Gazprom Neft' : Neft develops capacity to increase production of high-octane fuels

Gazprom Neft has now completed the installation of key catalyst reforming equipment at its Omsk Refinery.* The modernisation of the existing facility will facilitate a 1.5-fold increase in the production of high-octane gasoline components. Investment in the project stands at RUB9.7 billion, with work being undertaken as part of the Omsk Refinery's modernisation, under implementation by Gazprom Neft since 2008.

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A hydrotreatment reactor is the largest piece of equipment being installed as part of the project to modernise the L-35/11-600 catalytic reforming facility. This equipment - produced by specialists at Volgogradneftemash, standing at a height of approximately 47 metres, and weighing more than 200 tonnes - will facilitate the purification of raw materials and increase production of high-quality Euro-5 fuels. The full modernisation of all facilities is expected to involve the installation of 12 pieces of large-scale equipment, all of it from Russian producers.

Oleg Belyavsky, General Director of the Gazprom Neft Omsk Refinery, commented: 'In the process of modernising its production capacity the Omsk Refinery is also acting as a driver in strengthening related industries, in the long term. In collaborating with domestic developers the business is making an order that will further develop the machine-building industry. The modernisation of the catalytic reforming facility is being undertaken with the use of cutting-edge domestic developments, which will further strengthen the Omsk Refinery's position as a leader in the domestic refining industry.'

* Reforming is an industrial process for refining gasoline and naptha oil fractions to obtain high-octane gasoline components, resulting in the octane number increasing from 60 to 95.

Gazprom Neft is currently involved in a full-scale modernisation programme at its Omsk refinery, involving cumulative investment of more than RUB300 billion. The first stage of this modernisation has involved the construction and reconstruction of key technological facilities, allowing the complete transition to the production of Euro-5 fuels, significantly improving energy efficiency and environmental friendliness in production. The implementation of the second phase of the modernisation programme is now ongoing, as a result of which refining depth and the production of light petroleum products will increase to match the highest international standards.

Tags: G-Drive
, automotive fuel, Euro-5, modernisation, Omsk Oil Refinery, refining technology, ecology