08-12-2013

Optimization program successfully finalized at Omsk refinery

The Omsk refinery is one of the most advanced refineries in Russia and one of the largest in the world. Main products include gasoline, diesel fuel, construction and road bitumen, fuel oil, jet fuel, as well as variety of aromatic hydrocarbons, liquefied petroleum gases, various lubricants, additives, catalysts and other products. The refinery commenced operations in September 1955 with a processing capacity of three million tons per annum (mtpa) of crude oil. The current processing capacity of the refinery is 19.5mtpa.

Modcon Systems team of specialists was chosen to develop the process analyzers implementation program to enable the optimization of all refinery process units.

The team has successfully finalized the implementation program.

The main objectives of this project are as follows:
1. Minimize the operating/maintenance costs by
* Improving the grade of automation
* Improvement of the quality of the analysis and response time
* Reduction of manpower (especially laboratory and field people)
* Increase the productivity of the unit and quality of the products which becomes constant and independent of the feed minimize utilities consumption

2. To give the possibility to update online the Advance Control Optimization, using the process analytics technique.

3. General improvement of the environmental situation

4. Network optimization

5. General improvement of the safety operating of the unit.

A large-scale modernisation programme is taking place at the Omsk refinery. As part of this programme - due to be completed in 2020 - a light gasoline fractions isomerisation complex called Izomalk-2 was put into commercial operation in October 2010. The plant's capacity is 800,000 tonnes per year. Izomalk-2 makes it possible to produce a high octane number component of commercial gasolines - isomerisation - with zero sulphur, or aromatic and unsaturated hydrocarbons content. The Omsk refinery is currently the most powerful plant of its type in Europe.