SP 6th refinery feedstock to increase 42% by Mar. 2021

Director of the sixth refinery said on Saturday that by growing operational output and accessibility of the refinery by 2021, its feedstock will augment by 42 percent.

Ahmad Valipour said that the refinery pursues its strategic plans in two axes: supplying the feedstock through a marine pipeline of the South Pars phase 16 of development which will materialize 42 percent increase in the feedstock and output, and implementation of plans to lower gas flares that would be beneficial for both environment and refinery output.

He said that the refinery made strategic plans last year to maximize, stabilize, and improve the production from the joint reserve in the South Pars field.

South Pars is the world’s largest gas field, covering an area of 3,700 square kilometers of Iran’s territorial waters in the Persian Gulf.

The giant field is estimated to contain a significant amount of natural gas, accounting for about eight percent of the world’s reserves, and approximately 18 billion barrels of condensate.

The field is divided into 24 standard phases that send the extracted gas to 14 refineries on the shore.

On May 19, the operator of phase 19 of South Pars said overhaul operations for the field’s 10th refinery, which processes the gas from phase 19, are going to be started on June 9.

The mentioned operations are expected to take 23 days to be completed, Soheil Rafiei said.

According to the official, the field’s offshore facilities overhaul program is aimed to maintain the production levels in the current year which has been called the year of “Surge in Production” by Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyed Ali Khamenei.

The official noted that changing the catalytic bed of the first gas train, repairing the interior cover, and inspecting the pre-flash drum are among the activities planned for this period.

“Inspection and cleaning of the re-boilers of the regeneration tower, inspection and minor repairs of the burners, internal repair of the sulfur tank, elimination of leaks from the header steam lines, and solving mechanical problems of various valves are also planned for this year's overhaul program,” he added.

Rafiei also mentioned cleaning and inspection of various types of drums as another important part of the overhaul program and said: repairing the internal cover and inspection of DSO separator, inspection of heat exchangers, preventive repairs of electrical data-x-items and precision instruments that cannot be done in normal condition are also some of the most important activities that will be carried out in the major repairs of the current year in collaboration with exploitation, overhaul, engineering, technical inspection and safety units.

Meanwhile, on May 2, director of the 3rd South Pars refinery which receives natural gas from phases 4 and 5 said the refinery is working with one of the country’s science and technology parks on a project to increase the quality of the refinery’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) product.

“Implementing this project will increase the quality and value of the product [LPG], reduce the residues and environmental pollutants, and create a new way to purify LPG,” Mohammad-Shafi Moazeni said.

LPG is made up of butane, propane or a mixture of both gases. It is second-best after natural gas delivered via trunk lines in terms of efficiency and is eco-friendlier compared to diesel or fuel oil.

Pointing to the refinery’s major programs in the current Iranian year, the official noted that in the current year, all efforts will be made to use domestic equipment and services needed for the refinery.

“Cooperation with knowledge-based companies is underway for solving the refinery's problems and optimizing production processes,” he added.

In this regard, a project for reducing the total sulfur of the refinery’s produced LPG is being carried out with one of the country's science and technology parks, the output of which will increase the quality and value of the product, Moazeni said.

According to the official, the refinery is going to take serious measures based on the goals set for this year, to reduce emergency and planned shutdowns, optimize process conditions, and increase ethane production at the refinery, which will increase the refinery’s total production.