Main content | back to top
Licensed technologies
Shell Global Solutions licenses refining technologies and also provides business and operational consultancy to help its customers upgrade the capacity and performance of their existing units; integrate new process units into current refinery operations; incorporate advanced catalyst systems and reactor internals; and build new refineries.
As our clients respond to the changing business environment, we provide extended services throughout all project phases – from initial consultancy to project implementation.
Various market changes, such as increased product demand or alterations in product legislation and emission standards, can trigger strategic investment opportunities. But how do you evaluate – and execute – the projects that will secure the best returns?
World oil consumption has caught up with the industry’s installed crude refining capacity, and companies across the globe are evaluating their options for profitably meeting the rapidly growing demand. There is a shortage of capacity for processing the increasingly heavy crudes reaching the market into the lighter products that will meet ever-more stringent fuel specifications.
Technology is key to meeting these challenges. Many refiners are leveraging state-of-the-art hardware to raise plant capacity beyond the original design levels or adding new bottom-of-the-barrel processes to increase product yields. For others, regulatory compliance or increasingly stringent product specifications necessitate new hardware for upgrading processes such as hydrocracking or hydrodesulphurisation, and are driving improvements in health, safety and environmental performance. High product demand and the increasing demand for energy in all its forms are driving the construction of greenfield refineries and their integration into energy networks through the use of technologies such as gasification and co-generation.
With every technology license, we can offer a process or basic design package; detailed support to engineering, procurement and construction contractors; extended training at our facilities; start-up services from experienced operators; differentiated technical assistance during operation; and decision-making support.
Podcast
Challenges, opportunities and successes of Shell Global Solutions in the global refining industry
Brochures
Hydrocarbon Processing: Licensing solutions for tomorrow (PDF, 7158 KB) - opens in new window
Licensed technologies – delivered by a refiner to a refiner (PDF, 688 KB) - opens in new window
Criterion Catalysts & Technologies: the clean fuels company (PDF, 972 KB) - opens in new window
Articles
Impact magazine licensing compendium (PDF, 952 KB) - opens in new window
Opportunities for enhancing operational excellence for new and existing refineries
Related links
CRI Catalysts - opens in new window provides hydrogenation, oxidation, dehydrogenation, and environmental catalysts and systems. CRI Catalyst Company (CRICC) is part of CRI/Criterion Inc., the global catalyst technology company of the Shell Group.
Criterion Catalysts & Technologies - opens in new window provides catalysts for hydrotreating, hydrocracking, hydrogenation, isomerisation and naphtha reforming. Criterion is a wholly-owned subsidiary of CRI/Criterion Inc., which is a part of Shell Group. It is an international company that supplies catalysts, process technologies and catalyst services for a wide range of refining applications.
Shell Global Solutions licenses a wide range of industry-leading technologies across all refinery processes.
Hydrocracking
With a capacity of 512,000 barrels a day, the Shell Group (“Shell”) is the largest hydrocracker operator in the world. Global Solutions provides technical support to over 50 sites worldwide. We offer various process schemes that can match your product needs – whether they are to maximise middle distillate or gasoline production, or to produce base oils or fluidised catalytic cracker or ethylene cracker feedstocks. Download fact sheet (PDF, 85 KB) - opens in new window
Hydrotreating
Global Solutions’ advanced hydrotreating processes have been developed in-house using a combination of ongoing R&D effort and operational feedback. Shell’s hydrotreating capacity represents 8% of the world’s capacity, and the Global Solutions has designed and serviced more than 180 units over the past 50 years. Download fact sheet (PDF, 146 KB) - opens in new window
Catalysts
For hydrotreating and hydrocracking, we offer leading-edge technology coupled with market-leading catalysts from Shell’s catalyst business, Criterion Catalysts & Technologies, and its affiliate Zeolyst International, whose R&D has helped to improve the relative volume activity of desulphurisation catalysts by a factor of four. We work with them as a team to optimise the hardware design and select the best catalyst for an application. We also offer catalysts for biodiesel–ultra-low-sulphur-diesel co-processing, naphtha reforming and bottom-of-the-barrel upgrading. CRI Catalyst Company provides ethylene oxide, styrene, selective hydrogenation (C2 through C10), specialty and environmental catalysts to the petrochemical industry. Download fact sheet (PDF, 129 KB) - opens in new window
Reactor internals
