As shown in our preliminary flowsheet (diagram below), North West will apply conventional upgrading processes to reduce technology risk. Incoming bitumen blend streams will be split in atmospheric and vacuum distillation towers. Light end diluent will be recycled to customers, while heavier materials will be hydrocracked and hydrotreated to make value added products, such as: ultralow sulphur diesel, diluent, low sulphur vacuum gas oil and butane. The residue from hydrocracking will be gasified to produce hydrogen that will be used in the hydrotreating processes.

North West has selected leading technology providers from around the world to ensure the use of high-quality, high-yielding processes to maximize output and value.

Atmospheric and Vacuum Crude Units
The feed to the Upgrader is separated in the Crude Units into light, medium and heavy streams. Light oil is sent to light ends recovery, medium weight material flows to the hydrotreating units for light processing and high density material is sent to the Residual Hydrocracker for intensive processing.

Diluent
Diluent, which was blended with the bitumen feedstock to lighten it for transportation, is returned to the producers for future use.

Hydrotreating
Medium density material from the Crude Units requires light hydrotreating by way of hydrogen addition. This removes certain impurities such as sulphur, nitrogen and heavy metals, and improves the overall quality of the final products.

Residual Hydrocracking
High density oil from the Vacuum Unit requires intense processing involving hydrogen addition at high temperature, high pressure and the presence of a catalyst. The longer hydrocarbon molecules are "cracked" into shorter, "lighter" hydrocarbons to improve the quality of the output products. These shorter molecules are then processed in the Hydrotreating Unit to stabilize them for inclusion in the final product.

Gasification
The heavy oil that was not upgraded by the Residual Hydrocracker, or Hydrocracker Bottoms, is sent to the Gasifier where it is combined with steam and oxygen at high pressure and temperature to produce hydrogen. The hydrogen is separated for use in the Hydrotreating and Hydrocracking Units.

Manufacturing high-quality products requires the input of significant amounts of hydrogen that is typically sourced from natural gas. Converting the hydrocracker’s heavy residue bottoms to hydrogen for use in the process avoids the use of significant amounts of high value, high cost natural gas. Further, gasification eliminates the production of low value coke which must be disposed of.

Product Stabilization, Light Ends and Sulphur Recovery
Very light hydrocarbons such as propane and butane are removed from the process and recovered for process use or resale. This stabilizes the products so that gas does not form during shipment. Sulphur is also recovered during the hydrotreating processes for sale into the market.