Ecopetrol refinery starts hydrotreatment plant

By OGJ editors
HOUSTON, Oct. 11 -- Ecopetrol SA has started up a hydrotreatment complex for production of ultralow-sulfur diesel and gasoline at its 205,000-b/cd Barrancabermeja refinery in Santander, Colombia.

Ecopetrol said the plant includes diesel hydrotreatment, gasoline hydrotreatment, hydrogen production, sour-water disposal, sulfur-recovery, tail-gas treatment, and amine regeneration units. The state-owned company invested $1.023 billion in the project.

The refinery now can produce gasoline with a sulfur content of 300 ppm and diesel with 50 ppm sulfur. Colombian law calls for 50 ppm sulfur diesel in mass transit in Bogata and Medellin and 500 ppm elsewhere. By the end of 2012 the lower diesel sulfur standard will apply throughout Colombia.

The project uses Axens hydrotreating technology.

Ecopetrol estimates the plant will remove 42.7 tonnes/day of sulfur from the refinery’s gasoline and diesel streams.