Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. (IOC) has commissioned a new unit based on the company’s own Octamax technology for production of high-octane gasoline blending components from LPG streams at its 8 million-tonne/year refinery in Mathura, India.
Now in operation, the 55,000-tpy Octamax unit can convert C4 streams from catalytic cracking and-or naphtha cracking units into a high-octane blending stock for production of gasoline that complies with Euro 5 and Euro 6-quality standards, IOC said.
The blending research octane number (RON) of a sample drawn from the newly commissioned unit in late January registered at 118, which was higher than the targeted 108 RON, according to IOC.
Started in March 2016, the project was completed ahead of schedule and without any cost overruns. The company, however, did not reveal a final cost of the unit.
The new Octamax unit comes as part of IOC’s efforts to ensure production of gasoline that meets the Indian government’s directive of 100% Bharat Stage 6-quality (equivalent to Euro 6 standards) auto fuels for the country from Apr. 1, 2020.
Contact Robert Brelsford at [email protected].
