Indian Oil begins commissioning process for 15-MMTPA Paradip refinery

Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) has started the process of commissioning its 15 million metric tonnes per annum (MMTPA) refinery at the East coast of India at Paradip, Odisha, on April 26, 2015. “Crude processing has commenced in the mother unit, ie atmospheric & vacuum unit (AVU) and products like LPG, naphtha, kerosene, gas oil, RCO, etc are coming out of AVU,” said IOC in a BSE filing.
 
Some of these products will require further processing in secondary units, which are also gearing up for commissioning. The whole complex is likely to take about 6-8 months for becoming fully operational in an integrated manner. This duration is normal for a refinery of this size and complexity.
 
The refinery, built at a cost of Rs 34,555 crore, is designed to process broad basket of crude including cheaper high sulphur heavy crudes and has an overall Nelson complexity factor of 12.2. The refinery is capable to produce Euro-IV/Euro-V quality transportation fuel.
 
Paradip refinery has more than 20 process units, which together process the basic feedstock, crude oil, to obtain various products deploying the major refining processes such as crude oil distillation, hydro-treating, catalytic cracking, catalytic reforming and delayed coking.
 
Major products from Paradip refinery are premium grade motor spirit (MS) and high speed diesel (HSD). The other products from this refinery comprise of propylene (petrochemical grade), LPG, naphtha, aviation turbine fuel (ATF) and kerosene. Major by-products from the refinery are petroleum coke (petcoke) and sulphur.