A utilização do gás natural numa refinaria de petróleo: um estudo de caso sobre a necessidade de um planejamento adequado para o uso do gás natural na matriz energética brasileira

Abstract

This essay aims to identify the necessity of a more adequate planning process to the use of natural gas in the Brazilian energetic matrix. To achieve this objective many specific researches were made involving subjects as: Brazilian energy sector, environment policies, natural gas and the development stage of natural gas industry in the country. A case study was chosen as methodology using mainly the exploration method on the selected themes. An oil refinery was chosen as analysis sub-unit to prove the status quo of the planning process. This choice was made by its energy intensive characteristic and the multiple use of natural gas: heat generation, steam generation, electricity generation and as raw material in the hydrogen plant, notwithstanding all these uses natural gas allows the refinery to meet environmental compliance. The energy sector study s main interest was identifying the planning process level of integration considering the country s energetic sources. The research targets the importance of Environmental issues to business definitions and the search of cleaner sources of energy. Natural gas was studied as energy source; its various ways of utilization were identified in the productive chain and a diagnostic encompass the industry situation in the country. The lack of an integrated planning process in the energy area of the company, an emergent natural gas industry suffering by yet poor infrastructure and willing better defined sector rules, within environmental demands even more restrictives were identified and characterized by analysis of the data collected for the paper. Some directions to a more adequate process planning as well as open questions to future researchers that may continue to discuss this subject were made base on the collected data.