Inaugurates new advanced Recycle Hydrocracking facility aimed at helping Indian refiners to get more out of each barrel of oil with better and cleaner refining technologies and practices
Indian Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan unveiled a new refining technology at Honeywell India Technology Center, Gurgaon, which will help Indian refiners get more clean transportation fuel out of every barrel. The technology is one of several being developed at the center by Honeywell UOP.
According to the release, the company has invested about $40M at the facility, which is one of the main technology development hubs for Honeywell UOP outside the U.S. It also develops technologies for other Honeywell businesses in the region. The pilot plant inaugurated is specifically designed to develop advanced hydrocracking catalysts that can more efficiently produce higher yields of clean-burning diesel fuel from crude oil. The technology can allow Indian refiners to get more from each barrel of oil, helping reduce imports of crude oil while producing environmentally preferable diesel fuels.
More than half the country’s oil and more than 70 percent of the country’s gasoline are made with Honeywell UOP processes, and more than 85 percent of the nation’s biodegradable detergents are produced using Honeywell UOP technologies. More recently, Honeywell UOP entered into a collaboration agreement with Indian Oil Corporations Limited (IOCL) to develop a range of bio-fuels technologies. Honeywell is aligned with and has a significant Make in India footprint with seven manufacturing facilities in Chennai, Dehradun, Gurgaon, Pune and Vadodara, and five technology and engineering centers in Bangalore, Gurgaon, Hyderabad and Madurai.
Anant Maheshwari, President of Honeywell India said at the event, “Honeywell India employs close to 15,000 people to deliver innovative technologies that help customers improve energy efficiency, safety, security, and productivity – all of which are key imperatives for India. Honeywell and its employees are creating solutions and technologies in India, for India, and for the rest of the world.”
Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan remarked, “The Indian government is committed to innovation and being an early adopter of technologies to drive growth for the country. I am pleased to launch this new Honeywell technology today, dedicated to making Indian refiners more competitive and efficient.”
Steven C. Gimre, Managing Director, UOP India added, “The Hon’ble Prime Minister’s visionary call to realize a 10 percent reduction in the country’s crude imports by 2022 has already set a challenge before the Indian hydrocarbon sector, making this advanced hydrocracking technology the solution of choice to help meet this goal and meet the growing demand for energy in India.”
