Refinery of the Future

The report provides a detailed technical overview of refinery processes and establishes four regional refinery archetypes (USA, GCC, Europe, and Singapore) based on median capacities and typical configurations to facilitate future decarbonisation analysis.

• The report establishes four regional refinery archetypes based on a methodology that uses the 2022 Oil and Gas Journal (O&GJ) Worldwide Refining Survey and internal expertise to identify the most representative configurations.
• The USA archetype refinery is located on the Gulf Coast with a capacity of approximately 300,000 BPSD, primarily driven by gasoline demand and utilizing a Delayed Coker Unit (DCU) for residue conversion due to regional demand for coke.
• The GCC archetype refinery has a capacity of approximately 400,000 BPSD and is characterized by high efficiency, export-dependent demand, and integration with petrochemical facilities, with a preference for cheap natural gas over refinery off-gases for hydrogen production.
• The European archetype refinery processes approximately 200,000 BPSD and is primarily diesel-driven, featuring older, less complex facilities with limited investment in new residue upgrading technologies and a reliance on asphalt units for residue conversion.
• The Singapore archetype refinery processes approximately 300,000 BPSD and is designed for high conversion and international export flexibility, utilizing a Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) to convert atmospheric residue into gasoline components.
• Globally, approximately 50% of produced naphtha is used as feedstock for the petrochemical industry, a market valued at US$294.5 billion in 2022.

APA

Clean Air Task Force (2024). Refinery of the Future. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/29181306/refinery-of-the-future-archetype-selection.pdf

Chicago

Clean Air Task Force. Refinery of the Future. 2024. https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/29181306/refinery-of-the-future-archetype-selection.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Clean Air Task Force |title=Refinery of the Future |date=25 February 2024 |url=https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/29181306/refinery-of-the-future-archetype-selection.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{cleanairtaskforce2024refinery, author = {{Clean Air Task Force}}, title = {{Refinery of the Future}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://cdn.catf.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/29181306/refinery-of-the-future-archetype-selection.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }