Using Residual Gas to Power Balongan Refinery Operations

Instead of letting it go to waste, we wondered whether this hydrogen could be used as fuel.

Indramayu (ANTARA) – Travellers along the road through Balongan, Indramayu, West Java, are met with a striking contrast. Green rice fields stretch across the landscape, while behind them stands the distinctive scene of an oil refinery.

Interconnected pipelines, rows of storage tanks and towering chimneys appear to cut into the clear sky.

The oil-processing facility in Balongan began operating in 1994. For more than three decades, it has been an important pillar in meeting the public’s energy needs.

Its processing capacity is 150,000 barrels of crude oil a day. About 82 per cent of its output is supplied to meet energy needs in Jakarta and West Java.

Given its significant role, the refinery must operate efficiently. Every barrel of crude oil has to be processed with careful calculations, while supplies of refined products must be maintained to prevent disruption to energy needs.

Processing also requires large amounts of energy, while raw materials account for around 90 per cent of production costs. This makes efficiency a key aspect of refinery management.

Few people know that one potential source of savings comes from the flames at the end of an installation at the Pertamina Patra Niaga Refinery Unit (RU) Balongan facility.