The commissioning activities of the Integrated Refinery Expansion Project (IREP) of BPCL Kochi Refinery, aimed at producing eco-friendly petrol and diesel conforming to Bharat Stage IV standards, are nearing completion. The IREP envisages setting up of major units to enhance the refining capacity of Kochi refinery by six million tonnes at a cost of ₹16,500 crore, says a press release here.
Pursuant to the mechanical completion of the process units, the commissioning activities are being taken up. So far, crude distillation unit, vacuum distillation unit, diesel hydro treating unit, vacuum gas oil hydro treating unit, sulphur recovery units and delayed coker unit have been commissioned, the press release added.
The commissioning of the remaining major IREP units, fluidized catalytic cracking unit (FCCU) and naphtha hydro treater-isomerization unit are being taken up now.
Under IREP, BPCL Kochi Refinery has commissioned a state-of-the-art demountable flare. With a height of around 150 metres, the flare is visible over a greater area of the city and there has been an increased rate of flaring at times from the refinery during commissioning.
The flare system which is mandatory in industrial plants such as petroleum refineries is a safety system to protect against the dangers of over-pressuring refinery plant equipment. The commissioning activities are expected to go on till the end of September.