Polski Koncern Naftowy SA (PKN Orlen) is planning to add a new visbreaking unit at its 327,300-b/d integrated refining and petrochemical complex in Plock, Poland.
Implementation of the new unit aims to improve crude oil production efficiency by increasing the yield of high-margin products as a result of in-depth conversion of vacuum residue from the refinery’s crude distillation unit, PKN Orlen said.
Still awaiting final approval from the company’s supervisory board, the proposed project would require an investment of about 1 billion zloty.
Intended to boost the operator’s profit margins, the visbreaking unit to be installed at Plock would require the lowest capital cost of any other available vacuum residue conversion technology, PKN Orlen said.
The operator disclosed no additional details regarding a timeframe for the project or the unit’s proposed capacity.
Robert Brelsford | Downstream Editor
Robert Brelsford joined Oil & Gas Journal in October 2013 as downstream technology editor after 8 years as a crude oil price and news reporter on spot crude transactions at the US Gulf Coast, West Coast, Canadian, and Latin American markets. He holds a BA (2000) in English from Rice University and an MS (2003) in education and social policy from Northwestern University.