FlexDS^TM is a novel desulfurization and decontamination process that removes sulfur, nitrogen, trace metals and increases API on all oil feeds. FlexDS^TM reduces the operational and capital costs of the current method of sulfur removal, hydrotreating (HDT), by 1/2, which translates to significant savings and increased margins for your refinery.

Reduction in Hydrogen consumption

While hydrotreating relies on costly hydrogen to meet sulfur regulations, FlexDS^TM uses air, eliminating the need to use hydrogen to meet environmental standards. This allows current hydrogen capacity to be used for hydrogenation, further increasing profit margins.

Lower capital costs

In a direct comparison to hydrotreating, FlexDS^TM is 1/2 the capital cost. For refineries looking to add HDT capacity, FlexDS^TM can save hundreds of millions of dollars for future projects. For refineries with installed HDT capacity, FlexDS^TM can avoid expanding hydrogen gas capacity which can save capital costs ranging from hundreds of millions to billions of dollars. Additionally, FlexDS^TM can enable lower quality crude oils to be used without the cost of expensive capital equipment upgrades that protect against TAN, metals and higher sulfur levels.

Meet sulfur regulations

FlexDS^TM removes sulfur down to ppm levels on all oil distillates. Globally, sulfur regulations for road diesel, marine fuel and other distillates are becoming stricter and more expensive to meet. FlexDS^TM has proven to be extremely effective in removing sulfur down to desired levels on all oil feeds, including heavy fuels where HDT struggles to achieve desired results.

Smaller CO₂ footprint

FlexDS^TM operates at much lower operating temperatures (85^oC) and pressures (atmospheric) than hydrotreating. This means an overall reduction in energy consumption and lower carbon dioxide footprint. Using FlexDS^TM versus HDT in a refinery can reduce the CO₂ footprint by up to 40%.

Please contact Auterra to learn more about the FlexDS process.