Semi-continuous refinery plants are refining systems that combine the production flexibility of batch processes with the efficiency and automation advantages of continuous processes. While some process stages are carried out in batches, suitable sections are configured for continuous or semi-continuous operation.

Özmodern Makina designs semi-continuous refinery plants according to the properties of the crude oil, daily production capacity, target refined oil quality and the company's production schedule; it designs and manufactures the required machinery and process equipment and carries out installation and commissioning.

The main aim of the semi-continuous system is to retain the batch system's ability to adapt to different oils and variable raw material conditions, while achieving a more regular product flow, automation and energy efficiency in suitable process sections.

Key Features

Combined use of batch and continuous processes
Ability to process different vegetable oils
Adaptation to variable crude oil properties
More regular product flow
Capacity-specific process configuration
High level of automation
Heat recovery
Energy efficiency
Less operator intervention
Design suitable for capacity increases and modernization
Integrated engineering of process and equipment

Key Operational Benefits

Combined Use of Batch and Continuous Processes

The most important feature of the semi-continuous system is that not every process stage has to follow the same operating principle. Processes where batch operation is advantageous can remain discontinuous, while sections where continuous operation offers technical and economic advantages can be configured as continuous. In this way, each process can be optimized according to its own requirements rather than the plant as a whole.

Flexibility to Process Different Vegetable Oils

Depending on the plant configuration, process recipes can be created for sunflower, soybean, rapeseed, corn, cottonseed and other vegetable oils suitable for refining. This allows the company to change its production schedule without depending on a single raw material or product type.

Adaptation to Variable Crude Oil Quality

Changes in the FFA, phosphorus, colour, wax and other quality parameters of crude oil directly affect process conditions. Because suitable process sections can be kept as batch operations in a semi-continuous system, adjusting process parameters to variable crude oil properties becomes easier.

More Regular Product Flow

In continuously operated process sections, the oil is transferred continuously between equipment at defined flow rates and process conditions, contributing to a more regular production flow. This can be advantageous, especially as capacity increases, in reducing the waiting and transfer times that can occur in batch systems.

Flexible Configuration According to Capacity and Investment

A semi-continuous refinery is not a standard, fixed plant design. Which processes will run in batch and which continuously can be decided by evaluating capacity, raw material, target product, energy consumption and investment budget together. Instead of building a system more complex than needed, a process configuration matched to the real requirements of the investment can be created.

Automation and Process Control

In continuous sections, process parameters such as flow, temperature, pressure, vacuum and dosing can be continuously monitored and controlled via the automation system; in batch sections, production recipes can be managed according to the defined operating sequence. This supports less operator intervention, greater process repeatability and more controlled production.

Energy Recovery

Particularly in continuously operating hot process sections, heat recovery via economizers and heat exchangers can be applied between the hot outgoing oil and the cooler incoming oil. This helps reduce steam, cooling water and refrigeration requirements and lowers the plant's operating costs.

Ready for Future Capacity and Modernization Needs

Evaluating the plant's process sections separately can create a more flexible infrastructure for future capacity increases, automation upgrades or conversion of specific processes to continuous operation. The semi-continuous system is therefore a suitable alternative for companies that want higher production and automation levels than a batch plant but prefer not to make all their processes continuous.

A complete process approach: Semi-continuous refinery plants are engineered as an integrated whole together with process tanks, reactors, heat exchangers, filters, crystallizers, deodorizer, vacuum systems, pumps, piping, instrumentation, electrical and automation systems.