Petronas installs biggest crude distillation column at PIC

Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) recently installed the biggest crude distillation column for its Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) in Johor. It is fabricated by KNM Group Bhd's unit KNM Process Systems Sdn Bhd in Gebeng, Pahang.

KUALA LUMPUR: Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) has installed the biggest crude distillation column for its Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (RAPID), currently under construction within the Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC).

Designed by Sinopec Engineering and fabricated by KNM Process Systems Sdn Bhd in Gebeng, Pahang, the distillation column is able to process 300,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd) of medium-to-heavy sour crude oil.

The column, measuring 10 metres wide and 66 metres in height weighs 1,300 tonnes, making it among the biggest single crude distillation column in the refining industry. 

With its sheer magnitude, the mega structure successfully earned an entry in the Malaysia Book of Records for the biggest crude distillation column.

Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Corporation (PRPC) senior vice president and chief executive officer Dr Colin Wong Hee Huing in a statement said, ”As at June 2017, the overall progress of the PIC development stood at almost 70% towards completion, and with the successful installation of the distillation column, the project is on track to achieve its first refinery startup in the first quarter of 2019.”

Present to witness the installation were Petronas executive vice president and chief executive officer of downstream business Arif Mahmood and Sinopec Engineering Incorporation’s vice president Zhao Xiang Dong.

Developed on a single site measuring 6,242 acres with an investment of US$27bil, the PIC is supported by associated facilities which comprises the Pengerang Co-generation Plant (PCP), an LNG re-gasification terminal, a raw water supply project (PAMER), the Pengerang deepwater terminal, as well as centralised and shared utilities and facilities.