News
Major investment at Essar
Part of a £23 million refurbishment project, the 428 tonne steel head was lifted 225 feet before being guided into position on the refinery’s flagship residue catalytic cracking unit – the largest of its kind in Europe. The operation was completed in just over five hours, using a 335 ft tall crane with a 1,500 tonne counterweight for the lift.
The regenerator head, complete with refractory lining and cyclones, is the largest that has been fabricated and transported in the world. It is a key element of the residue catalytic cracking unit, vital to Stanlow’s annual production of three billion litres of petrol. Its installation will give the refinery unit another 25 years of life.
Chief executive officer, Volker Schultz, said: “This is another major investment in the refinery and part of our strategic plan to ensure we can be sustainably profitable and growing moving forward. The lift was a complicated piece of engineering and I want to pay tribute to everyone involved that it was completed safely and ahead of schedule.”