Saudi Aramco"s Shell Refinery Co. (SASREF) recently inaugurated its refurbished Central Control Room and the Instrumentation Master Plan (IMP) Project. In an address at the opening ceremony held recently, SASREF"s Chairman Abdul Rahman F. Al-Wuhaib said he hoped SASREF's “leading-edge technology, optimal utilization and obsolescence abatement will further boost its international competitiveness as a firmly established pacesetter refinery.” The IMP project, according to SASREF president Abdulhakim Al-Gouhi, is to ensure reliable operations and to inspire best-in-class achievement and performance in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. IMP project manager Ahmad Al-Abdrabbuh said IMP major accomplishments include the replacement of SASREF's obsolete relay-based Instrumented Protective System (or safeguarding system) and relevant field instruments, the replacement of SASREF's obsolete Distributed Control System, the replacement of other obsolete stand-alone automation systems and applications, and integration of the new facilities with the upgraded systems and instruments from prior stages of the IMP. SASREF is a 50/50 joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Shell. It is an export refinery where Arabian Light Crude is upgraded into high-quality refined products, including kerosene, naphtha, benzene, fuel oil and liquefied petroleum gas. It has a production capacity of 305,000 barrels per day.
