Foster Wheeler says it has been awarded a contract by Petron for the company’s refinery upgrading project in Bataan, Philippines.

Foster Wheeler will execute detailed engineering and procurement services for the delayed coker unit (DCU), it said, including the engineering and material supply of two double-fired Terrace Wall coker heaters.

The DCU will have a design capacity of 37,500 bbl per stream day and is a key part of this significant refinery upgrade, the company said.

The Foster Wheeler contract value was not disclosed and was included in the company’s third-quarter 2011 bookings.

The award for the delayed coker heaters was included in the company’s second-quarter 2011 bookings.

This award follows an earlier award for the process design package and technology license for the DCU, which will use the company’s selective yield delayed coking (SYDEC) process.

“We are very focused on leveraging coking technology wins into larger workscopes,” said Umberto della Sala, chief operating officer of Foster Wheeler.

“Coker units are complex, and we always recommend Foster Wheeler detailed engineering and critical procurement to realize the full operational benefits of our well-designed, well-constructed delayed coking unit,” he continued.

“We believe that this award reflects Petron’s confidence in the added value that we will bring to this project and in our fast-track, cost-effective execution plan.”

Foster Wheeler’s SYDEC process is a thermal conversion process used by refiners worldwide to upgrade heavy residue feed and process it into high-value transportation fuels.

The SYDEC process can be designed to maximize clean liquid yields while minimizing fuel coke yields from high sulfur residues.

By installing a SYDEC unit, a refinery owner is able to process heavier crudes, which sell at a discount to the benchmark light, sweet crudes, thereby allowing the owner to receive the benefit of increased refining margins, according to Foster Wheeler.