use and petroleum coke suitable for further processing and use in the aluminum industry.

The ThruPlus Coking technology is managed by Bechtel Hydrocarbon Technology Solutions, Inc. (BHTS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Bechtel that provides technology licensing and process consulting services to the oil and gas industry. BHTS has licensed various aspects of the ThruPlus technology for five projects since acquiring it from ConocoPhillips in 2011.

Bechtel is a global leader in the oil and gas industry. The company’s delayed coking experience spans more than 50 years and includes projects in North, Central, and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Middle East.

To see the Pavlodar refinery site