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Uzbek refinery secures

tech from Honeywell

UZBEKISTAN UZBEKISTAN’S Bukhara refinery is to boost its RFCC process—the resulting products meet
crude oil conversion and produce cleaner-burn- new global emissions regulations. The SelectFin-
Uzbekistan is upgrading ing Euro 5 standard petrol and diesel fuels with ing process relies on selective naphtha hydrodes-
its refineries to increase the use of technology from Honeywell UOP. ulfurisation in order to meet low-sulfur petrol
the quality and quantity The refinery comes under the Uzbek gov- specifications and minimise octane loss.
of its fuels. ernment’s multi-year plan to reach national Also under the contract with Honeywell
energy independence and raise the country’s UOP, the refinery’s diesel hydrotreater (DHT)
export potential. The initiative was started in and amine regeneration unit (ARU) will be
2017 when Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev revamped to meet new requirements.
launched the ongoing efforts to liberalise the The government will in 2023 introduce
country’s economy. Under the Islam Karimov stricter specifications for fuel products on the
regime that ended in late 2016 with the death of market in Uzbekistan, Central Asia's most pop-
the dictator, the country frequently faced short- ulous nation with 34mn people.
ages of fuel.
“The Bukhara refinery is revitalising its Bridging the gap
operations for improved quality and increased To address fuel shortages, Uzbekistan began
production of fuels to meet growing domestic relying on imports in 2017 to bridge the gap;
demand for motor fuels,” said Bryan Glover, vice however this has always been seen as a tempo-
president and general manager, UOP Process rary measure that will no longer be necessary
Technologies. “The company selected UOP due upon completion of modernisation works at the
to its experience in working in the region and its country’s oil refineries. The Central Asian nation
technologies to assist in meeting sustainability is also aiming to boost oil output to help raise fuel
goals.” production.
Uzbekistan currently produces around 3mn
Limits on sulfur tonnes of oil, all of it covering domestic con-
The Euro V standard limits sulfur content to less sumption via conversion into fuels. Last year,
than 10 parts per million in transportation fuels. the country negotiated enhanced oil recovery
It also restricts carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, projects at some of its oil fields with foreign
hydrocarbons and particulate matter from diesel companies. Uzbek energy authorities are eyeing
and petrol vehicles. a threefold increase in oil output per field thanks
Honeywell UOP will provide licensing and to these projects, which rely on importing newer
basic engineering design services to Bukhara more efficient technologies from abroad.
refinery—a unit of state-run oil and gas company Another ongoing project under the govern-
Uzbekneftegaz—for new Naphtha Hydrotreat- ment’s plan is the modernisation of Ferghana Oil
ing, Par-Isom, Resid Fluid Catalytic Cracking Refinery. Last year, the government issued a res-
(RFCC), SelectFining and Merox process units. olution approving the sale of its 100% stake in the
The Par-Isom process upgrades light naphtha refinery to Indonesia’s PT Trans Asia Resources.
into high-value isomerate for petrol blending, The buyer is responsible for attracting funds that
while the Merox process meets product specifi- will be used “for optimal capacity utilisation”
cations by treating naphtha feedstock. and for modernising the plant’s petrol and diesel
Heavy feedstocks are converted into clean- production to meet Euro 4 and Euro 5 standard
er-burning petrol and diesel products via the requirements. ™

Week 37 16•September•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P17