Project Profile
Estimated Value: US$60 million
Location: Guwahati, India
Capcity: 1.0 MMTPA
Start-up Year: 2011
Guwahati Refinery is located in Guwahati, Assam, India. Built with Rumanian assistance, the initial crude processing capacity at the time of commissioning of this Refinery was 0.75 MMTPA and the Refinery was designed to process a mix of OIL and ONGC crude. The refining capacity was subsequently enhanced to 1.0 MMTPA and with INDMAX, the pilot plant for first in-house technology of IndianOil, the ISOSIV and Hydrotreater the Refinery has been able produce eco-friendly fuels.
The Refinery produces various products and supplies them to Northeastern India as well as beyond, upto Siliguri end through the Guwahati-Siliguri Pipeline, spanning 435 KM, which was the first Pipeline of IndianOil and commissioned in 1964. Most of the products of Guwahati Refinery are evacuated through pipeline and some quantity also through road transportation. The Refining units invloved Atmospheric Distillation, Delayed Coker, Isomerisation, Diesel Hydrotreater andFluidized Catalytic Cracking unit.
In the primary unit of the Refinery i.e. the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU), desalted crude from the desalter is heated up through a series of heat exchangers and is fed into a pre fractionator column. Here the lighter gases, LPG and unstabilised gasoline are separated. Gasoline from the main fractionator is fed into Naptha Splitter where it is separated into three different fractions namely Light Naphtha (LN), Reformate Naptha (RN) and Heavy Naptha (HN). LN forms the feed for Hydrogen unit, while RN is a component in the gasoline pool and HN is fed to the Hydrotreater unit. With its main secondary unit, the Delayed Coking Unit (DCU), the Refinery produces middle distillates from heavy ends.
The Hydrotreating Unit for improving the quality of High Speed Diesel (HSD) by removal of Sulphur and boosting the Cetane Number of HSD and smoke point of SKO and ATF was commissioned at Guwahati Refinery in 2002. Guwahati refinery has installed the INDMAX unit, which is the first in-house technology developed by R&D Centre of IndianOil. Indmax unit works on the Fluidized Catalytic Cracking process similar to other Fluidised Catalytic Cracking Units. The Indane Maximisation (INDMAX) technology is an in-house technology developed by R&D Centre of IndianOil designed to achieve LPG yield as high as 44%. The INDMAX technology was first commissioned at Guwahati Refinery. Besides its function of maximization of LPG, it enables the Refinery to upgrade its residual products to high value distillate products. In the ISOSIV unit, the Light Naptha from Crude Distillation Unit is separated into Isosivate, which has a high octane number and normals. The Sulphur Recovery Unit in the Refinery takes care of the sour off gases from the various units for removal of Hydrogen Sulphide.
In Reliability Improvement, the replacement of switchgears, upgradation of Distribted Control System (DCS), Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) for turbines TG 3 & 4 and upgradation of Load Shedding System have brought about remarkable positive changes. To keep air pollution in check, Guwahati Refinery has installed one Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (AAQMS), which continuously monitors ambient air quality. The refinery is also commencing some modernisation work which involves the modernisation of the delayed coking unit (DCU) at the Guwahati Refinery. A new coke chambers is constructed at a new location after an in-house inspection revealed several deformities in the existing present coke chambers as well as its support structures. Furthermore, to improve safety in operation and maintenance, auto-heading and un-heading systems for coke chambers will also be installed.
Operator:
Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL): Operator with 100% interest
Contractors:
IOT Infrastructure & Energy Services Limited (IOT): Construction of delayed coker unit (DCU)
Engineers India
DeltaValve
Subcontractors:
Jacobs Engineering: Engineering services