28 October 2022
Delivering the Best
Advanced Technology with Commitment
Each litre of Bangchak products
tells a story of not just world class refining standards, but of numerous quality tests guaranteeing the highest standards and qualities at every step until finally delivered to customer. Bangchak products undergo rigorous development and testing process to create the best products in the market, which culminate from the collaborative effort of the Research and Green Product Development and its laboratory, and the Marketing Business Group which operates Bangchak service stations. Together they perform product testing in real use conditions, before graduating to commercial availability.
At the Lab
Each time a new product is launched, it must pass meticulous tests, beginning with testing blends to ensure that the optimum base fuel selection has the best petroleum components, for example, premium products such as Bangchak Euro 5 standard fuels are refined from the best base fuel. This requires investments for separate storage tanks and refinery transport pipelines that drove up costs but also ensure the highest quality for Bangchak products.
Bangchak recently inaugurated the Research and Green Product Development building within Bangchak Refinery, which began operations in 1984, as a quality control laboratory, constantly evolving to become the Research and Green Product Development Division, with the ISO/IEC 17025-2017 Laboratory Accreditation for testing and calibration of all fuel products, including niche products, with smart instruments that are tested in accordance with the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards which are modern, accurate, precise, and responsive.
Furthermore, it integrated the first Automatic Crude Oil Distillation Model Unit in Thailand with the ability to simulate high vacuum distillation that effectively separates the major components of crude oil, allowing for crudes to be compared to accurately optimize production plans before entering the distillation columns, as well as Thailand’s first Verified Hydrocarbon Analysis equipment which can be used to analyze gasoline, kerosene, and diesel fuel.
World Class Laboratory Engine Tests
Next comes the Engine Test, undertaken in collaboration with overseas additive suppliers - another source of cost Bangchak is willing to bear - to guarantee the highest quality products, which undergo CEC (Coordinating European Council) engine flushing testing. Gasohol and Diesel products are tested for both DI (Direct Injection) and PFI (Port Fuel Injector), as well as improvement to engine acceleration performance.
Moreover, products are tested to ensure the lowest emissions and highest fuel consumption efficiency by collaborating with internationally acclaimed foreign partners, both in the United States and United Kingdom, to research and develop the quality of Bangchak products, addressing the goal of developing a Greenovative Product.
Bangchak’s Research and Green Product Development focuses on developing Niche products and Green innovations internationally,
supported by important factors such as the COVID-19 situation and the changes to the refining business which serve as catalyst to encourage every individual in the refinery, even researchers, to adapt and leave their past comfort zone.
Field Tests by Professional Racers
The products are then subjected to the Dyno Test to measure its effects on engine performance, torque and power, and the Field Test on the race track and real road conditions with drivers from all segments such as racing car drivers, employees, and household drivers, ensuring each vehicle is matched with its respective product, such as a European high-performance luxury car for premium products
Rachata Puechchan, Vice President, Refinery Technical Excellence, Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited stated that from the small quality control laboratory established at the same time as the founding of Bangchak refinery, at present, the Research and Green Product Development Division to control the quality of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products, as well as supporting service stations and industrial factory customers in resolving quality related issues, and environmental quality testing.
“For its role in Bangchak’s fuel research and product development, collaborative contributions to the team that successfully developed Niche Products such as solvents, wax, and green innovations such as Bio-Jet for Bangchak Refinery, the lab received praise and recognition from external agencies and can generate revenue from being a trusted provider of testing services to external customers such as educational institution, industrial factories, and condominium juristic persons for which, currently, the Research and Green Product Development Division is applying for registration as a Research Agency with the Revenue Department. This reflects its capacity and capability to research and develop fuel products and green products internationally, with customers from both the public and private sectors.”
Rachata added that an important supporting factor is the COVID-19 situation and the changes to the refining business which serve as catalyst to encourage every individual in the refinery, even researchers, to adapt and leave their past comfort zone. The success of the Research and Green Product Development Division is not merely in technology, but the people in the “Bangchak Family” who came together as a team, to “Fail Fast, Learn Fast”, and challenging themselves every day. They also partnered with other divisions in Bangchak to help and support one another, enabling Bangchak refinery to quickly adapt to constantly evolving global challenges and situations.
