Eighty nine percent of works on the construction of the Euro+ combined oil refining unit (CORU) at the Gapzrom Neft Moscow Refinery are now complete, including installation of all large-scale equipment. One of the final stages involved the installation of the highest section of the catalytic reformer, allowing the production of high-performance Euro-5 gasoline — a key project in the second stage of modernising the Moscow Refinery, under implementation by Gazprom Neft since 2011. Commissioning of the complex will allow the decommissioning of five outdated facilities. Construction is expected to be completed in 2018.
The installed construction, now the highest point of the Moscow Refinery’s Euro+ facility, is made up of five high-tensile steel modules. The total weight of the assembled unit is 91 tonnes, with a height of 87 metres. Lifting, installation and erection operations took a total 14 hours, with lifting handled by cranes with a loading capacity of 750 and 350 tonnes each. More than 20 high-construction specialists were involved in installing this segment.
Thirty seven thousand cubic metres of reinforced concrete and 23,000 tonnes of metal structures have been installed at the future Euro+ complex to date, 7,600 tonnes of process piping laid, and 559 pieces of equipment foundation-mounted. The installation of components for distribution substations is being completed, including the laying of 582 kilometres of power-supply cables and 380 kilometres of instrumentation and equipment cabling. Testing of electrical equipment has begun prior to connecting the Euro+ facility to the electricity network.
The Moscow Refinery — a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft — is one of the industry’s leaders in terms of high-performance Euro-5 gasoline and diesel production, and the country’s leading producer of construction bitumens. The Moscow Refinery supplies approximately 38 percent of the Moscow Region fuel market, and produces 30 branded oil products.
Gazprom Neft has been implementing a comprehensive modernisation programme at its Moscow Refinery since 2011, the total cost of which stands at more than RUB250 billion. Initiatives implemented have resulted in a 50-percent reduction in the environmental impacts of production, as well as a 38-percent reduction in atmospheric emissions. The completion of the second phase of modernisation in 2020 is expected to result in a further 50-percent reduction in environmental impacts.
The unit is replacing five older-generation facilities. The compactness of these, together with optimum heat carrier flow, will improve energy efficiency in production processes. The cutting-edge equipment and technology used for the Euro+ project at the Moscow Refinery will allow the plant to further reduce its environmental impacts. Once commissioned, lead-times for planned refurbishment will increase from two years to four, improving reliability in the supply of high-quality environmentally-friendly Euro-5 fuels to the country’s capital city metropolitan area. Total investment in the project stands at RUB98 billion.
