NAN-CHING PETROLEUM REFINERY NAN-CHING, CHINA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: NGA Records (Formerly NIMA)
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00909A000500010013-7
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 14
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 18, 2008
• Sequence Number: 13
• Publication Date: June 1, 1969
• Content Type: REPORT

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Top Secret
DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE
Industrial Facilities
(Non-Military)
Basic Imagery Interpretation Report
Nan-ching Petroleum Refinery
Nan-ching, China
DATE
COPY.
PAGES
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Directorate of Intelligence
Imagery Analysis Service
Nan-ching Petroleum Refinery
WAC-P I C NC25X1
0386-17K
USATC 200, Sheet 0386-23HL, 3rd ed, Jan 64, Scale 1:200,000 (SECRET)
None Required
This report provides an imagery-derived analysis of the Nan-ching
Petroleum Refinery. This refinery is one of China's newest and probably
ranks high among the country's refineries with respect to annual charge
capacity. The major refinery components consist of multistage distillation
equipment for the simple fractionation of crude oil and a delayed coking
unit for the further refining of the reduced crude and residual products
from the crude oil distillation. The products of the refinery include
straight-run and cracked gasolines, diesel and fuel oils, kerosene, gas-
oil, coke and probably gaseous hydrocarbons.
When first covered by photography in March 1962, construction was
in the very early stages. The facilities appeared to be complete in
October 1965 and were probably in full operation by March 1966.
This report includes a detailed line drawing, a photograph of the
area, mensuration of storage tanks and a discussion of the-status of
facilities.
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The Nan-ching Petroleum Refinery is located on the south bank of the
Chang-chiang (Yangtze River), approximately 10.5 nautical miles (nm) north-
east of Nan-ching, Kiangsu Province, China. This refinery is one of the
most recently built in China, and probably ranks high among the Chinese
refineries with respect to annual capacity.
The refinery area is served by a rail spur from the main line between
Nan-ching and Shang-hai. Facilities for loading and unloading small
coastal or river tankers and barges are located on the Yangtze River adja-
cent to the refinery. Electric power used in the operation of the plant
is obtained through a small substation located within the refinery.
The principal sources of crude oil for charging this refinery are
probably the Sheng-li Basin (Kuang-jao Oil Field) and several small oil
pools reported to be along the border between Shantung and Kiangsu
Provinces. 1,2/ The existence of these smaller pools has not been confirmed
by photography. Also, crude oil produced in the Szechwan Basin in excess
of that which is refined locally could be shipped down the Yangtze River
to the Nan-ching refinery. 3/ Another possible source of crude oil for this
refinery could be the Sa-erh-tu oil field, through port facilities at Lu-ta
(Dairen) by tanker to Nan-ching. I/
No associated plants or installations were found in the immediate
vicinity of this refinery. However, it has been reported that this plant
supplies raw materials for petrochemical plants in the Nan-ching area. 3/
Physical Features
The layout and irregular outline of the refinery have been determined
to a great extent by the topography of the dissected river bank. Most of
the processing equipment and storage facilities are located in flat-lying
areas among hills which afford a certain amount of protection against over-
head attack. The plant area presently covers 220 acres and measures approxi-
mately 4,800 by 2,400 feet. No security fence or wall around the refinery
was observed on the small-scale imagery.
Operational Functions
The only major refinery components presently found at this plant are
multistage distillation equipment for the simple fractionation of crude
oil and a delayed coking unit for the further refining of the reduced
crude and residual products from the crude oil distillation. The coking
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unit is a type of thermal cracker which significantly increases the
refinery's output of gasoline. Another of the products of a coking unit
is gas-oil which is used as a charge stock for catalytic cracking; there-
fore, the presence of the delayed coking unit at this refinery might indicate
that future expansion of facilities would include the construction of a
catalytic cracking unit.
The products of this refinery now include straight-run and cracked
gasolines, diesel and fuel oils, kerosene, gas-oil, and coke. Gaseous
hydrocarbons would also normally be produced, but the equipment for
recovering these products could not be definitely identified on the
available photography.
Construction Status and Activity
The earliest photography covering the refinery area was in March 1962.
At that time, preliminary grading of the refinery area had been started
near an existing POL storage area. Construction on the shipping facilities,
the housing and support area, and the road bed for the rail spur into the
refinery had also begun. By April 1963, grading of the refining areas was
completed and construction had started on the storage tanks. Also, the
rail spur appeared complete. The latest large-scale photography over the
refinery was in July 1964, at which time the crude oil distillation unit
was nearly complete and construction was in early stages on the probable
crude oil distillation unit and the coking unit. The intermediates storage
facilities were complete except for two small storage tanks, and the products
and crude oil storage tanks were approximately 20 percent complete. Numerous
buildings had been constructed throughout the refinery in both the support
and operational areas of the plant. In the old POL storage site, dismantling
of the tanks had been started.
Analysis of the construction status of the refinery after July 1964 was
greatly limited by the lack of large-scale imagery. The distillation and
coking units appeared to be complete by October 1965. The intermediates
storage tanks and the essential loading facilities at the rail spur and the
river were complete. Ninety percent of the storage tanks in the crude oil
and products storage area were also complete. Additional construction was
noted in the housing and support area and in a new storage area, but none
appeared to be of much significance. By March 1966, all essential processing,
handling and storage facilities were complete, and the refinery appeared to
be operational. Minor changes continued to be made in several of the support
areas, and all of the tanks in the original POL storage site had been removed.
