Arpechim Refinery
Encyclopedia
Arpechim Refinery is one of the largest Romania
n refineries
and one of the largest in Eastern Europe
, located in Piteşti
, Argeş County
, and has both refining and petrochemical capacities. The refinery has two processing modules with a nominal capacity of 6.5 million tonnes/year. Now only one of the two modules is operating with a capacity of 3.5 million tonnes/year or 70000 oilbbl/d. The facility is connected by pipeline to the oil field
s in the Oltenia Region
and to the Port of Constanţa
. The refinery produces around 60% of all the bitumen
used in Romania.
. In the same year the refinery built its first plant specialised in the production of carbon black
. In 1967 another two distinct units were established, the Piteşti Refinery and the Petrochemical Complex and the Thermal Power Station . In 1971 the refinery was integrated with the Petrochemical Complex. In 1997 the state established Petrom
as the national oil company also including the Arpechim Refinery. In 1999 Arpechim becomes the first refinery in Europe
to produce and export diesel with a reduced sulfur
content. In 2005 the refinery concludes the building of a new gasoil hydrotreater
and new hydrogen plant
.
In 2007 Petrom
started negotiations with Oltchim
(a major petrochemical company in Romania) for the sale of the petrochemical sector from the Arpechim Refinery. The two companies agreed on the transaction and Oltchim had to pay around US$ 150 million to close the deal. On February 17, 2009, Petrom decided to sell the petrochemical sector of the Arpechim Refinery to Oltchim for the price of 1 euro (US$ 1.25), but the buying company has to invest US$ 140 million in the sector due to contract clauses.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n refineries
Refinery
A refinery is a production facility composed of a group of chemical engineering unit processes and unit operations refining certain materials or converting raw material into products of value.-Types of refineries:Different types of refineries are as follows:...
and one of the largest in Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
, located in Piteşti
Pitesti
Pitești is a city in Romania, located on the Argeș River. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated on the A1 freeway connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest,...
, Argeş County
Arges County
Argeș is a county of Romania, in Wallachia, with the capital city at Pitești.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 652,625 and the population density was 95/km².*Romanians – 96%*Roma , and other.-Geography:...
, and has both refining and petrochemical capacities. The refinery has two processing modules with a nominal capacity of 6.5 million tonnes/year. Now only one of the two modules is operating with a capacity of 3.5 million tonnes/year or 70000 oilbbl/d. The facility is connected by pipeline to the oil field
Oil field
An oil field is a region with an abundance of oil wells extracting petroleum from below ground. Because the oil reservoirs typically extend over a large area, possibly several hundred kilometres across, full exploitation entails multiple wells scattered across the area...
s in the Oltenia Region
Oltenia
Oltenia is a historical province and geographical region of Romania, in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Danube, the Southern Carpathians and the Olt river ....
and to the Port of Constanţa
Port of Constanta
The Port of Constanța is located in Constanța, Romania, on the western coast of the Black Sea, from the Bosphorus Strait and from the Sulina Branch, through which the Danube river flows into the sea. It covers , of which is land and the rest, , is water. The two breakwaters located northwards...
. The refinery produces around 60% of all the bitumen
Asphalt
Asphalt or , also known as bitumen, is a sticky, black and highly viscous liquid or semi-solid that is present in most crude petroleums and in some natural deposits, it is a substance classed as a pitch...
used in Romania.
History
Arpechim was founded in 1964 in a strategic industrial zone located in Southern Romania near PiteştiPitesti
Pitești is a city in Romania, located on the Argeș River. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated on the A1 freeway connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest,...
. In the same year the refinery built its first plant specialised in the production of carbon black
Carbon black
Carbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products such as FCC tar, coal tar, ethylene cracking tar, and a small amount from vegetable oil. Carbon black is a form of amorphous carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, although its...
. In 1967 another two distinct units were established, the Piteşti Refinery and the Petrochemical Complex and the Thermal Power Station . In 1971 the refinery was integrated with the Petrochemical Complex. In 1997 the state established Petrom
Petrom
Petrom is a Romanian oil company, the largest corporation in Romania and the largest gas and oil producer in Eastern Europe operating in several countries:*Romania - largest company;*Moldova - 2nd largest company, 31% market share;...
as the national oil company also including the Arpechim Refinery. In 1999 Arpechim becomes the first refinery in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to produce and export diesel with a reduced sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
content. In 2005 the refinery concludes the building of a new gasoil hydrotreater
Hydrodesulfurization
Hydrodesulfurization is a catalytic chemical process widely used to remove sulfur from natural gas and from refined petroleum products such as gasoline or petrol, jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel, and fuel oils...
and new hydrogen plant
Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with atomic number 1. It is represented by the symbol H. With an average atomic weight of , hydrogen is the lightest and most abundant chemical element, constituting roughly 75% of the Universe's chemical elemental mass. Stars in the main sequence are mainly...
.
In 2007 Petrom
Petrom
Petrom is a Romanian oil company, the largest corporation in Romania and the largest gas and oil producer in Eastern Europe operating in several countries:*Romania - largest company;*Moldova - 2nd largest company, 31% market share;...
started negotiations with Oltchim
Oltchim
Oltchim S.A. , is one of the largest chemical companies in Romania and in Southeastern Europe, with a total of 3538 employees in 2009. It was established in 1966 with the name of Râmnicu Vâlcea Chemical Works. It began to be built in July 1966. The first plant, Mercury Cells Electrolysis, was...
(a major petrochemical company in Romania) for the sale of the petrochemical sector from the Arpechim Refinery. The two companies agreed on the transaction and Oltchim had to pay around US$ 150 million to close the deal. On February 17, 2009, Petrom decided to sell the petrochemical sector of the Arpechim Refinery to Oltchim for the price of 1 euro (US$ 1.25), but the buying company has to invest US$ 140 million in the sector due to contract clauses.