Digital-Era Energy Saving: Dung Quat Refinery's “Dual-Firing” Innovation Saves Nearly VND 400 Billion
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Finding the Answer for the Boiler System
In refinery operations, energy balancing is a complex challenge. Fuel streams are generated, recovered, and utilized across multiple processing units. Even a slight change in production capacity, crude oil type, or operating mode can alter the entire energy balance.
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| Boiler system at Dung Quat Refinery where the “dual-firing” solution has been implemented. |
At Dung Quat Refinery, operated by Petrovietnam Refining and Petrochemical Corporation (BSR), this challenge became increasingly evident after years of commercial operation. As the refinery expanded its crude slate to diversify feedstock sources and optimize production efficiency, it began processing a wider range of crude oils.
Within the process units, Fuel Gas (FG) is recovered and used as fuel for furnaces and boilers. As an internally generated energy source, FG plays a vital role in optimizing the refinery's overall energy efficiency. However, the amount of fuel gas produced does not always match actual consumption demand.
When the refinery increases throughput or processes crude oils with higher metal content, more FG is generated. The surplus gas must then be sent to the flare for safe combustion, creating an operational paradox.
On one hand, excess fuel gas had to be flared, resulting in estimated energy losses of nearly USD 2.5 million annually. On the other hand, the refinery's boiler system continued consuming Fuel Oil (FO)—a commercially valuable fuel. Having excess gas while still burning oil became a problem that demanded a solution.a
The Power and Steam Plant at Dung Quat Refinery is equipped with four ultra-high-pressure boilers. Each boiler has three burners capable of using either gas or oil. However, the original design allowed only one type of fuel to be burned at any given time.
Previously, the common operating configuration consisted of two burners firing FG and one burner firing FO. During periods of abundant FG generation, excess gas still had to be flared while FO continued to be consumed. The burner configuration limited the refinery's ability to maximize the use of its internally generated fuel gas.
BSR had previously proposed modifying the burners in cooperation with the equipment manufacturer to enable simultaneous combustion of both fuels. However, the retrofit cost was estimated at USD 60,000 per burner. With 12 burners across four boilers, the total investment would have reached USD 720,000 (over VND 18 billion), making the proposal economically unattractive.
Rather than relying solely on the manufacturer's retrofit solution, BSR's engineering team pursued a different approach. Instead of replacing hardware, they focused on developing a control solution that could unlock greater flexibility from the existing system.
This effort gave birth to the innovation titled "Optimizing Fuel Combustion for Boilers and Furnaces while Reducing Emissions at Dung Quat Refinery".
According to Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, an engineer from BSR's Production Operations Division and one of the initiative's authors, the breakthrough lay in the team's ability to independently develop the entire control logic without support from the equipment manufacturer. The engineers designed, developed, and validated operating procedures for dual-firing mode before integrating them into the refinery's Distributed Control System (DCS). The solution was officially implemented in October 2020.
"Instead of accepting the limitations of the original design, we explored how to make the system operate more flexibly. Rather than choosing exclusively between gas and oil, the boilers can now use both fuels simultaneously according to the actual conditions of the fuel gas network," Thanh explained.
Cutting More Than 19,000 Tonnes of CO₂ Each Year
While the economic benefits are immediately visible, the environmental impact reveals another significant dimension of the innovation.
Dung Quat Refinery emits an average of more than 1.6 million tonnes of CO₂ annually, with the boiler system accounting for over 423,000 tonnes each year.
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| Engineer Nguyen Ngoc Thanh (standing), one of the creators of the “dual-firing” innovation at Dung Quat Refinery. |
As emissions reduction becomes an increasingly important requirement for industrial production, improving fuel efficiency in major energy-consuming systems has become essential.
The dual-firing solution enables the refinery to utilize surplus fuel gas instead of flaring it, reducing CO₂ emissions by approximately 19,000 tonnes per year. With a single solution, BSR simultaneously achieves two objectives: lowering fuel costs and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
This is precisely what elevates the innovation beyond a conventional technical improvement. By solving the problem of surplus FG and reducing FO consumption, the solution delivers value across three dimensions—economic performance, technical optimization, and environmental sustainability.
One of the most remarkable aspects of the dual-firing solution is how it was developed. When the manufacturer's expensive retrofit proposal proved impractical, BSR engineers refused to accept the system's limitations. Instead, they shifted their focus toward control engineering, developing operational logic tailored to the refinery's actual operating conditions.
Following extensive research and testing, the dual-firing operating procedure was finalized and successfully integrated into the refinery's automated control system.
According to Nguyen Ngoc Thanh, independently developing the control logic without manufacturer assistance represents the innovation's defining breakthrough. It demonstrates that technological capability in a refinery is not measured solely by the sophistication of installed equipment. Equally important is the ability to understand complex systems, identify operational bottlenecks, and develop practical solutions from within.
According to Cao Tuan Si, Director of Dung Quat Refinery, the solution not only improves the efficiency of the boiler system but also enhances the optimization of the refinery's overall production system. It contributes to stronger business performance while reinforcing BSR's reputation and competitive position in the market.
By maximizing the use of surplus fuel gas, the refinery reduces FO consumption by approximately 6,128 tonnes annually. From the time of implementation through May 2025, the innovation generated nearly VND 392 billion in cumulative economic benefits.
Significantly, the solution achieved these results without requiring the USD 720,000 burner retrofit originally proposed by the equipment manufacturer, demonstrating how in-house engineering expertise can deliver substantial value through smarter system optimization rather than costly hardware modifications.
According to Nong Nghiep Moi Truong (Agriculture and Environment) newspaper.
BSR
