Energy savings in the spotlight

Pulau Bukom refinery in Singapore is Shell’s largest oil refinery and produces 400,000 barrels a day of refined products. The refinery has a long and successful history but now faces increasing regional competition and needs to become even more cost-effective. One of the refinery’s major costs is energy, and a recent improvement programme with Shell Global Solutions has helped Pulau Bukom to focus on making additional savings in its total energy bill.

Teo-See Beng Chu, Refinery Technology Manager, Shell Eastern Petroleum Pte Ltd, states, “Energy is a significant part of our costs, and we must be continually looking for ways to improve our energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions as part of our journey to becoming a worldclass refinery.”

Before the energy-management programme, efforts were already being made to reduce energy consumption at Pulau Bukom. In 2003, an energy improvement team investigated energy use. The team of operational and technical staff identified ways to reduce energy consumption, for example, reducing furnace-fouling problems caused by catalyst fines in fuel oil streams and championing a site-wide programme for steam trap maintenance. Encouraged by these initial findings, Pulau Bukom refinery then decided to use energy-management services from Shell Global Solutions to continue its energy-reduction programme.

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