Stories

Celebrating a century of excellence in innovation 

This year, KBR marked one century of delivering refining and clean fuel technology solutions. Building on this legacy,  we continue to remain a leader in innovation. Our PureSAF^® sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) technology is one example. The recent selection of PureSAF by Avina Clean Hydrogen Inc. for a project in the U.S. is a testament to KBR’s unwavering commitment to sustainability and commercialization of new technology.

Launched in 2023, PureSAF was developed by Swedish Biofuels AB and is exclusively licensed by KBR. It provides a scalable SAF pathway that can utilize a wide variety of feedstocks at low cost. 

However, this is not the only milestone in KBR’s market-leading refining and clean fuels portfolio. 

Refining impact

At the turn of the 20th century, the rise of automobiles and the internal combustion engine revolutionized transportation and in turn led to the propagation of various motor fuel-producing technologies. This was the beginning of the refining industry, and KBR became instrumental in advancing many early refining technologies for major oil companies. This included everything from thermal and catalytic cracking to delayed coking, alkylation, catalytic reforming and solvent deasphalting. 

“From 1924, when KBR began offering its thermal cracking technology to the refining industry until today, we continue to exceed the dynamic requirements of refiners across the globe,” said Hari Ravindran, senior vice president and global head of KBR Technology Solutions. “KBR not only provides future-proofed solutions through its innovative refining and clean fuels technologies, but we also ensure maximum performance with minimal environmental footprint.”

Here's a look at KBR’s top achievements and advancements over the past century. 

FCC legacy

In 1927, KBR, then known as M.W. Kellogg, established an integrated research and development (R&D) laboratory in Jersey City, New Jersey. In 1942, in response to the high demand for high-octane gasoline due to World War II, M.W. Kellogg designed and built the world’s first fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which was owned and operated by Standard Oil. Three years later, 34 FCC units had been built around the world, 22 by M.W. Kellogg, with a total capacity of 500,000 BPSD.

In the 1950s, KBR took the legacy of FCC design even further by introducing Orthoflow ^TM, which continues to be the FCC technology tradename that KBR licenses today. In 1961, KBR licensed the world’s first Resid FCC for Phillips 66 in Borger, Texas.

There have been significant advancements over the original Orthoflow design, which were enabled by KBR’s continuous research and development. KBR’s made numerous enhancements to FCC technology that improved process efficiency while also helping clients meet ever stringent fuel quality specifications. Some notable commercialized technology improvements are: 

• First low-pressure drop feed nozzle 

  • First catalyst cooler

  • First advanced riser termination device 

  • First two-stage regenerator design 

  • First “true” counter-current regenerator design 

In addition, KBR’s high olefin dual riser FCC technology, MAXOFIN^TM, maximizes the production of propylene from conventional FCC feedstocks and select distressed streams using proven FCC hardware and the proprietary MAXOFIN additive. Dual riser operation allows a refiner to operate the unit between maximum olefins mode of operation to maximum fuels mode to address seasonal product demand. The ability to revamp an existing FCC to MAXOFIN™ provides refiners with a low-investment strategy to refinery-petrochemical integration.

VCC®

VCC® or Veba Combi-Cracking — a slurry phase hydrocracking process for near complete conversion of coal and residue streams into high quality products — was commercialized in the 1930s as a direct coal liquefaction technology. KBR partnered with BP as the exclusive licensor. Today, we have six VCC licenses and three operating units in operation with proven 95+% residue conversion, including the largest single-train slurry hydrocracking unit in the world.

ROSE®

KBR acquired the ROSE® solvent deasphalting Technology from Kerr-McGee in 1995 and now has over 70 ROSE licensees and 1.6 million barrels of licensed capacity, making it the preferred choice of refiners globally for extracting maximum value from bottom-of-the-barrel streams. 

Cleaner alkylation

In 2016, KBR licensed the next generation disruptive direct alkylation technology, K-SAAT^SM, that is simpler, safer, and more sustainable alternative for high-quality alkylate production from C2-C5 olefins.  The key to K-SAAT technology is its revolutionary catalyst, engineered to overcome traditional solid-catalyst stability limitations and produce high-quality alkylate with higher alkylate yield than traditional liquid acid alkylation technologies.

Proud history, bright future

From the first FCC and Resid FCC units, to the largest slurry hydrocracker and SDA/ROSE® unit, to now launching a SAF technology (PureSAF), the evolution of KBR’s refining and clean fuels technology over the past century of R&D, engineering design, and licensing has made a lasting impact on the industry and beyond.   

KBR continues to drive process innovation, enhancing existing technologies and developing new low-carbon solutions to reduce emissions, improve efficiency and reliability, and advance sustainability.