OREANDA-NEWS. A comprehensive upgrade of the bitumen facility at the Gazprom Neft Omsk Refinery has now been completed, allowing an expansion in the product range of bitumen binders, as well as improving the energy efficiency of the plant, extending run-life from two to four years, and reducing environmental impacts. Total investment in the project, undertaken as part of the full-scale modernisation of the Omsk Refinery, totalled RUB1.4 billion.

Modern equipment allows more flexible adaptation of operating processes at the facility in producing different brands of bitumens, improving efficiency in fulfilling orders and despatching finished products to customers.

The inclusion of an additional block for component mixing as part of the manufacturing chain has made possible the production of 14 different brands of bitumens, all compliant with the latest GOST 33133-2014 and STO 2.1-2011 standards. The key feature of the plant’s revamped range is the extended performance metrics of each brand, giving consumers the opportunity of choosing precisely the product most durable under specific climatic conditions and traffic loads. Bitumen materials produced by the Omsk Refinery are traditionally supplied - as well as throughout the Siberian Federal Okrug - to the Russian Far East, the Urals, and the countries of Central Asia. The project is being undertaken by Gazpromneft Bitumen Materials, operator of the Gazprom Neft bitumens business.

Eliminating the use of recycled water, through the use of antifreeze in a closed-circuit cooling system, will significantly reduce the environmental impacts of bitumen production. Cutting-edge energy-efficient design solutions envisage using the heat reclaimed from bitumen production to heat feedstock, reducing consumption of process fuel by 66 percent, with steam consumption being reduced by 90 percent through steam pumps being replaced by modern electric ones.

Dmitry Orlov, CEO, Gazprom Neft Bitumen Materials, commented: "Modernisation of the bitumen plant at the Omsk Refinery is directed at addressing our core business objective of providing consumers with high-tech and high-quality cement materials. At the same time, this is also a challenge of national importance, because the extent of the bitumen industry’s successful development depends, ultimately, on the quality and modernity of Russia’s roads."

The Gazprom Neft Omsk Refinery, a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft, is Russia’s largest such facility by refining volumes, and one of the most cutting-edge refineries in the country. The Omsk Refinery produces in the order of 50 types of petroleum products, including high-octane gasolines, diesel and marine (bunkering) fuels, aviation kerosene, bitumen, household gas, heavy fuel oil (mazut), industrial sulphur, and other products in line with market demand.

Gazpromneft Bitumen Materials is a subsidiary of Gazprom Neft, specialising in the production and sale of bitumen products.

The company now holds a leading position on the Russian bitumens market, with total sales of Gazpromneft-Bitumens’ products in 2016 reaching 1.88 million tonnes.

The company’s key production facilities are based in the Moscow, Vyazma, Omsk, Yaroslavl and Ryazan Oblasts, as well as in Serbia and Kazakhstan. The company produces road, construction and roofing bitumens, as well as polymer-modified bitumens (PMBs) and binders (specifically G-Way Styrelf), and a range of bitumen derivatives (mastic compounds, sealants, bridging tapes and more). All bitumen materials produced by Gazprom Neft are fully compliant with Russian and international quality standards.

Gazprom Neft uses a variety of transport solutions to ensure the supply of bitumen materials throughout Russia, the CIS, and abroad.