Water is required for a number of steps in the refining process. Siemens will supply a multi-component solution for treating the process water in the Reficar refinery. These include contact basins for softening the water and a J-Press filter press for thickening the accumulated primary sludge. Siemens will also provide plants for desalinating the boiler feed water and treating waste lye. The condensate is to be cleaned with granular, active charcoal filters.

The wastewater from the refinery will also be purified by a multi-stage system. To start with, API (American Petroleum Institute) separators and DGF (Dissolved Gas Flotation) systems will separate the oil from the water. An Omniflo sequencing batch reactor will handle the biological purification before the Hydro-Clear sand filter employs gravitational filtration in the tertiary stage. Centrifuges will be used to dewater the sludge.

The expansion project will not only double the capacity of the refinery to 165 000 barrels of crude oil per day, but also produce better quality, low-sulfur fuel. This will improve the fulfillment of national and international environmental directives. Refineria de Cartagena S.A. (Reficar) is a subsidiary company of Ecopetrol S.A., Colombia's largest oil and gas corporation. It produces sixty percent of the country's total oil and gas. As the fourth largest oil corporation in Latin America, Ecopetrol is also involved in drilling and production projects in Brazil, Peru and the USA (Gulf of Mexico).

Further information about solutions for water treatment is available at:
www.siemens.com/water

J-Press, Omniflo and Hydro-Clear are brands of Siemens and/or affiliated companies in certain countries.

The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the world's leading supplier of innovative and environmentally friendly products and solutions for industrial customers. With end-to-end automation technology and industrial software, solid vertical-market expertise, and technology-based services, the Sector enhances its customers' productivity, efficiency, and flexibility. With a global workforce of more than 100,000 employees, the Industry Sector comprises the Divisions Industry Automation, Drive Technologies and Customer Services as well as the Business Unit Metals Technologies. For more information, visit http://www.siemens.com/industry

The Siemens Industry Automation Division (Nuremberg, Germany) supports the entire value chain of its industrial customers – from product design to production and services – with an unmatched combination of automation technology, industrial control technology, and industrial software. With its software solutions, the Division can shorten the time-to-market of new products by up to 50 percent. Industry Automation comprises five Business Units: Industrial Automation Systems, Control Components and Systems Engineering, Sensors and Communications, Siemens PLM Software, and Water Technologies. For more information, visit http://www.siemens.com/industryautomation

Reference Number: IIA2012032826e