Commerce City Refinery Project Odyssey
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Summary Information

The Project

  • Project Type: A major upgrade
  • Project Summary: The project was designed to enable the production of low sulphur diesel fuel, to improve the refinery's environmental performance, to enable Suncor to integrate a broader slate of crude oil products, including sour crude oil from the company's Canadian oil sands production and to increase in the refinery's ability to process bitumen used in asphalt production
  • Main Contractors

Refining Units

  • Asphalt Unit (AU) – The Asphalt Unit was modified with new metallurgy in order to run high-acid (TAN) crudes, such as those coming from oil sands. The project at the AU included a new atmospheric tower and a new vacuum tower.
  • Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU) - The refinery's #2 SRU was modified to be able to add oxygen and recover more sulfur following the desulphurization process.
  • Tail Gas Unit (TGU) - The TGU was installed as part of a requirement to reduce the emissions from our SRU. Simply, the TGU makes both of the refinery's sulfur recovery units more efficient. Sulfur that is recovered in the SRU is recycled through the TGU resulting in a significant decrease in emissions to the air.
  • Hydrogen Plant - The new hydrogen plant uses natural gas to make hydrogen, which is used in the process of removing sulfur from diesel and gasoline.
  • #2 Hydrodesulphurization (HDS) Unit - The #2 HDS was modified to make ultra low sulfur kerosene. The refinery uses kerosene to blend with diesel fuel for cold weather properties.
  • #3 HDS — The #3 HDS was modified to process ultra low sulfur diesel.
  • #4 HDS - The #4 HDS, which was made in Italy and came by ship across the Atlantic Ocean and by rail from the Port of Houston to the refinery, was newly installed and will treat gas oil. Once the sulfur is removed, the gas oil is the feedstock that goes to the fluidized catalytic cracking unit (FCC) to make gasoline.
  • Tank 774 - The refinery installed a new 120,000 barrel storage tank that will hold sour distillate, which is feedstock for the #3 HDS unit.
  • Propane Storage System - The refinery's propane storage system was relocated in order to install the #4 HDS.
  • Sour Water Stripper - The new sour water stripper cleans the water used in refinery processes so it is suitable to go to the refinery's wastewater system.
  • Boiler Feedwater Treatment System - The refinery uses reverse osmosis technology to purify water. The refinery uses the boiler feedwater treatment system to treat city water to make it boiler feedwater quality which is used through the refinery to make steam.
  • Pipeline from Xcel Energy - Modifications were made to the natural gas system that feeds the refinery.
  • New Cooling Tower - The new cooling tower increases the refinery's cooling water circulation capability.

Terminal Capacity

  • Crude Oil:
  • Refined Products:

Crude Supply

  • The project enabled Suncor to integrate a broader slate of crude oil products, including sour crude oil from the company's Canadian oil sands production.

Products Produced

  • The production of ULSD has been increased

Other Information

  • -

Relevant Links

  1. Suncor Denver Refinery Overview
  2. Suncor Energy completes upgrade to its Commerce City refinery

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