Rompetrol Rafinare has completed the modernisation of the hydrogen power plant at Petromidia Refinery, following an investment of 9.35 million euros.
– The project aimed at replacing all the subassemblies that make up the reformer furnace, the most important and most complex part consisting in changing the 114 vertical tubes that store the catalyst needed for the reforming reaction, Rompetrol said in a statement filed with the Bucharest Stock Exchange.
The works were carried out by four subcontracting companies, which allocated almost 70 specialists to the project, and were supervised by Rominserv, the maintenance and engineering arm of KazMunayGas International Group, Rompetrol’s parent company.
The HPP unit, which has a capacity of 40,000 cubic meters per hour, is the main supplier of hydrogen for the Petromidia refinery. The hydrogen is obtained through the steam reformation of methane gas and is then used in sulfur extraction processes, supporting the production of fuels that adhere to Euro5 standards.
The service life of HPP subassemblies is around 12 years, Rompetrol said. The hydrogen installation was commissioned in 2012 following an investment package of more than $380 million, aimed at expanding the capacity of the Petromidia refinery.