Ecuador Refinery's Processing Capacity Below Normal

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Petroecuador's Esmeraldas refinery, which processes Oriente Crude (23 degrees API), is currently processing 100,000 barrels per day of its total 110,000 processing capacity. According to authorities at the plant, they are to perform maintenance in six of the 13 units.

Ecuador is the fifth-largest oil producer in South America with a 532,000-barrel-per-day (BPD) production capacity of oil. Petroecuador owns three refineries: 43,000 BPD La Libertad; 110,000 BPD Shushufindi and 110,000 BPD Esmeraldas refinery.

Crude 1 and Vacuum 1 are currently processing at 95% of total capacity since the last turnaround in October 2007. The mechanical decoking process could not be performed. Another maintenance shutdown in this unit will have to be performed to carry out a traditional decoking in the crude unit. The 30-mechanical-day maintenance turnaround in Crude 2 and Vacuum 2 is still planned for the first quarter of April 2008. Maintenance work in Visbreaker 1 and 2, scheduled to be performed in September and October 2008, will be carried out independently. The 15-day overhaul planned on the steam system and DEA system is scheduled to start on the first week of August 2008. However, these dates may vary because of new administration at Petroecuador. The Ecuadorian president removed Petroecuador Chief Carlos Pareja and replaced him with Fernando Zurita, a Navy admiral, President Correa handed control to the military after a week of protests in the Amazon region.

The Esmeraldas refinery, which processes 65% of Ecuador's fuel production, 40% of which is used for internal consumption, is still facing major problems because of the catalytic reforming fire which occurred on May 3, 2007. Esmeralda's HDS, HDT diesel, HDT Naphtha, SRU 1 and 2 and Nitrogen units will remain shutdown until the CCR is back online by the end of October 2007. For more details, view related June 14, 2007, article - Ecuador's Esmeraldas Refinery Faces Four Months CCR Shutdown.

CCR is still processing at 75% of its total capacity. Furnace repairs were completed in the last week of November but the unit has not been handed over yet. It is scheduled to be working in no more than 10 days so that the CCR increases production capacity and consequently produces more hydrogen so that the offline isomerization unit can be restarted in January 2008 as planned. Outsourced employees, the ones in charge of maintenance work at the Esmeraldas refinery, are currently protesting outside the plant. Production has not been altered but if this problem continues, it may be affected. The isomerization unit is currently the refinery's only one that is offline.

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