Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.21
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR will meet the country’s growing demand for clean burning fuels by modernizing Baku Refinery named after Heydar Aliyev, Frans van Deursen, President of the US Honeywell company for Turkey and Central Asia, told Trend.
“We’re really excited to have signed this agreement with SOCAR – the latest milestone in what is an important relationship for both organizations. Our Performance Materials and Technologies business is a long-standing supplier to SOCAR, and both its Process Solutions and Honeywell UOP business units play an important role in supporting SOCAR operations in Azerbaijan,” he said.
Frans van Deursen pointed out that the company’s latest agreement will see SOCAR use its Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology to supply high-quality hydrogen as part of the modernization of the Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery in Baku.
“Hydrogen is used as part of the refining process to decontaminate oil and facilitate catalytic processes that produce clean-burning fuels. Through the refinery’s modernization program and products from Honeywell UOP, SOCAR is meeting Azerbaijan’s growing domestic demand for clean burning fuels that support important parts of the infrastructure and transportation system, such as vehicles that meet the latest stringent emissions standards,” he said.
Frans van Deursen noted that under the agreement, Honeywell UOP will provide two PSA units to the refinery, both of which will be controlled by advanced control systems supplied by our Honeywell Process Solutions business.
“As my colleague, Nigel Orchard, who is our regional vice president for Europe, Africa and Central Asia, at Honeywell UOP said when we announced the agreement, “The modernization program will help SOCAR to remain among the most advanced refiners in the region, further improving environmental protection along with the quality of life in Azerbaijan.” “.
Honeywell announced on Dec.6 that the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) will use Honeywell UOP’s Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology to supply high-quality hydrogen as part of the modernization of the Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery (HAOR) in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Currently, Baku Refinery is undergoing modernization, which will be completed in 2021. Following the modernization, the refinery’s capacity will increase from 6 million tons per year to 8 million tons per year, while its operational term will be extended until 2040.
The cost of modernization of the Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery is estimated at around $2.2 billion.
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