A recently-completed project at the Mongstad refinery operated by Statoil near Bergen is saving energy by exploiting surplus process heat.
Two new steam boilers have been installed to meet higher demand for energy after an expansion of the Vestprosess fractionation plant, reports project manager Egon Sørensen.
This makes it possible to handle larger volumes of natural gas liquids following the start-up of Statoil’s Kvitebjørn development in the North Sea during the autumn.
Capable of producing up to 120 tonnes of steam per hour between them, the new boilers substantially enhance the refinery’s total production capacity.
Two heat exchangers have been installed to recover about 28 megawatts of energy, corresponding to the power requirements of 5,000 Norwegian homes.
The steam boilers have been fitted with low nitrogen oxide burners to minimise emissions of nitrogen oxides to the air.
The new facilities are integrated with the refinery’s existing steam distribution system, which has also been expanded.
In addition to increased steam capacity, the additional boilers will make it possible to operate the process plants more flexibly.
A total of 280,000 hours were worked in the 20-month project without lost-time injuries, reports Mr Sørensen.
In addition, the job was completed within the schedule and well below the estimated cost of around NOK 400 million.