Soaring with Saras

Foster Wheeler Italiana has been awarded an engineering and procurement contract by Saras for new process units at the Sarroch refinery in Sardinia, Italy. The terms of the contract award, which were included in Foster Wheeler's first-quarter 2006 bookings, were not disclosed.

According to a statement, the contract includes an option, which Saras may elect to exercise at a later date, for the provision of construction supervision services by Foster Wheeler. Saras is one of the leading industrial companies in Italy and its Sarroch refinery is one of Europe's largest and most advanced refining complexes.

Foster Wheeler's scope includes a new hydrodesulphurisation unit with 180 cubic metres per hour throughput, designed to reduce the sulphur content of a gasoline blending component to seven parts per million weight, while minimising octane loss.

In addition, two new independent tail gas treatment units will be installed, each with approximately 36 metric tonnes per hour capacity. The tail gas treatment units will be designed to achieve a minimum overall sulphur recovery of 99.9 percent from the tail gases, in line with new emissions legislation. Tail gases are "leftover" gases from the sulphur recovery unit.