Pertamina Assures Fuel Quality is Well-Maintained with Refinery Impurities Management

JAKARTA - PT Pertamina Patra Niaga (PPN) ensures that the products produced such as gasoline, diesel, and avtur have good quality.

Before being released to the market, Pertamina Patra Niaga tightened the production process of fuel, ranging from processing at the refinery, testing in the laboratory, to finally getting into the hands of consumers.

Pertamina Patra Niaga Corporate Secretary, Roberth MV Dumatubun said, one of the efforts to maintain the quality of fuel from Pertamina refineries is through the management process of impurities.

This process is the process of reducing impurities that are naturally carried in crude oil.

Impurities are contents such as sulfur, salt, naphthenic acid, nitrogen, and heavy metals such as nickel, vanadium, and mercury.

"This process prevents these substances from contaminating crude oil and inhibiting refinery performance so that refinery products remain of good quality," said Roberth, Monday, June 15.

Roberth said that this process makes the management of impurities very vital for the continuity of the downstream oil and gas industry and most importantly is to maintain public confidence in the quality of fuel products produced by Pertamina Patra Niaga.

Roberth explained that there are three stages of managing impurities at six refineries operating under Pertamina Patra Niaga. First, maintain the flexibility of refinery operations through the selection and blending of crude using the Crude Acceptance Matrix (CAM) and blending, so that high-impurity crude can still be processed safely.

Furthermore, the pre-treatment and chemical treatment stages to reduce water content, salt, sulfur, nitrogen, and metals are supported by desalter technology, hydrotreating, and corrosion protection chemical injection.

The final stage, asset integrity & reliability, ensures the refinery operates safely and sustainably with anti-corrosion materials, periodic inspections, and routine maintenance.

"The results of the three stages are high quality and environmentally friendly fuels. With the management of impurities, the refinery is able to produce Euro 4 standard fuels with lower sulfur content such as Pertamax Turbo, Pertamax Green, and Pertamina Dex," explained Roberth.

He explained, the superiority of the Euro 4 Product makes the car engine more durable because it has minimal corrosion so that the engine life is longer.

Fuel consumption is also more economical because the combustion is more efficient. Euro 4 standard fuel is also environmentally friendly.

Its lower emissions reduce air pollution, thus also supporting public health.

"The management of impurities not only maintains the reliability of refineries operating under Pertamina Patra Niaga, but also provides consumers with a more comfortable driving experience. This effort is also the foundation of the company's commitment to maintaining a sustainable and high-quality national energy supply," concluded Roberth.