Repairs to halt production at Hellenic refinery

Hellenic Petroleum PA plans to temporarily shut down the flexicoker at its 100,000-b/d Elefsina refinery in Elefsis, Greece, for repairs following the discovery of damage to equipment associated with the unit’s gasifier.

The company is in the advanced stages of organizing the flexicoker’s shutdown to make the necessary repairs “for strictly precautionary reasons,” Hellenic said.

The maintenance work will focus on repairing distortions in the shell of the gasifier’s internal refractory lining, which protects the steel shell of the container from exposure to high temperatures, according to Hellenic.

The impacted equipment has been under surveillance and testing since the discovery of the distortions on Jan. 21, at which time the gasifier began to undergo immediate shutdowns as necessary to monitor it operations, the company said.

But no timeframe was disclosed as to when repairs to the 20,000-b/d flexicoker would begin or be completed.

Hellenic completed a £1.4 billion upgrade of the Elefsina refinery (OGJ Online, Oct. 4, 2010; Oct. 10, 2006) during second-half 2012, making it the largest private industrial investment in Greece, according to Hellenic’s web site.

In addition to the flexicoker, the project included the installation of a 45,000-b/d vacuum unit, a 39,000-b/d high-pressure hydrocracking unit, a 120,000-normal cu m/hr hydrogen production plant, and additional supporting units.