Wood River Refinery
Encyclopedia
The Wood River Refinery is an oil refinery
located in Roxana, Illinois
, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) north of St. Louis, Missouri
, on the east side of the Mississippi River
. The refinery is currently owned by ConocoPhillips
and Cenovus Energy
, and operated by the joint-venture company WRB Refining, LLC (WRB). WRB was formed on 1 July 2007, with Encana taking a 49 percent interest in Wood River and also ConocoPhillips’ Borger refinery (Encana subsequently spun off heavy oil producer Cenovus). In return for a 49% stake in the refinery, ConocoPhillips gained a joint interest in two Alberta heavy oil projects: Christina Lake and Foster Creek. Both are operated by Cenovus using SAGD (steam-assisted gravity drainage) technology.
The complex is capable of refining 306000 barrels (48,650.1 m³) of crude oil per day and is the largest refinery operated by ConocoPhillips. Oil is supplied from the Gulf of Mexico
, Canada
, and domestic sources through pipelines. The facility produces 165000 oilbbl/d of gasoline
, 90000 oilbbl/d of diesel and jet fuel
s, as well as other products including asphalt
, propane
, and chemical feedstocks.
An expansion project (CORE project) is currently under way at the refinery, aimed at increasing processing of heavier crudes, and includes installation of a new coker unit. The project is expected to be completed by 2011. The expansion was undertaken specifically to handle heavy oil from Alberta.
Wood River Refinery was originally built by Shell in 1917. In the late 1990s, Shell and Texaco merged their downstream segments to form the Motiva (with Saudi national oil company Saudi ARAMCO) and Equilon joint ventures. During a prolonged period of low refining profit margins, Equilon sold the refinery to Tosco in 2003. Shortly thereafter, Phillips Petroleum acquired Tosco. When Conoco and Phillips merged, the refinery became an asset of ConocoPhillips. Multiple ownership of refineries is not uncommon in the United States, where many refineries (in original form) predate World War II.
Oil refinery
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is processed and refined into more useful petroleum products, such as gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, and liquefied petroleum gas...
located in Roxana, Illinois
Roxana, Illinois
Roxana is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,547 at the 2000 census. A majority of the land in Roxana is taken up by the Wood River Conoco-Phillips oil refinery; the refinery was built and originally owned by Shell Oil...
, approximately 15 miles (24.1 km) north of St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, on the east side of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. The refinery is currently owned by ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips
ConocoPhillips Company is an American multinational energy corporation with its headquarters located in the Energy Corridor district of Houston, Texas in the United States...
and Cenovus Energy
Cenovus Energy
Cenovus Energy is an integrated oil company headquartered in Calgary, Alberta.Cenovus was formed on December 1, 2009 when Encana Corporation split into two distinct companies: one an integrated oil company , the other a pure play natural gas company . The split left Cenovus with the assets formerly...
, and operated by the joint-venture company WRB Refining, LLC (WRB). WRB was formed on 1 July 2007, with Encana taking a 49 percent interest in Wood River and also ConocoPhillips’ Borger refinery (Encana subsequently spun off heavy oil producer Cenovus). In return for a 49% stake in the refinery, ConocoPhillips gained a joint interest in two Alberta heavy oil projects: Christina Lake and Foster Creek. Both are operated by Cenovus using SAGD (steam-assisted gravity drainage) technology.
The complex is capable of refining 306000 barrels (48,650.1 m³) of crude oil per day and is the largest refinery operated by ConocoPhillips. Oil is supplied from the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and domestic sources through pipelines. The facility produces 165000 oilbbl/d of gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, 90000 oilbbl/d of diesel and jet fuel
Jet fuel
Jet fuel is a type of aviation fuel designed for use in aircraft powered by gas-turbine engines. It is clear to straw-colored in appearance. The most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation are Jet A and Jet A-1 which are produced to a standardized international specification...
s, as well as other products including asphalt
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
, propane
Propane
Propane is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula , normally a gas, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as a fuel for engines, oxy-gas torches, barbecues, portable stoves, and residential central...
, and chemical feedstocks.
An expansion project (CORE project) is currently under way at the refinery, aimed at increasing processing of heavier crudes, and includes installation of a new coker unit. The project is expected to be completed by 2011. The expansion was undertaken specifically to handle heavy oil from Alberta.
Wood River Refinery was originally built by Shell in 1917. In the late 1990s, Shell and Texaco merged their downstream segments to form the Motiva (with Saudi national oil company Saudi ARAMCO) and Equilon joint ventures. During a prolonged period of low refining profit margins, Equilon sold the refinery to Tosco in 2003. Shortly thereafter, Phillips Petroleum acquired Tosco. When Conoco and Phillips merged, the refinery became an asset of ConocoPhillips. Multiple ownership of refineries is not uncommon in the United States, where many refineries (in original form) predate World War II.