OREANDA-NEWS. November 08, 2010. A thermochemical plant with the hydrogen sulfide stripping unit from crude oil is in operation in Jalilneft Oil and Gas Production Board of TATNEFT Company at the site of the former Suleevo complex oil treatment and transfer facility, which allows to essentially reduce operating costs for treatment and pumping of oil and associated petroleum gas, to significantly reduce the impact on the environment and to improve the crude oil treatment safety through automation of operating processes, reported the press-centre of Tatneft. 

The hydrogen sulfide stripping unit for removal H2S gas from crude oil was built at the Suleevo thermochemical plant of NGDU Jalilneft and put into operation in 2009. The reason for serious changes was introduction of requirements to the delivered oil, which quality had to be in compliance with GOST R 51858-2002 with hydrogen sulfide content below 100 ppm.

There is a number of advantages in the established modern equipment and almost all of them are aimed at cost savings. Condenser refrigerators replaced the air cooler units and this allows using the released heat for heating the water, which is used in the crude oil treatment processes. Another innovation is application of overhung pumps instead of sectional ones. Power consumption of the overhung pumps is 110 kilowatt per hour, while the sectional pumps consume 160 kW. In addition adjustable electric drives are used with these pumping units, which also help to reduce energy costs. The expected electric power saving resulting from introduction of these activities amounts to 360,000 kWh.

Significant changes were also introduced through application of two heat exchangers. Their efficiency is 80%. This greatly facilitates the operation of the Suleevo installation, since the high-sulfur crude oil comes from the two plants, which are located at the distance of 25 km from each other. Crude oil from one of them has to be additionally heated and this required application of more efficient heat exchangers/ which allow reducing consumption of fuel gas used for crude oil heating by 3.6%.

Significant amount of work carried out during the renovation the Suleevo installation allowed not only reducing operating costs, but also reducing the impact on the environment at the expense of automating production processes and facilitating the work of the field staff.