Orlen Unipetrol RPA SRO, a subsidiary of Orlen Unipetrol SA, is currently in the process of constructing a grassroots heat recovery unit at its 3.3-million ton/year refinery in Kralupy nad Vltavou, Czech Republic. The initiative is part of the broader strategy set by the parent company, Orlen SA, to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations by the year 2050.
Valued at approximately $122 million, the project involves the implementation of a novel unit utilizing proprietary acid-resistant polymer heat exchanger technology developed by Orlen Unipetrol. The primary goal is to recover heat from flue gases produced in the refinery’s crude distillation block. This recovered heat will then be utilized to reheat boiler feed water for steam production at the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit on-site, as detailed in separate releases by Orlen and Orlen Unipetrol.
The ongoing construction is expected to eliminate the refinery’s current reliance on a municipal gas-fired combined heat and power (CHP) plant for its entire boiler feed water needs. The new unit is anticipated to allow the refinery to internally produce about one-third of its required boiler water, utilizing approximately 5 MW of heat energy recovered from its own flue gases.
With a scheduled startup in mid-2025, the heat recovery unit aims to contribute to a substantial reduction in carbon dioxide emissions related to obtaining boiler water, amounting to 15,000 tons per year, according to statements from the companies.
As reported by OIL&GAS JOURNAL, the initiative at the Kralupy refinery is part of Orlen Unipetrol’s ambitious spending program exceeding $1.6 billion. The program is designed to implement various initiatives aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of its operations in the Czech Republic by 25% by 2030 compared to 2020 levels.
