The Hermanos Diaz Refinery in Santiago de Cuba concluded the refining process with results exceeding those of the first run of a pilot phase for the production of solvent naphtha, the newspaper reported.

  Engineer Irene Barbado Lucio, director of this company belonging to the Cuba-Petroleum Union (Cupet), explained to the newspaper that the diesel reached from domestic crude does not meet all the standards for commercialization, so it was necessary to blend it with a higher-quality diesel to make it usable.

  Irenaldo Perez Cardoso, deputy director of Cupet, explained to Canal Caribe that the initiative responds to the need to produce viscosity-reducing solvent naphtha, a key input injected into the wells of the Varadero oil fields, given the shortage of imported crude.

  Regarding the products reached, the director said that the refining process primarily generates a solvent that will be used in oil production, guaranteeing the supply to thermoelectric plants for thermal power generation.

  It also produces aerodiesel for refining processes and a fuel oil cut or atmospheric base oil that is already being evaluated in the nickel industry and at the Antonio Maceo Thermoelectric Plant in Santiago de Cuba.

  It was also revealed that Cupet is studying the types of crude oil extracted from national fields to incorporate them into the project according to their characteristics.

  In an initial stage, Perez Cardoso added, they are refining crude oil from the western region of the country, which has better characteristics, flows better, and has lower viscosity. Another line of research is being developed that focuses on a thermoconversion process that would completely eliminate the use of solvent naphtha.

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