Rosneft commissions isom unit at Kuibyshev refinery

Sept. 3, 2014
OAO Rosneft has commissioned an isomerization (isom) unit at its 6.8 million-tonne/year Kuibyshev refinery in Russia’s Samara region.

OAO Rosneft has commissioned an isomerization (isom) unit at its 6.8 million-tonne/year Kuibyshev refinery in Russia’s Samara region.

The 280,000-tpy unit will allow the refinery to produce low-sulfur, high-octane gasoline that meets Euro 5 environmental specifications and conforms to the requirements of Russian Technical Regulations through 2020, Rosneft said.

Designed and engineered with a focus on environmental conservation, the new unit—which began construction in July 2012—includes a shut-in flaring system aimed at eliminating smoke, steam, odor, noise, and thermal plume from flare emissions, the company said.

Commissioning of the isom unit is one of the key projects in Rosneft’s large-scale investment program to increase production capacities at the Kuibyshev refinery, Rosneft said.

The full scope of the Kuibyshev modernization project includes construction of eight new units as well as reconstruction of four of the refinery’s existing operating units, all of which are due to be completed by 2016, Rosneft said.

In addition to optimizing the industrial security and environmental performance of the refinery’s production processes, the modernization program at Kuibyshev aims to increase the rate of conversion and recovery of light oil products as well as production of Euro 5-quality motor fuels, Rosneft said.

Modernization projects previously implemented at Kuibyshev already have enabled the refinery to produce Super Euro-98 gasoline that meets Euro 5 standards ahead of schedule, the company said.

The Kuibyshev modernization is part of Rosneft’s company-wide refinery modernization plan launched in 2008, which includes the construction of 30 units and reconstruction of more than 20 units at Rosneft’s Russian refineries (OGJ Online, Aug. 29, 2014).