HPCL commissions residue upgradation facility at Visakh Refinery

HPCL has commissioned a residue upgradation facility (RUF) at its Visakh Refinery. The RUF has a capacity of 3.55 million tonnes per annum and employs advanced LC-Max-based residue hydrocracking technologies, with the reactors at approximately 2,200 tonnes each, among the heaviest in the world. This will facilitate the conversion of about 93 per cent of bottom oils into high-value products. The move is also expected to enhance the distillate yield of the Visakh refinery by up to 10 per cent from the pre-Visakh refinery modernisation levels and lead to an increase in the gross refining margins. The energy intensity index of the refinery has been reduced as a result of the improved heat integration and process efficiency, with the Nelson Complexity Index now standing at 11.6. Further, HPCL has also deployed the RUF (LC-Max) Digital Suite, integrating real-time monitoring, predictive analytics using proprietary thermodynamic models and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven optimisation.