OMV Petrom successfully replaced the coke drums at the Petrobrazi refinery

OMV Petrom has successfully completed the replacement of the four coke drums at the Petrobrazi refinery. They play an essential role in the refining process, ensuring the transformation of the heavy components into superior products. The new equipment is designed to operate at full capacity for at least two decades. The investment for the project totalled approximately 70 million Euro.   

Radu Căprău, member of the OMV Petrom Executive Board responsible for the Refining and Marketing activity: ”By replacing the coke drums, we improve the efficiency and safety of our operations. The Petrobrazi refinery is now ready to continue to provide quality fuels on the Romanian and regional market. I congratulate the team that managed this challenging project, and I am glad that the drums are manufactured here, in Romania.” 

Each coke drum weighs almost 200 tons, is approximately six metres in diameter and 30 metres high, the equivalent of a ten-storey block. The project to replace the coke drums started in 2021 and their installation in the refinery took two months, during this year’s planned shutdown. A special crane, almost 125 meters in height, equivalent to a 40-storey building, was used to replace the coke drums. The crane can lift weights of 1,600 tons. 

The Petrobrazi refinery has a total crude oil processing capacity of 4.5 million tons per year. Since 2005, OMV Petrom has invested more than 2 billion Euro in the Petrobrazi refinery, with a third of this investment contributing to reducing the impact on the environment.