Global Solutions is a leading supplier of hydroprocessing reactor internals technology that is designed to help utilise nearly 100% of the catalyst inventory and create excellent flow and temperature distribution over a wide range of conditions. Our internals have been commercially proven in over 300 hydroprocessing applications. More than two-thirds of these were at non-Shell plants. Download fact sheet (PDF, 241 KB) - opens in new window
Fluidised catalytic cracking (FCC)
Shell is the world’s largest operator of FCC units, and has some 15% of the total residue capacity. Global Solutions has licensed units for more than 60 grassroots facilities. It is the market’s only licensor that belongs to a leading operating company, and it continues to enhance Shell designs to help clients meet new challenges such as processing more difficult feedstocks and meeting more stringent environmental regulations. Our FCC units outperform the industry average in all the industry benchmarking categories for reliability, and achieve greater than the industry average FCC unit availability. Download fact sheet (PDF, 95 KB) - opens in new window
Thermal conversion
By using Global Solutions’ thermal conversion processes, refiners can upgrade a range of hydrocarbons. We are the market leader, with more than 100 licensed thermal conversion units, and Shell accounts for about 40% of the world’s thermal conversion unit capacity, with units in around 60 locations. Download fact sheet (PDF, 253 KB) - opens in new window
Distillation
Extensive R&D over many years has enabled us to license a value-adding range of distillation technologies such as our deeply integrated bulk crude distillation unit design, which offers a 30–50% reduction in equipment count; condensate splitting units; and deep-flash, high-vacuum units that result in high distillate yields and have achieved run lengths of five years. Download fact sheet (PDF, 124 KB) - opens in new window
Gasification
The Shell gasification process can treat virtually all the oil residues that are produced in refineries. The quality of the residue feed derived from a wide range of natural crude oils does not significantly affect the capital expenditure required for the gasification technology, which enables refiners to use heavier, less-expensive crudes and benefit from deeper conversion. More than 150 Shell gasification units have been licensed worldwide. Download fact sheet (PDF, 158 KB) - opens in new window
Gas/liquid treating and sulphur processes
Shell refineries and more than 500 licensees apply the gas/liquid treating and sulphur processes that Global Solutions has developed. These include the ADIP‡ process, which removes hydrogen sulphide from refinery gases, and SCOT‡ process, which enhances sulphur recovery from Claus plants to over 99.8%, thereby helping facilities to meet even the most stringent environmental limits. Download fact sheet (PDF, 221 KB) - opens in new window
‡ADIP and SCOT are Shell trademarks.
Shell Global Solutions supports refiners by licensing cutting-edge technology, and has a corporate track record that stretches back over 50 years. We provide technical and operational support to the Shell Group ("Shell"), which produces around 3.5 million barrels of oil equivalent a day and is active in more than 130 countries and territories worldwide. By drawing on this extensive global operating experience, we leverage technologies, expertise and experience for clients ranging from major international corporations to national oil companies, government agencies and independent refineries.
Our technology has been distilled from supporting asset-intensive businesses that operate in some of the world's most demanding environments.
What differentiates us?
Technology
Technology is the backbone of Shell's worldwide refinery operations. The solutions that Global Solutions licenses have evolved through the application of lessons learned from operating refineries all over the world.
Owner operator experience
Through supporting Shell's diverse operations, Global Solutions has addressed many of the challenges that refineries worldwide are facing.
Operational excellence
Our focus is on achieving benchmark levels of operability, reliability and integrity in our designs.
Articles
Impact magazine licensing compendium (PDF, 952 KB) - opens in new window
Licensing technologies: Operating experience provides foundation
Case Study
ERTC 13th ANNUAL MEETING
Pre-ERTC Refining Technology Seminar 2008
Monday 17 November 2008, Kursalon Wien, Vienna, 08:50–17:00
Ahead of the main ERTC conference, Shell Global Solutions’ Refining Technology Seminar addressed a host of business-critical refining-strategy, operations and technology issues.
For more information about the topics and speakers and to see our event gallery please visit the Refining Technology Seminar 2008 post-event website - opens in new window.
ERTC hospitality stand
Our experts met and greeted conference delegates and talked, refiner-to-refiner, about the issues that are dominating the refining agenda. Representatives from Shell Global Solutions and Shell's catalyst company, Criterion Catalysts & Technologies, discussed the challenges facing the industry.
Articles
Opportunities for enhancing operational excellence for new and existing refineries
New FCC process developed to meet growing diesel and propylene demands