Petrobras awards contract for new refinery

Petrobras, Brazil’s state owned energy company, has awarded a multi million dollar contract to AMETEK Solidstate Controls, a specialist in industrial uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems.

The contract concerns the Comperj oil refinery, which is currently under construction in Itaborai, close to Rio de Janero. The Comperj refinery is expected to start up in 2013 with a projected heavy crude processing capacity totaling 330 000 bpd. The refinery is the first of several new major oil refineries Petrobas has planned or currently underway.

UPS systems are designed to provide continuous clean, regulated power for critical loads in process control and industrial applications. The systems are installed to provide backup power for systems that cannot afford to shutdown during power outages or disruptions. They also are important for a clean, transient free power supply for critical control systems. Oftentimes, power aberrations such as surges, sags and brownouts can damage systems or cause errors in data readings.

A typical UPS system consists of an inverter and battery charger. Most UPS systems, however, are designed for the relatively clean, controlled environments of a computer room or similar facility. They are not suitable for harsh or demanding environments of an oil platform, power plant or petrochemical facility. For these applications, an industrial grade UPS system is required.

Industrial UPS systems use passive electronic and magnetic components that are better suited for industrial environments than standard UPS systems that rely on complicated power devices with complex feedback circuits, which must be protected or isolated from the harsh industrial operating conditions.

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/17082011/petrobras_awards_contract_for_new_refinery/