Robert Brelsford
Downstream Technology Editor
PJSC Lukoil has reached final investment decision to add a delayed coking complex at subsidiary LLC Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez's 17 million-tonne/year Kstovo refinery in central Russia's Nizhny Novgorod region.
In addition to the delayed coker, the complex will include a diesel hydrotreater, gas fractionation unit, sulfur and hydrogen production units, and associated systems, Lukoil said.
Alongside other planned optimization projects, the 2.1 million-tonne/year delayed coking complex will improve the refinery's light product yield by more than 10% while reducing the fuel oil production by 2.7 million tpy.
The complex is scheduled for startup in 2021.
The FID announcement follows Lukoil's previous award of a contract to CB&I, Houston, to provide detailed engineering, procurement, and supply of process equipment for the project, including two of its proprietary delayed coking heaters for the units, which will be equipped with delayed coking technology licensed by Chevron Lummus Global (CLG), a joint venture of CB&I and Chevron Corp. (OGJ Online, Nov. 2, 2017).
Lukoil has signed a contract with Maire Tecnimont SPA, Milan, subsidiary KT-Kinetics Technology SPA (KT) to deliver five unidentified processing units for the residue upgrading project, KT said.
The proposed delayed coking complex follows Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez's startup of a second 2 million-tpy catalytic cracking (CC) complex for vacuum gas oil (VGO) at the refinery in 2015 as part of Lukoil's broader program to boost overall processing capacities and production qualities of its refining assets (OGJ Online, July 9, 2015).
Alongside installation of VGO-CC Unit 2, the project included the addition of the 327,500-tpy hydrofluoric alkylation Unit 2 as well as a 1 million-tpy gasoline hydrotreater to remove sulfur from gasoline feedstock from VGO-CC Unit 2.
The Lukoil subsidiary also is considering the addition of a hydrocracking complex for heavy residues at the refinery in line with the company's goal of increasing refining depth of the Kstovo manufacturing site to 90% from its current 73.7%.
