UOP will provide technology licensing, design services, key equipment and state-of-the-art catalysts and adsorbents for the project at the refinery in the Nizhny-Novgorod region in central Russia.
When completed, the production capacity of the unit will exceed 215 000 tpy of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), a high-octane gasoline additive that reduces emissions in automobile exhaust.
The project includes the installation of a new UOP Ethermax™ unit that converts isobutylene and methanol into a high-octane MTBE blending agent that contains no benzene or aromatics.
Earlier in 2020, UOP completed the revamp design for 2 existing fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) units and Merox unit to increase production of propylene at the refinery while maintaining high yield of gasoline production.
Bryan Glover, Vice President and General Manager, UOP Process Technologies, said:
- These technologies will allow LUKOIL to increase production of additives for cleaner-burning gasoline and meet Euro-5 emission standards
- LUKOIL elected to integrate the Ethermax technology into its existing FCC complex to reduce operating and capital costs, and begin operations more quickly
Due to its high-octane number, MTBE is an effective anti-knocking fuel additive to produce cleaner-burning gasoline.
The project also includes revamping existing selective hydrogenation (SHP) units and process revamp study of hydrofluoric alkylation units to maximise the production of alkylate, which produces cleaner-burning fuels.
The Euro-5 standard limits sulfur content to less than 10 ppm in transportation fuels and restricts emissions of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides and particulate matter from gasoline and diesel vehicles and will improve overall refinery emissions.
