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Samref is one of the leading refineries in the Middle East. The refinery started with processing 263,000 barrels per day of Arab Light Crude, but through a continuous improvement of its facilities, it now processes more than 400,000 barrels per day of Arabian Light crude oil. 

The crude refining process is being carried out at several stages in the following refinery units:

• Crude Unit
• Vacuum Unit
• Visbreaker
• Isomerization Unit
• Fluid Catalytic Cracking
• Naphtha Hydrotreater
• Continuous Reformer
• Catalytic Hydrodesulfurisation
• Amine, Sulfur Recovery and Prilling Unit
• Alkylation Unit
• Saturated and Unsaturated Gas Plants
• MTBE Unit
• Hydrisom Unit

The refinery features single train processing and residual upgrading capabilities. Principal process facilities include reforming and isomerization for gasoline octane improvement, fluid catalytic cracking for gas oil conversion, alkylation and MTBE units LPG upgrading for gasoline production and visbreaking for improving fluidity of heavy fuel oil.

Samref produces a full range of products including Propane and many grades of Gasoline, Reformate for local petrochemical plant feed, Jet fuel, many grades of Automotive diesel oil (ADO), two grades of Marine heavy fuel oil (MHFO) and Sulfur.

The yield of gasoline and distillate products is >80% per barrel, which is higher than the normal rates  in similar refineries. It is believed that SAMREF is the most sophisticated grassroots refinery ever built. Its processing flexibility enables the refinery to alter its product-mix to meet seasonal demands, and more importantly, long term shifts in demand pattern. Some processing units are under study to further enhance the refinery’s capability to produce even more premium quality products. 

The MTBE unit has special signification because it will not only allow SAMREF to operate even more efficiently with the additional production of high quality products, but it will also permit SAMREF to make oxygenated gasoline’s, a cleaner burning motor vehicle fuel. The SAMREF oxygenated gasoline will be the first gasoline of this kind to be produced by a refinery Saudi Arabia.

The product mix includes:

• 3% - LPG and others
• 15% - Jet Fuel
• 17% Marine and other Fuel Oil
• 30% - Heating Oil and Diesel Fuel
• 35% - Gasoline 

Samref products are lifted by its Offtakers, namely Saudi Aramco and ExxonMobil and are shipped to many destinations around the world.