Gasoline hydrotreating unit in Lanzhou now operational

PetroChina has put into operation a 1.8 million ton per year (tpy) gasoline hydrotreating unit at its Lanzhou refinery, according to media reports. The unit, which came onstream at the end of December, will help reduce sulfur content and produce better quality gasoline. Lanzhou, in the landlocked northwestern province of Gansu, plans to add a 3.0 million tpy diesel hydrotreating unit this year, the report said. It now has a 1.2 million tpy diesel hydrotreating unit. Lanzhou processed a total of 10.3 million tons, or 206,000 barrels per day, of crude in 2010, and is likely to raise crude runs this year after the gasoline hydrotreating unit came onstream, the report said. (January 4, 2011)