Turkish refiner Tüpraş using Honeywell UOP technology to boost diesel production
Turkey’s largest oil refiner is using Honeywell technology to boost diesel fuel production at its facility in Izmit, Turkey.
Tüpraş, the country’s largest industrial company, is using Honeywell UOP’s enhanced, two-stage processing unit to produce 75 Mbpd of middle distillate products, including Jet A-1 aviation fuel and Euro V diesel fuel. The technology, which can increase diesel production by up to 7%, will help Tüpraş meet domestic demand for the transportation fuel.
The Izmit facility is the largest refinery in Turkey, producing 40% of Turkey’s domestic supply of petroleum products. In addition to Honeywell UOP’s technology, the facility also employs automation and control technology from Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS). HPS is upgrading controls at two other Tüpraş refineries as part of a five-year service, maintenance and support contract aimed at improving operations and reducing maintenance costs.
“Turkey currently imports diesel, and diesel consumption is growing by 2.5% per year,” said Mike Millard, vice president and general manager, Process Technology and Equipment at Honeywell UOP. “This technology is proven to enable refiners such as Tüpraş to improve fuel production while reducing energy and hydrogen consumption and other costs compared with competing technologies.”
Since Honeywell UOP’s enhanced, two-stage process was introduced in 1964, the technology has advanced thanks to the development of more effective catalysts, unit design and reactor internals. It is available in multiple flow schemes, including single-stage and two-stage processes, and is designed to produce higher yields of transportation fuels that adhere to tighter regulations using a wider range of feedstocks. Honeywell UOP has licensed more than 200 units in more than 40 countries. Including the Tüpraş unit at Izmit, Honeywell UOP has licensed 14 enhanced two-stage process units. Since the start-up of the Tüpraş unit, Honeywell UOP has started up additional enhanced two-stage units in China and in South America.
The unit is integrated with other Honeywell UOP process technologies. The system, whose feedstocks include straight run diesel, coker gas oil and vacuum gas oils, uses a common fractionation section to reduce capital costs and improve Tüpraş’ return on investment.
Tüpraş operates four oil refineries with a total of 28.1 Mtpy crude oil processing capacity. The company has additional synergies from its 80% stake in shipping company DİTAŞ and 40% share of the petrol retailer Opet.
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