Petrobras brings new unit online at RNEST refinery

Petróleo Brasileiro SA (Petrobras) has commissioned a grassroots processing unit—a first of its kind in the Americas—as part of the operator’s long-planned expansion and upgrade of its Refinaria Abreu e Lima (RNEST) refinery in Ipojuca, Pernambuco, in northeast Brazil (OGJ Online, Jan. 18, 2024).

Operable as of Dec. 19, the new atmospheric emissions abatement (SNOX) unit—which converts sulfur oxide (SOx) and nitrogen oxide (NOx) into sulfuric acid marketable to third parties for treatment and generation of drinking water—enables the refinery to increase its current 88,000-b/d crude processing capacity by 27,000 b/d to 115,000 b/d in compliance with the atmospheric emissions limit set by the site’s local environmental regulator, Petrobras said in separate releases.

Startup of the new unit also will help RNEST to improve energy efficiency at the site via reuse of excess steam created during the SNOX unit’s SOx-eliminating process elsewhere in the refinery, as the reused steam will enable the operator to reduce its consumption of gas otherwise required to generate steam for other refining processes, according to the company.

Based on Topsoe AS’s proprietary SNOx technology and the first installation of its kind in the Americas refining sector, the newly commissioned 15,000-b/d sulfur-emissions reduction SNOX unit comes as part of the RNEST investment program under its 2024-28+ strategic plan that will add a second 130,000-b/d processing train at the original 130,000-b/d single-train refinery to boost RNEST’s total processing capacity to 260,000 b/d upon targeted completion in 2028 (OGJ Online, Oct. 10, 2024).

Upon announcing commissioning of the SNOX unit, Petrobras also confirmed that preparations remain under way to begin work on RNEST’s Train 1 expansion that, once completed, will lift the unit’s crude processing capacity by another 15,000 b/d.

Currently slated for completion in first-quarter 2025,  RNEST’s Train 1 revamp will include works to improve operations of the existing atmospheric distillation unit, delayed coker, and other unidentified auxiliary units that, together, will return the processing train to its 130,000-b/d designed capacity, as well as increase its yield of light products and ability to process crude from Brazil’s offshore presalt formation (OGJ Online, Apr. 21, 2023).

Without specifying a precise timeframe, Petrobras also confirmed in the mid-December releases that it will begin the contracting process for RNEST’s Train 2 project to bring site’s overall crude processing to 260,000 b/d. 

Upon completing RNEST’s combined expansion and modernization works, Petrobras aims to increase its supply of high-demand low-carbon products, including 13 million l./day of 100% low-sulfur S-10 diesel (10 ppm sulfur) diesel (OGJ Online, Feb. 13, 2024).