“The project is spread over three years because the
sulphuric acid production can be modernised only during planned production
shutdowns,” explains Piotr
Kearney, an authorised executive at Spolana, and adds: “The boiler for
waste heat is an essential element of this investment in our production plant.
It will be used to produce steam by cooling waste heat. This steam will be used
in the follow-up production processes.”
When planning the transport
route for the oversized cargo, the technicians had to consider the traffic
capacity and obstacles on the road given the cargo and vehicle type, such as
bridges, curves, roundabouts and the like. The transport set had to move along
the precisely defined corridors and could not deviate from the route. The
specific route through the town of Neratovice was verified preventatively after
completing the routing on Spolana’s premises.
The actual project, with a
planned investment of nearly CZK 1 billion, is implemented by Nuberg Industries
Limited, a member of the Indian industrial and technology group Nuberg.
The work began in the second
half of last year, and the project is set to be completed in the coming two
years. Due to the modernisation project, operational shutdowns will be longer
than usual in the coming period, and the new equipment will be subject to
gradual changes and connected to the existing facilities.
Fluid sulphur is used to
produce sulphuric acid. It is supplied in rail tanks that must be equipped with
thermally insulating protection. The applicable statutory provisions must be
observed when transporting, handling, and storing fluid sulphur.
Sulphuric acid is used in
various applications, including mining and processing some ores and minerals,
car battery production, and some surface treatment operations with etching. It
is also used in industrial cleaning and, of course, as a laboratory chemical.
In addition, concentrated sulphuric acid is used to produce caprolactam, which
is used to make nylon and Perlon and in the textile and clothing industry. Due
to its elasticity, it is perfect for manufacturing sports clothing and other
sporting goods for water and winter sports, alpinism, and mountaineering.
SPOLANA s.r.o. is one
of the largest chemical manufacturing companies in the Czech Republic. The only
manufacturer of PVC and caprolactam also produces ammonium sulphate and
sulphuric acid. It currently employs over 700 people. Spolana has been owned by
the ORLEN Unipetrol Group since 2016. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group is the largest
refining and petrochemical company in the Czech Republic. It focuses on crude
oil processing and production, distributing and selling fuels and petrochemical
products – mainly plastics and fertilisers. It is one of the major players in
the Czech and Central European markets in all these areas. The ORLEN Unipetrol
Group includes refineries and production plants in Litvínov and Kralupy nad
Vltavou, Paramo in Pardubice, Spolana in Neratovice, and two research centres
in Litvínov and Brno. ORLEN Unipetrol also includes the ORLEN network of
filling stations in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. ORLEN Unipetrol
is one of the largest companies in the Czech Republic in terms of turnover. It
employs almost 6,000 people. In addition to its business development, ORLEN
Unipetrol is proud to be a socially responsible corporation. Therefore, it pays
equal attention to initiatives focusing on cultivating and supporting
sustainable development, education, local communities, and the environment. In
2005, ORLEN Unipetrol became part of the PKN Orlen Group, the largest oil processor
in Central Europe.
Contact
details:
Pavel Kaidl, spokesperson, telephone: +420 225 001 407, +420 736 502 520,
email: pavel.kaidl@orlenunipetrol.cz