Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources has honored a team of engineers for successfully developing and commercializing a locally manufactured demulsifier chemical that matches the performance of imported products while delivering substantial cost savings. Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, recognized Amr Tawfik from the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation’s Refining and Manufacturing Department, along with team members Michael Wagdy of Cairo Oil Refining Company and Ehab Shokry of Khalda Petroleum Company.
The domestically produced demulsifier is injected into oil wells to separate water from crude oil and reduce viscosity, protecting critical infrastructure from corrosion. By treating crude oil at the source, the chemical prevents damage to production lines, storage tanks, and pumping equipment, thereby extending the operational lifespan of essential petroleum assets throughout the value chain.
The financial impact of the localization effort is significant, with the development team reporting savings of between $200 and $300 per barrel of the chemical compared to imported alternatives. The successful transition from laboratory development to commercial application followed direct instructions from Minister Badawi to accelerate the adoption of innovative solutions presented at technical workshops.
Initial field trials were conducted at General Petroleum Company sites, where the locally produced chemical achieved considerable financial savings. Based on these results, the product has been approved for deployment at Badr El Din Petroleum, Suez Oil Company, and PetroBaker Petroleum Company facilities, with broader implementation across Egypt’s petroleum sector planned for the current year.
The ceremony was attended by senior petroleum sector officials, including Salah Abdel Kerim, CEO of the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation; Wael Rizk, Executive Vice President for Refining and Manufacturing; and Tarek Gamal, Chairman of Cairo Oil Refining Company.
Source: egyptoil-gas.com