Planning and Development Services
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company LLC
Anacortes Refinery
Clean Products Upgrade Project
Project Description
Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company LLC (Tesoro) filed an application for a Shoreline Substantial Development Permit for a Clean Products Upgrade Project (CPUP). One portion of the CPUP within shorelines jurisdiction includes installing a new Marine Vapor Emissions Control (MVEC) system to capture hydrocarbon emissions from marine vessels displaced during marine loading operations. Vapors collected by the MVEC system will be routed to the skid mounted Dock Safety Units (DSU) to be located on the wharf structure. Natural gas, essential to operation of the DSU, will be supplied via a 3 inch diameter natural gas line installed from the refinery, along the causeway and wharf structure, to the DSU. The hydrocarbon vapors from the DSU will be routed from the wharf and along the causeway through existing available pipes to a new Vapor Combustion Unit (VCU) located outside shoreline jurisdiction near the existing Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Portions of the CPUP located outside shoreline jurisdiction and within the developed areas of the refinery includes construction of an Aromatics Recovery Unit (ARU) capable of producing 15,000 barrels per day of mixed xylenes, a new steam boiler, expansion of the Naphtha Hydrotreater (NHT) to process 46,000 barrels of naphtha per day, and installation of a new Isomerization (Isom) Unit. Additionally, new storage tanks will be installed adjacent to the existing refinery storage tank area, expanding the tank storage area to the west.
The new ARU will process reformate from the catalytic reformer (CR). The reformate will be obtained both from the refinery’s onsite catalytic reforming process and by outside sources of reformate delivered by marine vessels to the existing wharf system. The ARU will use both distillation and liquid sulfolane (solvent) extraction to produce a mixed xylenes product that meets the high purity commercial specifications for petrochemical feed stock. The mixed xylenes product will be stored and periodically shipped by marine vessel via the existing Anacortes wharf facility using existing piping. The remaining ARU byproduct will be used in gasoline blending or marketed as a gasoline blend stock. The sulfolane used in the extraction process will be stored in a new tank located within the ARU.
The processing capacity of the existing NHT will be increased by approximately 15% to provide additional sulfur removal from an existing gasoline component stream. The increase in capacity will be accomplished by replacing the hydrotreating reactor, plus replacement of and the addition of equipment such as pumps, vessels, heat exchangers and modifications to the NHT fractionation columns. The naptha generated by the NHT will be further processed by the Catalytic Reformer (CR) and to create both light and heavy reformate streams. The heavy reformate will be processed by the ARU for mixed xylenes as discussed above. The light reformate will be processed by the Benzene Saturation Unit and the new Isom Unit to produce a low sulfur, low benzene, relatively high octane gasoline blending component to meet new clean fuel standards.
Three new storage tanks will be constructed in the tankage area of the refinery to support the receipt of reformate and shipping of the mixed xylenes product. Two of the tanks will hold a 384,000 barrel capacity and the third will have a 193,000 barrel capacity. Each tank will have volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions controls.
The increased feed rate to the NHT is sourced from existing refinery gasoline blend stocks that need to be treated to meet the stricter environmental fuel standards. This proposed project does not change crude capacity, nor is it dependent on crude type. Furthermore, the project is not dependent on any particular mode of transportation of crude to the facility.
Project Application Materials
Documents related to the Tesoro Anacortes Refinery Clean Products Upgrade Project.
- Determination Of Significance and Request for Comments on Scope of Environmental Impact Statement
- Shoreline Substantial Development Application – June 22, 2015
- Notice of Development Application - July 9, 2015
- SEPA Checklist – June 22, 2015
- Joint Aquatic Resources Permit Application – June 22, 2015
- Site Plans and Diagrams – June 22, 2015
- Department of Army, jurisdictional determination – June 1, 2015
- Washington Department of Ecology, Wetland Findings for Tesoro Clean product Upgrade – July 2, 2015
- Tesoro Clean Products Upgrade Project Cultural Resources Technical Memorandum – May 22, 2015
- Overview drawings