Research and Development

In compliance with the long-term Company strategy reflecting sustainable development principles as an integral part, Slovnaft flexibly reacts to growing demand for bio fuels on foreign markets. In 2008, the Company increased its motor diesel production with FAME content and started the production of motor gasoline containing biocomponent ETBE as well as pure bioethanol. Additional research projects were oriented on the use of glycerol – a waste product of FAME production and for the use of renewable energy resources in Slovnaft conditions.

In 2008, the development of modified bitumen Apollobit R with rubber debris finished and its verification production commenced.

In addition to the development of new products, Slovnaft concentrated on the innovation of existing technologies to increase production efficiency, operational reliability, and production unit safety. In the area of production efficiency improvement, innovations aimed in particular at the centralisation of control rooms in the refinery, increase of hydrogen plant capacity for Hydrocrack Complex operation, and the use of NIR (Near Infrared Spectrography) in motor fuel blending as well as bio ethanol blending were proposed. In operational reliability and increase of safety areas, projects related to the reconstruction of the Hydrocrack Complex production unit, increase of the Alkylation production unit capacity with an orientation on the increase of equipment corrosion resistance and the improvement of process parameters, as well as a project aimed at the reconstruction of the hydrant network and the modernisation of explosive environment detectors were prepared.

In the environment protection area, the programme continues of storage tanks and chemical sewerage reconstruction that will further decrease the risk of underground water contamination with oil products. The reconstruction of the biological stage and covering open pools in the waste treatment power plant continues as well, the aim is to reduce volatile organic substances emission.

In 2008, Slovnaft intensively concentrated on the preparation of the Thermal power plant reconstruction aimed in particular at the desulphurisation of exhaust gases with a consequent significant reduction of SO₂ emissions, as well as the preparation of a new combined cycle power plant construction.

In order to save energy and reduce CO₂ emissions, a heat-exchanger network efficiency analysis was executed and implemented, and the efficiency and cleaning of heat-exchangers optimised.

In 2008, research and development costs reached SKK 13.7 million in SLOVNAFT, a.s.