El Segundo Refinery

El Segundo, California

Kiewit subsidiary, Cherne, completed two projects at the El Segundo Refinery, the largest-producing oil refinery on the West Coast, making more than 276,000 barrels of crude per day. To meet the California Air Resources Board Tier 3 standards, Cherne was first contracted to install a depentanizer unit and naphtha hydrotreater as well as outside battery limit piping and other existing unit modifications.

Most recently, Cherne completed the Sulfur Recovery Unit project, which ultimately allowed the refinery to meet the tightest sulfur dioxide emission limits in the world. Work included the installation of a sour water stripping unit, sulfur recovery unit and tail gas treating unit. The constrained work area required detailed planning for the transportation of four large columns through the operating refinery and their subsequent lifting into place.