Bharat Petroleum Plans Maintenance Shutdown at Two Units in Kochi Refinery

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BSE:500110) (BPCL) (Kochi, India) is preparing to begin an inspection and maintenance turnaround on the 50,000-barrel-per-day (BBL/d) hydrogen unit and diesel hydrodesulphurization unit in the DHDS block of the company's 214,000-BBL/d Kochi Refinery in Kochi, Kerala.

The 20-day turnaround is scheduled to begin on April 24, 2011. The major works to be performed include tray replacements in fractionators; a heat-exchanger cleaning; a catalyst changeover; heater tubes pigging; and repairs and inspections of reactors.

In order to meet the local fuel demand, the shutdown has been postponed from April 15 to April 24, 2011. Indian refiners are struggling to get a good response to their diesel import tenders, as traders target more lucrative sales to quake-hit Japan.

Kochi Refinery, which is at Ambalmugal near the city of Kochi in Kerala, is one of two BPCL refineries with a crude oil-refining capacity of 9.5 million metric tons per year. The product portfolio for the 214,000-barrel-per-day refinery includes petrochemical feed stocks and specialty products, in addition to a range of quality fuels.

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