ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 11. Aktau Bitumen Plant has entered the important final stage of its modernization project aimed at increasing its oil processing capacity to 1.5 million tons per year, which includes the installation of the T-1102 vacuum column, Trend reports via KazMunayGas.
The company noted that the expansion of the plant's processing capacity will increase bitumen production from 500,000 tons to 750,000 tons per year. The project will ensure the full supply of the domestic market with high-quality road bitumen of the most demanded grades.
“The general contractor, CITIC Construction Ltd, successfully lifted and installed the T-1102 vacuum column, 39.9 meters tall, using two cranes with lifting capacities of 650 and 350 tons. The equipment manufacturer is Xinjiang Kexin Heavy-duty Equipment, China. The total lifting weight of the column, including service platforms and pipelines, was about 140 tons,” the company added.
Moreover, given the project's significance for Kazakhstan's road industry, the completion of construction and installation work is expected soon, after which commissioning work will begin.
While, as part of the plant modernization, this was the final stage of equipment installation. After this, internal column device installation, pipeline connection, and the installation of control and instrumentation devices will be carried out. The T-1102 vacuum column operates under pressure of -0.095 kg/cm² and temperatures up to 397°C. The new column will increase the amount of processed fuel oil. Its main purpose is to ensure effective separation of light hydrocarbons to produce a pitch fraction—a key raw material for the production of road bitumen.
The Aktau Bitumen Plant is an industrial enterprise located in the city of Aktau, on the shores of the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan. The plant produces bitumen and other petrochemical products such as asphalt and construction materials.