CEMILAC certifies ONGC ATF
ONGC awarded Airworthiness Certification for Premium quality ATF from Condensate July 28, 2007 ONGC crossed yet another significant milestone when Centre for Military Airworthiness and Certification (CEMILAC), Bangalore, accorded airworthiness approval for Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) processed at Hazira Plant of ONGC on July 27, 2007. With this certification, ONGC will be able to sell its ATF for use in Indian Military Aircrafts.
Speaking on this occasion, Sh. N.K. Mitra, Director(Offshore)-I/C Marketing, ONGC, said that entry of ONGC in the business of ATF will provide another service provider to the airlines, provide geographically another production center of ATF and will bring in more competitiveness in pricing. CEMILAC established in 1995 is one of DRDO’s significant agencies entrusted with the responsibility of Airworthiness and Certification of Military Aircraft and Airborne Stores. CEMILAC evaluated and certified Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) produced indigenously at the Hazira gas processing complex. This certification follows stringent testing of ONGC ATF by CEMILAC, through standard tests, rating the fuel under a number of parameters like lubricity, thermal stability, viscosity, volatility, moisture content and a host of other critical measurements related to this sensitive product. Dr. Dipankar Banerjee, Chief Controller R&D (AMS), Ministry of Defense presented the Technical Certificate to Shri N.K.Mitra, Director – I/C Marketing, ONGC in the presence of Shri K. Tamilmani, Chief Executive (Airworthiness), CEMILAC. The type record providing all details of ATF was presented by Shri K. Tamilmani, Chief Executive (Airworthiness), CEMILAC to Shri Pulak Sengupta, Director General, DGAQA. Hazira Plant, the largest gas-processing complex in the country is designed to process 41 Million M3 of sour natural gas daily and associated sour condensate.
ONGC gave an impetus to revenue generation, opening new avenues in the form of Value Added Products with the commissioning of Kerosene Recovery Unit in January 1998. The plant has kept pace with the latest developments in the world to upgrade its technology and safe working practices. The complex, sprawling over an area of approx.705 hectares serves as the feeder plant for almost all industries at Hazira and enroute HBJ pipeline. ATF produced at Hazira Plant having state-of-the-art facilities for gas processing has a unique feature of being extracted from Gas Condensate. ATF is normally produced from crude oil. The feedstock at Hazira, Gas condensate having a mixture of lower hydrocarbons, is comparatively clean and ATF produced from it has some inherent advantages over the oil based product. It has low sulphur, aromatic content and improved lubricity thereby not requiring addition of Lubricity additives. Being a straight run product, it contains traces of olefinic compounds and consequently product is very stable to oxidative reactions. ATF produced at Hazira is presently being transported by road tankers to Juhu Airport and Nhava Supply Base at Mumbai for captive use of ONGC. More than 2000 KL has been dispatched from Hazira so far. ATF has been successfully flight tested in the helicopters used by ONGC in western offshore and more than 1000 flying hours have been clocked. ONGC now has plans to cater to ATF demand of various customers in nearby area of Hazira such as HPCL, Essar Steel Limited, Airlines at Surat Airport etc. ONGC started production of ATF in March 2007 after obtaining approval from DGCA. Sour gas along with associate condensate from ONGC offshore fields is transported to Hazira Plant. Condensate is first stabilized in slug. Stabilized condensate is routed through condensate fractionation Unit (CFU) to recover LPG and Natural Gas Liquid (NGL). NGL consisting mainly of C5-C11 hydrocarbons serves as a feed for ATF production in KRU (Kerosene Recovery Unit). Two Column distillation process is carried out for production of ATF fraction.
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