SOCAR commissions unit, wraps Phase 1 of Baku refinery revamp
Robert Brelsford
Downstream Technology Editor
State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) has commissioned a bitumen plant as part of a program designed to modernize and expand operations at the company’s Heydar Aliyev (formerly New Baku) refinery at Baku in Azerbaijan, completing the first phase of the 120,500-b/d refinery’s long-planned modernization project (OGJ Online, Dec. 21, 2017).
The bitumen plant—which will increase annual production capacity to 400,000 tonnes/year from 250,000 tpy—as well as a liquified gas filling station were entered into operation in late December 2018, SOCAR said.
State Oil Co. of Azerbaijan Republic has commissioned a bitumen plant as part of a program designed to revamp and expand operations at its Heydar Aliyev refinery at Baku, completing the first phase of the 120,500-b/d refinery’s long-planned revamp project. Photo from SOCAR.
Alongside saving energy and contributing to overall improved environmental protection at the site, the bitumen unit will help reduce operating costs of the plant.
Consisting of six loading tanks and five wagons, the gas station will enable transport of 180,000 tpy of propane-propylene, 100,000 tpy of LPG by road tankers and railway, and 178,000 tpy of butane-butylene fraction by pipelines, and if necessary, by road tankers or railway, the operator said.
Propane-propylene and butane-butylene fractions will be transported via pipeline to be used as high-quality raw feedstock at the nearby ethylene and polyethylene plant operated by SOCAR subsidiary Azerikimya Production Union (OGJ Online, June 9, 2017).
Startup of the bitumen plant—which will produce PEN 40/60 bitumen to meet domestic demand—and filling station completes the first phase of the refinery’s three-phased modernization and reconstruction project that involves upgrades to existing equipment as well as installation of 14 units, SOCAR previously said.
Alongside construction and startup of the bitumen plant and filling station, Phase 1 of the project was to include construction of unidentified associated plants (OGJ Online, Dec. 6, 2018).
Phase 1 works also included site-preparation works for new installations scheduled to be built during the next phases.
Scheduled for completion by yearend 2020, Phase 2 will include construction of production and storage installations for Euro 5-quality diesel as well as reconstruction of unidentified units.
Phase 3, which will be completed in early 2021, involves construction of an A-92/95/98 gasoline plant with products conforming to Euro 5 standards.
Once completed, the reconstruction and modernization project will increase crude processing capacity at the Heydar Aliyev refinery to 150,600 b/d.
