Ilyasov: Flagship of Turkmen petrochemical industry shows creative solutions

The scientific analyst noted the economically justified nature of the implementation of the largest projects in Turkmenistan.

On March 31, a regular expert of CentralAsia.news, famous Turkmen scientist, Doctor of Technical Sciences Allaberdy Ilyasov commented on the implementation of large-scale projects aimed at diversifying the oil and gas industry of Turkmenistan. In particular, the subject was related to the production site of the TCOR. 

A focus on the advanced technologies

The Turkmenbashi Complex of Oil Refineries gradually develops its industrial potential, transport infrastructure, and increasing the export of energy resources which are in demand on world markets.

For example, the specialists of Westport Trading Europe Limited (USA) continue the construction of the Complex of Delayed Coking and Tar Deasphalting Units (DCU and TDU). The Turkmen leader Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov initiated several large investment projects, which are of particular importance for further expanding the economic potential of the oil and gas industry of the state. 

The best available technologies are used for projects of this type in the construction of the DCU and TDU. In general, the technologies tested in Russia, Europe, and the USA will be debugged at DCU and TDU on an industrial scale. In order to prepare industrial personnel for work at the future workshop, a technological simulator for work at the ultrasonic inspection will be developed. The simulator will train operators in «virtual» work before the completion of construction and commissioning of the workshop itself. This approach will increase safety during commissioning.

Implementation of large-scale plans with the participation of foreign investors in the production of products that can compete on world markets is one of the strategic objectives of the oil and gas industry. An essential aspect of the economic policy of the government of Turkmenistan is the enormous work carried out to implement national projects, which increases the living standards of the people of our country.

High profitability, associated, among other things, with the global market situation and prices for its products, as well as a favorable macroeconomic situation, attract foreign investors to Turkmenistan. Investments in the production of products that are competitive on world markets are one of the strategic objectives of the development of the oil and gas industry of the national economy. And today, the Turkmen state has created all the conditions for foreign investors based on the legislative and legal framework.

Light oil products made of heavy residues

DCU and TDU will become competitive in world markets. The efficiency of oil refining will significantly increase, namely the processing of residual oil resources and vacuum gas oil into products with higher added value that are in demand in the market. The deep processing complex under construction will be ultra-modern, and this is not only about the use of the latest technical solutions for the delayed coking process. 

The project provides for the use of the maximum number of technologies aimed at reducing the load from such production on the environment. All this allows one to optimally use energy resources and minimize harmful emissions. The use of advanced technologies ensures further oil refining with the subsequent production of more valuable petrochemical products.

The delayed coking unit is designed for processing all heavy residues at the plant (tar, oil sludge, asphalt, and other residual products) into more valuable light petroleum products, gasoline, diesel fuel, and electrode coke. The construction of a new plant will have a positive impact on the economic and environmental efficiency of the entire enterprise as a whole. 

For example, it will increase the production of light oil products at the refinery of motor gasoline, diesel fuel, liquefied gases with further processing into polypropylene. It will also make it possible to produce electrode coke of a higher quality than obtained, besides, to extract the base raw material from tar — deasphalted coke for the production of high-quality motor oils and bitumen.

Industrial «nurse»

Light petroleum products do not contain heavy petroleum fractions. They are characterized by optical properties close to transparent and are the result of the oil distillation process. The purity of any of them directly depends on how well the processing was performed. The depth of their cleaning is also important, that is, the ratio of the volume of the obtained product to the hydrocarbons used within the process. For example, the durability of the engines which use the corresponding fuel depends on the purity of the fuel. 

Diesel fuel is one of the most common fuels. It is produced of kerosene-gasol compounds by direct distillation. It is widely used for refueling diesel engines, renowned for their reliability and economy. The requirements for the production of modern diesel fuels are very high. 

The delayed coking unit will allow TCOR not only to increase the yield of light oil products at lower capital costs compared to other deep oil refining processes but also to launch new products — petroleum coke and scarce needle coke, which is in demand on world markets.

Thus, based on the strategic concept of the Sustainable Development Goals, today innovative technologies are introduced in Turkmenistan in order to preserve the ecological environment. Therefore, the DCU and TDU complex is a kind of industrial nurse, since it processes all the waste of oil products of the TCOR. When designing it, several measures on minimizing the impact on the natural environment were envisaged.

02 апр 2021, 11:19
Photo source: CentralAsia.news

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