05-07-2019

Emerson completes Kochi refinery upgrade

Emerson, a global technology and engineering company, today announced the completion of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) Kochi Refinery upgrade. Throughout the project, Emerson provided engineering and project management services as well as automation technologies that helped BPCL in its goal of increasing the production capacity from 9.5 million to 15.5 million metric tonnes per annum.

BPCL leveraged Emerson's deep refining expertise and Plantweb digital ecosystem-a scalable portfolio of technologies, software and services to enable digital transformation-to modernize plant operations for greater production and continuous, safe operations. The project is among the largest installations of Emerson control systems and wireless sensing in the world and will provide operators advanced insight into refinery processes and performance.

Ashok Simon, Former General Manager - Projects, BPCL Kochi said, "Emerson's large project management and engineering teams put in tremendous efforts in helping us complete the commissioning of all nine process units and achieve significant milestones in record time. The highlight of this extraordinary collaboration was the development of sequential logic for the PRU reactors beds (PFCCU), and its flawless operation to much critical acclaim from even our process licensor."

The refinery located in Kerala and part of BPCL's Integrated Refinery Expansion Project, utilizes Emerson's wireless sensing technology. Critical information is communicated from the refinery's nine process units to the plant's DeltaV™ integrated control and safety systems, which the personnel monitor via centralized command centre and control room. Emerson's Ovation™ control system helps BPCL manage the refinery's electrical load to optimize operational efficiency and safety.

"The success of the BPCL project demonstrates the value advanced digital automation technologies can bring to the Indian refining sector," said Anil Bhatia, Vice President and Managing Director for Emerson's Automation Solutions business in India. "This critical foundation of process control will help improve production, operational efficiency and safety and prepare BPCL for the next steps in its digital transformation journey."