ABB won a multi-million-dollar order to modernise a major oil refinery in Kazakhstan

Nur-Sultan, July 30 - Neftegaz.RU. ABB will leverage ABB Ability™, the company’s unified, cross digital offering, in delivering solutions to modernise the Shymkent oil refinery in Kazakhstan, Hydrocarbon Engineering reported.

Sensors, data and advanced analytics will monitor and assess the real-time health of the plant’s assets, with operator PetroKazakhstan Oil Products (PKOP) to gain critical, real-time insights into their assets and production processes.

The order win is against a wider backdrop, as the government-led ‘Digital Kazakhstan’ programme focuses on accelerating growth and elevating economic sectors including the oil, gas and chemicals industry throughout the Republic through digitalisation, with a goal of creating a future digital economy by 2022.

At Shymkent oil refinery, digital transformation is expected to increase productivity and lower operational costs, with operators empowered to make better informed decisions based on accurate and live data and reporting.

Kevin Kosisko, Managing Director, ABB Energy Industries, said: “ABB is uniquely positioned to drive and support the digital transformation of the chemical and refining industry in Kazakhstan, and it is exciting to contribute to the modernisation of Shymkent oil refinery.”

Using ABB Ability Asset Performance Management solutions, the company’s maintenance strategy will progress from an hourly-based maintenance system to prescriptive-based maintenance. ABB will extend the current maintenance annual turnaround intervals at the refinery to a 3-year plan. This will be achieved through early identification of when assets might need repair or replacement − well ahead of potential failure – supporting operators to prioritise maintenance based on actionable insights.

ABB will also provide a business consultancy service to PKOP to support the lifecycle of the project and promote culture change in adopting digital practices at the plant. This will include assessing current work processes, leveraging opportunities to increase efficiency and resilience, recommending improvements and providing expert training.

The Shymkent project site was 1st commissioned in 1970 and is in the Sayramskiy region of Kazakhstan Shymkent. It is operated by PKOP, as a joint venture between China´s CNPC and KazMunayGas.