Technical visits to PETRONOR

Technical visits to PETRONOR
MAY 27-28, 2015
Timetable
From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Time and point of departure and arrival
4:30 p.m., Bilbao Exhibition Centre (North Entrance)
Return to the same point at 7:30 p.m.
Limited places (maximum 25 people)
ADAPTATION OF THE REFINERY TO DIFFERENT CRUDE OILS
Since refinery nº 1 commenced operations in 1972
adaptations have had to be made due to successive
changes in the type of raw materials available.
Initially, light crude oil was available on the market
and it was easy to acquire sufficient quantities to
meet the needs of consumers.
It was with this in mind that the facilities were extended with the building of refinery nº 2, with a lower capacity than its
predecessor but the same production layout. From 1980 onwards the crude oil available was of a different type, which
required a more complex processing method. As well as the initial distillation process, this oil underwent complex
processes to obtain the products demanded on the market with no need to acquire further raw materials, and with part
of the crude oil no longer demanded by the market being valorised as fuel oil. With this in mind the conversion facility
came online in 1984.Desde el inicio de la actividad de refinería-1 en 1972, ante los cambios permanentes en la
disponibilidad de materia prima, la refinería se ha visto obligada a adaptarse. En un principio los crudos denominados
ligeros se ofertaban en el mercado, era fácil disponer de la cantidad necesaria para satisfacer las necesidades de los
consumidores.
In the 1990s environmental regulations governing
fuel consumption led Petronor to extend its refining
units to adapt its distilled products to the demands
of the market and of consumers. The increasing
proportion of diesel engines in the vehicle market
and the increasing numbers of vehicles per capita led
to rapid adaptation so that it was possible to choose
whichever raw material was available and process it
in such a way as to meet market demands in terms
of fuel quality and quantity.
Since the turn of the century demand has increased still further, but the amount of raw material available has not kept pace
with it This means that it has become worthwhile to operate harder-to-access oilfields, such as deep-water fields, thus
ensuring the availability of a necessary oil, but at high prices. In this energy scenario Petronor undertook the URF project,
the building of which entailed investment of €850 million, to increase output of the products in greatest demand on the
market without increasing oil consumption. This new plant came online at the end of 2011.