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Above: 2000 barrel per day Arctic Refinery, Inset: 4 x 150 barrel per day Tropical Refineries
Design Benefits
The refinery is highly automated with an emphasis
on operational safety. The plant operator monitors
and controls all facets of plant operation via a
Windows based PC screen located remote from the
plant in the Customer's control room. This plant
operator interface is displayed and controlled
through the language of the host country to simplify
operations. A unique software control feature is fully
Automatic Logic System (ALS) which provides the
ability to adjust the relevant refinery process
settings without direct operator intervention to
automatically correct for plant variations or ambient
conditions. Although the PC provides the operator
interface, the actual plant operation is separately
controlled by programmable logic controller (PLC).
The PLC safely oversees an uninterrupted plant
operation, even if the PC is off-line. Additionally
there are hard wired shutdowns to the control room
to allow the operator to manually shut down the
furnace flame or plant in an emergency.
High operational reliability has been achieved with
experience through the use of field proven
instrumentation and equipment. Pneumatic controls
and actuators while cheaper in cost, are
problematic and unreliable in remote situations
where there is often limited technical support.
Instead the refinery uses electrical stepper motor
equivalents. The use of steam also causes
operational problems in terms of government
regulation and the need for certified boiler
operators. A water disposal or treatment facility is
also needed to handle the oily or phenolic wastewater from the condensed steam. Water cooling
also gives rise to operational problems associated
with water pre-treatment, corrosion inhibition and
anti-scaling which is often not able to be easily
handled in a small plant setting. For all these
reasons the refinery operation does not require any
cooling water, steam or instrument air for its
operation. The only utilities consumed by the
refinery are electric power plus some bottled
nitrogen or carbon dioxide (for purge gas during
plant start-up).
The refinery is broken down into transportable
modules, sized on standard shipping containers.
This makes for easy transportation logistics
1000 feet
-50C to +40
This unit is ideally suited for the year round refining of crude oil in a region where
temperature can vary from +40C in summer to -50C in winter. The unit has been
designed to readily commence production from a cold start even in mid winter.
The refinery feed stock is supplied from a nearby pipeline to provide refined fuels for the
local region. Up to 2400 barrel per day of crude is being processed through this refinery.
The unit was installed in August 1998 and achieves the following summer product slate:
PRODUCT YIELD
Naptha
Diesel
Residue
16%
36% GOST 305 - 82
48% COST 10585 - 75
1000 feet
-50C to +40C
15%
30%
55%
4500 feet
+1 C to +36C
These units produce diesel for the local highland communities. Supplies were previously
obtained from Lae on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The diesel supplies
were transported on small trucks along 800km of extremely rugged road. Supplies were
unreliable.
The feed for the units is gas condensate from two gas fields located 10,000 feet above
sea level. This feed is piped down to the gas processing facility at 4,500 feet where the
liquids are extracted and sent for processing through the units. The gas is used for
turbine fuel for power generation supplying electrical power to mining operations in the
region.
Originally the two M150 units were installed during August 1991. As the field grew and
the power demand increased, a further two units were installed in January 1992 to
handle the condensate load. Naphtha can be used to fuel a turbine whereas the
unprocessed condensate, due to the presence of heavy metals would cause excessive
wear of the turbine blades.
Diesel is sold to the local communities for use in diesel engines and the residue is used
as a fuel for drying coffee beans throughout the highlands.
PRODUCT YIELD
Naptha
Diesel
Residue
65%
30%
5%
560 metres
+15C to +33C
The unit was installed to supply the diesel fuel requirements during the production phase
of the project. On-site refining was more cost effective than the alternative of diesel fuel
transportation from Port Moresby via barge and road transport.
The crude oil processed at Gobe is a light sweet crude oil which yields an excellent
diesel product. Crude oil is piped from the wellhead to the production facility for primary
treatment (degassing and dewatering). The crude oil is stored in large export tanks
before being pumped via pipeline to the Kumic Oil Terminal located in the Gulf of Papua.
A small stream of crude oil is withdrawn from the tank inlet and processed in the
MICROSTILL unit. The produced diesel is sent to onsite storage with the naphtha and
residue products returned to the crude oil export tank.
PRODUCT YIELD
Diesel
Diesel Fuel
200 feet
+5C to +55C
This unit is ideally suited to the desert conditions that prevail in this part of Australia.
Daytime temperatures of +55C are common during summer. The MICROSTILL unit
operates reliably with a consistent product output through even the hottest days.
Whilst Alice Springs is physically well connected to major ports it is isolated by great
distances from major cities such as Darwin 8000km to the North and Adelaide 1000km
to the South. The MICROSTILL therefore provides local fuels at very competitive prices.
This unit has been in operation since installation in December 1993 and achieves the
following product slate:
PRODUCT YIELD
Naptha
Diesel
Residue
30%
45%
25%