Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has chosen Honeywell UOP’s pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology in order to meet its target of producing fuels adhering to Bharat Stage VI (BS-VI) environmental standards by the end of 2019.
Under the terms of the agreement, Honeywell UOP will provide new PSA units to IOCL refineries at Koyali, Panipat and Mathura, and upgrade existing hydrogen plants with Honeywell UOP’s Polybed™ PSA technology at refineries in Haldia, Guwahati and Koyali. Cumulatively, these six projects will generate another 166,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year, which translates into an almost 30 per cent increase in IOCL’s current capacity.
Honeywell UOP’s PSA technology uses new UOP adsorbents which recover high levels of hydrogen. The technology recovers and purifies this hydrogen so that it can be used elsewhere in the refinery to remove impurities and to perform catalytic processes that transform crude oil into clean fuels and other products.
Honeywell UOP is one of the leading international suppliers of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemicals and gas processing industries. IOCL, together with its subsidiaries, has interests across the entire hydrocarbon value chain – refining, pipeline transportation, marketing of petroleum products, exploration and production of crude oil and natural gas, and production of petrochemicals.