Construction of a delayed coking unit (DCU) has now begun at Gazprom Neft’s Omsk Refinery (1). Annual raw material consumption at the complex will be two million tonnes. The CDU is set to become one of the largest facilities of its kind in Russia, and has been approved by Glavgosekspertisa (the organisation responsible for certification and permitting in the Russian Federation).

Construction of the DCU is one of the key projects in the second phase of modernising Gazprom Neft’s refining assets, directed at improving refining depth and increasing yield of light petroleum products. The new facility will allow additional yield of light petroleum products — gasoline and diesel fuels — as well as increasing production of high-quality petroleum coke(2)— a raw material for the aluminium industry, produced through the production of heavy fuel oil from preceding stages of production.

The CDU will consist of five sections, including a coking section, a gas fractionation unit, a section for cleaning liquefied hydrocarbon gases, and an amine regeneration unit. Infrastructure facilities under construction at the plant include facilities for dehydration, storage, and the transportation and shipment of coke to railway cars. The design documentation for the DCU was developed by Rustechnip. The licence for the technology is held by Foster Wheeler, a world leader in delayed coking processes. Construction of the complex is expected to be complete by 2020.

Anatoly Cherner, Deputy CEO for Processing, Logistics and Sales, Gazprom Neft, commented: “Implementing the DCU project addresses a number of major objectives in terms of the technological development of the Omsk Refinery. We will be increasing production of motor fuels, and supplying a growing market with high-quality petroleum coke. Apart from which, the energy efficiency of technological processes will be improved, and operating costs optimised through the deep refining of oil residues. Construction of the CDU, together with other projects that form part of the second phase of modernising the plant, allow us to achieve a synergistic effect, bringing the Gazprom Neft Omsk Refinery closer to achieving the best international standards, increasing refining depth to 97 percent and yield of light petroleum products to 80 percent.”

(1) Delayed coking is a technological process for refining heavy oil raw materials (predominantly tar), contributing to greater refining depth. Together with the petroleum coke, the fractionation of the coking products in the distillation column during the coking process produces hydrocarbon gas, as well as gasoline fractions, and light and heavy gas oils for use as feedstocks in hydro-catalytic refinery processes, resulting in the production of high-quality motor fuels.

(2) Petroleum coke is a by-product of secondary oil refining. It is used in the aluminium industry as a reducing agent (anode paste) in the smelting of aluminium from aluminium ores.

About Gazprom Neft

Gazprom Neft is a vertically integrated oil company primarily engaged in oil & gas exploration and production (E&P), the sale and distribution of crude oil, and the production and sale of petroleum products.

The company’s proven SPE (PRMS) hydrocarbon reserves exceed 1.2 billion tonnes of oil equivalent (toe), placing it among the world’s 20 largest oil companies.

The company operates in many of Russia’s prominent oil and gas regions including Khanty-Mansiysk (Yugra), Omsk, Orenburg, Tomsk, and Yamalo-Nenets. Gazprom Neft’s major refining facilities are located in Moscow, Omsk, and Yaroslavl, and it also has refineries in Serbia. Apart from its upstream activities in Russia, the company is involved in international E&P, including projects in Iraq and Venezuela.