The exact cost for Big West Oil’s conversion of its HF alkylation unit to Honeywell UOP’s ISOALKY technology at its North Salt Lake refinery has not been widely disclosed in public announcements by the companies involved.
However, a report referencing a 2017 article in the Oil & Gas Journal indicated that the retrofit for a similar project at the nearby Chevron Salt Lake City refinery (the first complete conversion) had an estimated cost of about $67 – $87 million.
Big West Oil announced in November 2021 that it had selected the ISOALKY technology for the revamp of its existing HF unit. Project costs for conversions of this nature can vary based on the specific refinery’s size, scope of work, and capacity.
How much for the conversion at Wynnewood from HF to KSAAT?
The publicly estimated cost for the conversion of the Hydrofluoric (HF) acid alkylation unit to KBR’s Solid Acid Alkylation Technology (K-SAAT) at CVR Energy’s Wynnewood refinery has been cited in company updates and regulatory filings.
CVR Energy originally estimated the overall capital investment for the HF mitigation and yield-enhancement project at Wynnewood to be about $90 million.
More recently, a CVR Energy executive stated that the company now expects the total cost of the project to be $135 million to $140 million.
This project involves replacing the existing HF Reactor/Settler section with the K-SAAT solid acid technology, which is intended to increase alkylate yield and eliminate the use of liquid hydrofluoric acid for safety and environmental benefits.
These actual costs are a tiny fraction of the claims made by the local refineries, and demonstrate their lack of objectivity about the matter. Why should we believe them?
Torrance Refinery Action Alliance 