Ecopetrol plans Barrancabermeja upgrade

Dec. 12, 2006
State-owned Ecopetrol has let a project management consulting contract to Technip for an upgrade of its 205,000 b/cd refinery in Barrancabermeja, Colombia.

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Dec. 12 -- State-owned Ecopetrol has let a project management consulting contract to Technip for an upgrade of its 205,000 b/cd refinery in Barrancabermeja, Colombia.

The $50 million contract covers front-end design, detailed engineering, and procurement services for process units, as well as supervision of contractors' activities for engineering, procurement, and construction.

The project includes a 19,000 b/sd gasoline hydrodesulfurization (HDS) unit and a 57,000 b/sd diesel HDS unit (both based on Axens technology); a 19,000 MMscfd hydrogen production unit; a 55 ton/day sulfur recovery unit, a 110 ton/day tail gas treatment unit; a 500 gpm sour water stripper; and a 30 gpm diesel-gasoline amine regeneration unit.

The project is slated for completion in fourth quarter 2009.