News

In spring 2013 OOO Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez, a Lukoil subsidiary, awarded the Pörner Group the contract for the design and supply of a Bitumen Cooling and Packing Unit (CPU) for the Nizhniy Novgorod Refinery, Russia. Within a very short time the construction and erection was done and the Unit was put into operation for the customer.

The Project

Lukoil opted for the Pörner Bitumen Packing System because of the following advantages: It can be safely operated throughout the year even at lowest temperatures. Once in bags the bitumen can be stored in cold condition for a long period of time and carried to any place in the world. Thus, sufficient amounts of bitumen are available for the domestic market when demand rises in summer and for export.

The Cooling and Packing Unit (CPU)

Through pipes from the tank farm of the neighbouring Lukoil bitumen production plant the bitumen is supplied to the filling stations where the liquid bitumen is filled into Pörner Bitumen Bags™.

The Packing Unit of a total capacity of over 20mt per hour is operative at outdoor temperatures of even minus 30°C. The filling takes place fully automatic with the quantity per bag (approx. 1,000 kg bitumen) being recorded and documented by computers. Then, the bags are stored to allow the bitumen to set.

The Pörner Bitumen Bag™ is suitable for all conventional transport systems (truck, standard container, railway).

The Design

Pörner Ingenieurgesellschaft developed the Cooling & Packing System, gave advice to the customer when it came to the question of how to integrate the system into the existing refinery, and was in charge of the Basic and Detail Engineering (ISBL), procurement and supply of the equipment. The prefab modules of the system were assembled at the site and put into operation under Pörner’s supervision.

The demand for high-quality paving-grade bitumen is constantly on the rise. The novel innovative logistics has put Lukoil in the position to supply both the Russian market and the neighbouring countries with bitumen at reasonable prices.

Nizhniy Novgorod

Nizhniy Novgorod has a population of about 1.3 million and is the fifth largest city in Russia. Because of its geographic location, at the confluence of Oka and Volga, the city is not only a hub of Russian trade but also a major industrial centre.

Media echo (selection):

World Highways (EN), 2014