A £9.3 million international consortium to make oil refining in Russia more efficient and environmentally sustainable has been given the green light this week.
The Skolkovo Foundation has given official approval for the establishment of a Center of Applied Research on Heat Exchange and Catalysis, involving Imperial College London, the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis and BP. Researchers at the Center will run the UNIHEAT project, which will focus on increasing energy efficiency and reducing heat loss in oil refining by up to 15% by improving refining operations, enhancing oil production processes, and reducing CO₂ emissions. The Center will be funded by the Skolkovo Foundation and BP Russia.Viktor Vekselberg, President of the Skolkovo Foundation, said: “It is hard to imagine a more vivid example of efficient cooperation between business and science than the Center of applied research that we are establishing. This success is possible because of a close cooperation of global leaders in research on heat exchange and catalysis processes – Imperial College London and Boreskov Institute of Catalysis – with active involvement from British Petroleum. I am sure that we will be able to evaluate the results of the Center in the not too distant future, which may lead to a significant decrease of energy losses in oil and gas refining”.
Mr. David Peattie, Head of BP Russia, added: “We are delighted to be involved with this very important research programme. Improving heat exchange technology is really important for the environmental efficiency of the oil processing industry. We are very pleased to team up with Skolkovo to fund Boreskov and Imperial, two of the world’s leading research institutes in this key research programme”.Professor Sandro Macchietto, Chair of the UNIHEAT Steering Committee and Joint Project Director, from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College London, said: “Imperial has a strong track record of working with industry around the world to find innovative solutions to make the refining process more efficient and sustainable. This is one of the first projects of this kind in Russia to kick off. We hope it will lead to real efficiencies in the sector and help us to make the refining process as environmentally friendly as possible”.
Valentin Parmon, Boreskov Institute of Catalysis director, concluded: "We believe, that combining our experience in development and utilization of catalysts and catalytic processes with experience of Imperial College in chemical technologies would lead to fundamentally new approaches in advancing energy efficient technologies of processing carbon fossil fuels. The agreement, initiated by the Skolkovo Foundation, is setting an extremely important example (including for Russian companies) of support, provided to fundamental research and innovation by leading international corporations”.
Mr Paul Docx, CEO of Imperial Consultants and Coordinator of the UNIHEAT Industry Engagement Programme, said: “From the very outset of the project, Imperial Consultants will be facilitating interactions between Russian businesses and researchers. This unique industrial engagement programme, whereby knowledge transfer activities are run in parallel to research, will ensure that advances in oil refining processes have immediate impact”.
For more information please contact:
Anne ColemanCommunications and Web Officer IC Consultants Ltd Phone: +44 (0)20 759 42069Email: anne.coleman@imperial.ac.uk
BP Press office, London: +44 (0)207 496 4076 BPpress@bp.com
BP Press office, Moscow: +7-495-363-62-62
Notes to Editors
1. About BPBP is one of the world’s largest oil companies serving customers every day in more than 90 countries across six continents. BP’s activities are Exploration and Production; Refining and Marketing; and Alternative Energy, its low-carbon energy business. BP is one of the biggest foreign investors in Russia. The company has been operating in Russia since 1990 with activities in oil and gas exploration, refining, lubricants, marine products and trading operations. BP has a 50% interest in TNK-BP (a large Russian oil and gas integrated company). This research programme will form part of BP’s global commitment to leading academic research establishments.2. About The Skolkovo FoundationThe Skolkovo Foundation is a Russian non-profit organization founded in 2010 and charged by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with creating a new science and technology development center in the Moscow suburb of Skolkovo. The Skolkovo innovation ecosystem comprises the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, corporate R&D centers, business incubators and accelerators, private seed and venture funds, and start-up companies, as well as residential space and social infrastructure. Skolkovo is governed by a special law, which gives its resident companies special economic conditions for running their businesses. More than 300 companies have received the status of Skolkovo resident.
3. About Imperial College London
Consistently rated amongst the world's best universities, Imperial College London is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 14,000 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality. Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and business, delivering practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.
Since its foundation in 1907, Imperial's contributions to society have included the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of research for the benefit of all continues today, with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to improve global health, tackle climate change, develop sustainable sources of energy and address security challenges.
In 2007, Imperial College London and Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust formed the UK's first Academic Health Science Centre. This unique partnership aims to improve the quality of life of patients and populations by taking new discoveries and translating them into new therapies as quickly as possible. Website: www.imperial.ac.uk
4. About Boreskov Institute of Catalysis
Based in Novosibirsk, Boreskov Institute of Catalysis is the largest research centre in the world, specialized in catalysis. The BIC’s R&D activities span the areas from fundamental problems of catalysis to development of new catalysts and catalytic technologies and to designing semicommercial plants for the catalysts manufacturing. The main fields of catalytic research at the Boreskov Institute of Catalysis are establishment of general physicochemical regularities of catalysis, development of scientific bases for molecular design of materials and implementation of catalytic processes; creation of new generation catalysts for chemical, refinery and petrochemical industries, as well as creation of catalysts and technologies for innovative application areas.