DuPont Clean Technologies to Develop Scrubbing Project with BELCO® Technology to Control the Emissions of Empresa Nacional de Petróleo (ENAP)

Chilean oil refiner ENAP Refinerías S.A. has selected BELCO^® scrubbing technology, licensed by DuPont Clean Technologies (DuPont), to improve emissions control from its 31,449 BPSD fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit at the Aconcagua refinery. 

This new BELCO^® wet scrubber will reduce sulfur oxide and particulate emissions from the FCCU (fluid catalytic cracking unit) to well below Chilean emissions requirements.  This will be the second BELCO^® Scrubber for ENAP. ENAP previously commissioned a BELCO^® scrubber for its FCCU at the BioBio refinery in 2018.

Ramiro Abel Gonzalez, Latin America Business Development Manager, DuPont Clean Technologies, says, “With this decision, which will not only serve to improve emissions control but also operational reliability, ENAP becomes a regional leader in observing more stringent environmental specifications. It is likely that almost the entire Chilean refining park will be prepared to follow suit. Expectations are that other countries will go down the same route.”

Eli Ben-Shoshan, Global Business Leader, DuPont Clean Technologies, comments, “Resolute action by responsible refiners such as ENAP minimizes emissions and helps to improve air quality. By developing tailored emissions control solutions, DuPont Clean Technologies is delighted to be able to help refinery customers worldwide meet site-specific environmental, energy consumption, cost and operation targets.”

The BELCO^® wet scrubbing technology is the global standard for limiting flue gas emissions from oil refinery fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCUs), fluid cokers, fired heaters and boilers. The BELCO^® wet scrubbing system reliably controls particulate, SOx and NOx emissions to well below the most stringent regulatory requirements in a single upflow tower, thereby eliminating the need for a separate control device to manage different emissions. With its unique open-vessel design and non-plugging features, the BELCO^® technology is extremely robust and proven to support uninterrupted FCCU operation, with units typically working continuously for 3 -7 years without any maintenance or service shutdowns.

These systems are engineered to handle severe upset conditions including high-particulate carryover and high-temperature excursions. Licensed and marketed by DuPont as part of its Clean Technologies portfolio, the BELCO^® wet scrubbing technology is the world-leading flue gas emissions control technology with more than 150 licensed units worldwide.