By the end of 1966, several small, probable tanks had been built in the load-
ing and shipping area near the rail spur. There have been no significant
changes in facilities noted since January 1967. Slight ground scarring in
the area adjacent to the probable crude distillation unit, plus the continuing
presence of a large number of construction support buildings,could be indicative
of plans to build additional refining units.
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Operational Status
The refining equipment appeared to be complete and probably operational
by October 1965; however, the only indication of production was the partially
raised position of the roofs on two of the floating roof storage tanks in
the crude oil and products storage area. By March 1966, signatures of
operation were more conspicuous with the roofs raised on several of the
floating roof tanks, dark staining in the coke production area, and tankers
at the loading piers. Indicators of production activity have been observed
on all imagery subsequent to March 1966.
Facilities and Equipment
The following table lists the functional areas and the facilities and
equipment within the refinery. All items are shown on Figure 3.
Equipment and Facilities at the
Nan-ching Petroleum Refinery
Functional Description Equipment and Facilities*
Storage 4 Miscellaneous buildings
I Finger pier.
Probable construction
material in open storage
Crude Oil and Products 13 Miscellaneous buildings
Storage 10 Cylindrical, floating-roof
storage tanks,
7 diam. 85 f
I diam. 75 f
2 diam. 70 f
39 Cylindrical, fi
tanks,
t.
t.
t.
xed-roof
storage
4
diam.
70 f
t.
10
diam.
55 f
t.
4
diam.
45 f
t.
2
diam.
40 f
t.
I
diam.
35 f
t.
14
diam.
30 f
t.
4
very
small, diam. not measured
I Tank
base
u/c
Sh i pp i ng
8 Miscellaneous buildings
I Surge tank/basin
4 Cylindrical storage tanks,
2 diam. 45 ft.
2 diam. 30 ft.
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Functional Description
Storage (U/C)
Equipment and Facilities*
2 Possible cylindrical storage
tanks, not measured
I Finger pier with mooring dolphins
I Probable pontoon wharf with
dolphins
I Finger pier
27 Storage and support buildings
4 Cylindrical storage tanks,
2 diam. 65 ft.
2 diam. 30 ft.
4 Tank bases u/c.
Probable construction material
in open storage
Loading and Shipping 5 Warehouses
13 Storage/support buildings
12 Probable cylindrical storage
tanks, very small, diam. not
measured
5 Possible horizontal tanks/
buildings, length 50 ft.
I Delayed coking unit with
2 coking drums,
I fractionating column
2 coke handling structures,
I control building
3 Possible extractors
8 Support buildings
8 Cylindrical process tanks
4 diam. 40 ft.
4 diam. 30 ft.
Intermediates Storage 14 Cylindrical, fixed-roof storage
tanks,
8 diam. 60 ft.
2 diam. 50 ft.
2 diam. 40 ft.
2 diam. not measured
Steam Plant and Substation I Boiler house
5 Support buildings
3 Cylindrical fuel storage tanks
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Functional Description Equipment and Facilities*
Crude Oil Distillation I Multistage fractionating unit with
5 columns (includes at least
I atmospheric and I vacuum
fractionating column)
2 pipe furnaces
I compressor/pump building
I bank cooling coils/heat exchangers
I Probable light ends unit with
3 extractors and I building
3 Support buildings
3 Possible small storage tanks/
pieces of equipment
Probable Crude Oil 2 Large, probable fractionating
Distillation columns
I Probable compressor/pump building
5 Support buildings
Housing and Support 109 Housing, storage, administration
and support type buildings
Probable Processing U/C 41 Possible processing, storage,
support and administrative type
buildings. Some ground scarring
and possible excavation for new
facilities
Support 27 Miscellaneous buildings
*NOTE: Small scale and quality of photography hindered the identification
of some of the facilities and the measurement of the storage tanks.
All measurements are only approximate.
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 KEY TO ANNOTATIONS
DESCRIPTION
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STORAGE
CRUDE OIL AND PRODUCTS
STORAGE
SHIPPING
STORAGE AREA U/C
LOADING AND SHIPPING
COKE PRODUCTION
INTERMEDIATES STORAGE
STEAM PLANT AND SUBSTATION
CRUDE OIL DISTILLATION
PROBABLE CRUDE OIL DISTILLATION
HOUSING AND SUPPORT
PROBABLE PROCESSING U/C
SUPPORT
0
0
0
0
0
TANKS ,
0
0
0
0
0 0 00
0
0
0
0
0
00
0000 0 ?'?
0
0
U
0
0 00 0
?
0 0 o ?o
0
0,
..................
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V
LEGEND
BUILDING
PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
n_6I COOLING COILS/HEAT EXCHANGERS/ACCUMULATORS
O TANK
HORIZONTAL TANK
TANK U/C
WATER BASINS
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Map
US Air Target Chart 200, Sheet 0386-23HL, 3rd edition, Jan 64, 25X1
Scale 1:200,000 (SECRET)
Documents
1. DOD.
2. DOD.
6 May 1968 (CONFIDENTIAL)
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3. Air Intelligence Information Report
(UNCLASSIFIED)
Requirement
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3 August 1958
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Top Secret
Top Secret
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