Gazprom Neft needle-coke production technology included in Russia’s top-10 inventions of 2020

Moscow (Gazprom Neft) - 5 Mar 2021   A needle-coke production technology developed by Gazprom Neft has been included in state patent agency Rospatent’s annual ratings of Russia’s top-10 most important inventions. This solution, developed by Gazprom Neft specialists, is making it possible for production of needle coke — a product used in producing lithium-ion storage batteries, as well as graphite electrodes used in the steel-making industry — to be handled in Russia for the first time. Needle-coke production is expected start, initially, at Gazprom Neft’s Omsk Refinery, where modernisation of the plant’s delayed coking unit was completed in 2021. 

Rospatent experts see this invention as being as important to the country as major scientific and technological achievements including the launch of the tuberculosis vaccine, the invention of a fundamentally new way of manufacturing solar battery cells, and the development of an innovative fire-protective material for buildings.

Gazprom Neft expects to produce more than 31,000 tonnes of needle coke per year. In doing so, the company will not only significantly reduce Russian industry’s dependence on international supplies of this product, but will also have the opportunity of launching the product on export markets. Production of a pilot batch of needle coke at the Omsk Refinery has confirmed the quality of this innovative product exceeds that of foreign alternatives, on a number of criteria. The development the Omsk Refinery’s delayed coking unit has been undertaken in conjunction with leading Russian equipment manufacturers.

“Rospatent’s high opinion of our needle-coke production technology underlines the strategic importance of this product. Future production will make it possible to reduce many industries’ dependence on imports — from steel production to aerospace. Our projects are based around scientific R&D solutions, developed in collaboration with leading Russian scientific institutions or developed through the company’s own Science and Technology Centres. The inclusion of one of Gazprom Neft’s developments among 2020’s top-10 most important inventions confirms, beyond any doubt, the efficiency of the company’s activities in developing innovative Russian industrial technologies.”

Anatoly ChernerDeputy CEO for Logistics, Processing and Sales, Gazprom Neft

 

Link: https://ir.gazprom-neft.com/news-and-events/news/2021/gazprom_neft_needle_coke_production_technology_included_in_russia_s_top_10_inventions_of_2020_5311798/