WASTEWATER TREATMENT

FOR REFINERIES
RELIANCE INDUSTRIES LTD.
JAMNAGAR, INDIA

CASE: RELIANCE, JAMNAGAR

Waterleau has acquired and developed technology to meet water treatment demands in the oil & gas industry. For
the Reliance Industries Ltd Jamnagar Export Refinery Project (JERP), Waterleau has been responsible for the design,
engineering, supply, erection, testing and commissioning of a 4 x 500 m/hr fully PLC operated Effluent Treatment Plant,
designed to contain and treat all EJRPs process/utility waste water and storm/fire water.
With a capacity of 1,200,000 barrels per day, the Jamnagar refinery is the largest and most efficient oil refinery in
the world (Nelson Complexity Index: 14) and the single biggest supplier of fuel to the global market. The design and
construction of the wastewater treatment was a challenging project, and implemented with success into the Jamnagar
Export Refinery Project.

WASTEWATER MANAGEMENT AT RELIANCE

JAMNAGAR EXPORT REFINERY PROJECT
The wastewater treatment is carried out in a dedicated state-of-art completely automated & PLC operated effluent
treatment plant (ETP) supplied by Ion Exchange Waterleau . The effluent treatment area is designed to contain and treat
all internal process/utility waste water and storm/firewater, with the objective of zero discharge from the new refinery
complex. The treated water is recycled back to the high total dissolved solids treatment train or guard tanks, as required.
Effluents are segregated into four identical wastewater streams designed for a treatment capacity of 500 m3/h each and
maximisation of reuse.
The low total dissolved solids (LTDS) stream, a mixture of process/oily waters which include non-phenolic waste waters, is
treated to an effluent quality adequate for reuse for cooling water make up, fire water make up and irrigation water for
development and maintenance of the local green belt.
The high total dissolved solids (HTDS) stream is a mixture of process /oily wastewaters that have been in contact with
process streams, such as in the crude unit desalters, and have absorbed or dissolved mineral ions such as sodium chloride.
This stream also contains (treated neutralised) process solvents such as spent caustics, and phenolic waste water. This
water is treated to an effluent quality adequate for re-use as partial make up in a sea water cooling tower.

RELIANCE Jamnagar - India

48,000 m/d - 60,000 kg COD/d

LTDS 1 & 2

OWS

HTDS

(LOW TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS)

(OILY WATER SEWER)

(HIGH TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS)

INFLUENT MIXTURE

INFLUENT MIXTURE

INFLUENT MIXTURE

- Process / oily water

- Process / oily water, incl. oily

concentrates from various
refinery units

Process / oily waters in

contact with process streams
(crude unit de-salters)
containing absorbed or
dissolved salts

- Non-phenolic wastewaters

- Sanitary sewage
- Drainage from tanks

TDS: 160 - 500

TDS: 850 - 1,500

TDS: 950 - 2,500

EFFLUENT MIXTURE

EFFLUENT MIXTURE

EFFLUENT MIXTURE

- Cooling water make-up

Horticulture in GREEN BELT

around plant (7,000 acres)

Partial make-up water in

seawater cooling tower

- Fire water make-up

- Irrigation

The oily water sewer (OWS) stream is a mixture of process/oil waters which includes oily condensates from various refinery
units, sanitary sewage (after primary treatment), drainage from tanks, contaminated storm water etc. The treated OWS
effluent is used for horticulture.
Each of the four wastewater streams employs identical equipment for treating effluents.

SLUDGE TREATMENT
The scope of treatment also includes three by-product streams generated during the treatment of refinery wastewater
- skimmed or slop oils; oily sludge and biological sludge. Skimmed oil is chemical and heat treated, with recovered oils
transferred back to the refinery for reprocessing. Oily sludge is thickened and then transferred
back to the delayed coker unit for reprocessing. Biological sludge is thickened, stabilised,
dewatered and disposed off to landfill.
WASTEWATER
CHARACTERISTICS

Hydraulic load per module

Temperature of wastewater

500 m/h
< 35C

Max peak oil at inlet

10.000 mg/l

Total oil outlet pre-deoiler

< 2.000 mg/l

Total oil outlet API separator

pH at DAF outlet

< 50 mg/l
6.5-7.2

Sulphide at DAF outlet

< 10 mg/l

Total oil at DAF outlet

< 15 mg/l

BOD removal by biotower

F/M (BOD)
BOD removal by extended aeration
COD outlet extended aeration

50%
0.08 kg BOD/m d
70%
< 100 mg/l

(only guaranteed with PAC)

SS outlet extended aeration

< 30 mg/l

SS outlet DMF

< 5 mg/l

Turbidity outlet DMF

< 8 NTU

COD outlet ACF

< 50 mg/l

The treatment scheme also includes an automatic belt filter press for dewatering biological sludge, two chemical houses;
three analyzer houses and twenty samplers skids for automatic sampling and analysis of critical effluent parameters
on a continuous basis. Our scope includes supply of specialty polymers and effluent treatment chemicals along with its
maintenance by a team of trained and competent process engineers.
The effluent treatment plant is treating 100% effluent generated by the refinery since its commissioning in December
2008 and consistently producing treated effluent (pH 6-8.5, Sulphide < 05.ppm, COD < 50 ppm, Oil & Grease < 5 ppm,
Phenol < 0.35 ppm) meeting guarantee parameters for re-use for various applications mentioned earlier.

TREATMENT OF 3 BY-PRODUCT STREAMS

SKIMMED OILS

OILY SLUDGE

BIOLOGICAL SLUDGE

TREATMENT

TREATMENT

TREATMENT

- Chemical treatment

- Settling tank (oily sludge)

- Thickening

- Heat treatment

- Thickener (oil float sludge)

- Stabilisation

- Slop holding tank

- Dewatering

- Emulsion breaking tank

REUSE

REUSE

REUSE

Recovered oil transferred to

refinery

Thickened sludge transferred

to delayed coker unit

Disposed off to landfill

Radioweg 18, 3020 Herent (Leuven), Belgium

t. +32 (0) 16 65 06 57 - f. +32 (0) 16 65 06 63
info@waterleau.com - www.waterleau.com