Maharatna HPCL hits major milestone, commissions RUF at Visakh Refinery
Showcases unprecedented engineering scale, housing among world’s heaviest three LC-Max reactors of 2,200 MT each
image for illustrative purpose
Visakhapatnam: Maharatna HPCL has successfully commissioned the Residue Upgradation Facility (RUF) at its Visakh Refinery here, marking a major milestone in India’s deep-conversion refining capability and contributing meaningfully to national energy security.
Aligning fully with the Prime Minister’s vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat, several critical project equipment were indigenously manufactured, thereby, strengthening India’s refining self-reliance.
This first-of-its-kind facility in India showcases unprecedented engineering scale, housing among the world’s heaviest three LC-Max reactors of approximately 2,200 MT each.
According to the company spokesperson, with a capacity of 3.55 MMTPA, RUF employs advanced LC-Max based residue hydrocracking technology to achieve about 93 per cent conversion of bottom oils into high-value products. Visakh Refinery will now have the capability of enhancing its distillate yield by up to 10 per cent (from pre-VRMP (Visakh Refinery Modernisation Project] levels).
The Gross Refining Margins (GRMs) of the Visakh Refinery are set to increase substantially on account of superior product slate, flexibility to process many heavier or opportunity crudes, and higher value realisation per barrel.
This significant increase in middle-distillate output helps HPCL to reduce the gap between its HSD marketing and refining volumes, lowers dependence on external sourcing, strengthens the supply chain, and drives higher profitability through improved product realisation and margin capture.
Improved heat integration and process efficiency reduced the Refinery’s Energy Intensity Index (EII), lowering operating costs and further reinforcing profitability while advancing sustainability objectives.
The Nelson Complexity Index of the Visakh Refinery now stands tall at an impressive 11.6, positioning it among India’s most advanced deep-conversion Refineries, supporting long-term profitability and global benchmarking of performance.
Complementing the physical commissioning, HPCL has also deployed the RUF (LC-Max) Digital Suite — an Industry-first in Indian Refineries.
HPCL has extended its deepest gratitude to the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas, other Ministries of Government of India and Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, and Statutory Bodies, for their invaluable guidance and continued support.
The company also placed on record its sincere appreciation for all other key stakeholders, including project partners, licensors CLG, turnkey contractor L&T, PMC EIL, other vendors/contractors, and its dedicated teams, whose steadfast support, technical excellence, and collaborative efforts were instrumental in the successful commissioning of the RUF.
