The General Company for Homs Refinery has returned atmospheric distillation unit No. 10 to service after completing comprehensive maintenance works that included the distillation column, furnaces, pumps, and heat exchangers, with a design capacity of one million tons of crude oil annually, thereby enhancing the refinery's ability to produce oil derivatives and supporting the availability of diesel, fuel oil, naphtha, and kerosene in the local market.
The production manager at the company, Firas Ali, told the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on Monday that the unit returned to service in a stable and safe operational state, following the execution of maintenance works and the provision of spare parts and necessary equipment that were previously unavailable, which had prevented operational stability and continuity.
Maintenance Challenges and Crude Oil Supply
Ali added that the unit is currently operating at a load of about 75 percent of its design capacity, temporarily until maintenance is completed on some production units related to the operation of atmospheric distillation units, with its production capacity to be gradually increased while considering the age of the equipment.
Ali pointed out that crude oil supplies to the refinery are currently insufficient, affirming efforts to secure the raw material in the required quantities and specifications, which supports the stability of the production process. He noted that completing current maintenance works and securing necessary spare parts will help maintain the continuity of production units' operations at the refinery and enhance their operational readiness.
Completing Maintenance to Boost Production
Ali indicated that maintenance works at the refinery continue on multiple fronts, with the final stages of maintenance for distillation unit 100 being completed in preparation for its return to operation soon, alongside finishing the maintenance of gasoline production units and putting them into service in the coming days, which will contribute to enhancing gasoline availability in the local market and increasing the quantities of diesel and fuel oil allocated for power generation stations and various uses.
For his part, Mahmoud Jenidi, head of the coking department at the company, explained that comprehensive maintenance for unit 10 is being carried out for the first time in over ten years, due to the unavailability of replacement parts and necessary equipment in previous years. The works included replacing furnace pipes and manufacturing about 20 new trays for the distillation column, along with maintaining heat exchangers, condensers, precision instruments, electric motors, and pumps.
Continuous Monitoring to Ensure Quality
Fidaa Mahfoud, shift supervisor at atmospheric distillation unit 10, said that operational processes are subject to continuous monitoring via central control systems, with tracking of pressure indicators, temperatures, production quantities, and quality, ensuring compliance with safe operational requirements.
Mahfoud noted that products are transferred to warehouses after being subjected to analysis in the central laboratory and verifying their compliance with approved specifications, explaining that any deviation from required standards necessitates taking appropriate corrective actions, such as adjusting temperatures and pressure or reducing the load, to ensure product quality and operational safety.
Atmospheric distillation units are a fundamental pillar in oil refineries, and their function is to separate crude oil into its basic components and derivatives based on the varying boiling points of each component under normal atmospheric pressure, thus forming the first stage in the oil refining and production of usable derivatives process.
The General Company for Homs Refinery previously returned unit No. 21, known as the Czech unit, to operation last July after comprehensive maintenance of all its equipment and devices, aiming to improve its operational efficiency and increase the production of oil derivatives to meet Syrian market needs.
Source: Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
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