Lubricants and Petroleum Corp. recently opened a grease plant at its blending facility in Aspropyrgos, Greece, part of an effort to cement its position as one of the largest lube suppliers in Southeastern Europe.
Built for U.S. $3.9 million, the grease plant has capacity to produce 3,000 tons per year in two shifts, the company said. The facility produced its first batches of greases in January. The plant covers 550 square meters and is located next to the companys blending plant and a waste oil rerefinery near the capital city of Athens.
The grease plant features a pressurized reactor for efficient heat transfer and mixing. The finishing kettles consist of two reverse rotation mixers capable of handling viscous grease with up to NLGI 3 consistency grade and outer coils for circulating cooling water or steam for temperature control, according to the company. The principal designer and technology provider was ABB Cellier.
The Aspropyrgos plant produces greases formulated with API Group I and Group III base oils, fatty acids, metal hydroxides and additives. The finished products are lithium soap, complex and non-metallic greases that comply with the NLGI 00 and NLGI 3 consistency grades.
LPC claims it is the largest lubricant marketer in Greece and one of the largest in the region. The capacity of its blending plant is 50,000 t/y, and it markets automotive, industrial and marine lubes under the Cyclon, Avin and Nipco brand names. Also, it is an exclusive distributor for Valvolines products in Greece and Bulgaria. According to the LubesnGreases EMEA 2019 Base Stock Guide, the Motor Oil Hellas LPC rerefinery in Aspropyrgos has 42,000 t/y Group I base oil production capacity.
It claims to have supplied 36 percent of Greeces lubricants market, which consumed 60,000 tons in 2019.
Last year sales reached 120,000 tons, and we accounted for 98 percent of the total packaged lubricant exports from Greece. We export to 55 countries worldwide, Papadopoulos said, adding that recent growth has been in Europe, the Middle East, countries bordering the Mediterranean and in the Far East.
LPCs rerefinery has capacity to make 42,000 t/y of API Group I base oils. Parent company Motor Oil Hellas operates a virgin base oil plant with 224,000 t/y of Group I production capacity in Agii Theodori.