Petroleum industries - prospects and problems

This study deals mainly with the problems and prospects of Indian petrochemical industry along with the need for better environmental management programs. The author indicates that to keep pace with the demand for petroleum products which is likely to grow by 7.0% continuously in the future, more refineries would have to be set up till the year 2000. In spite of the projected cost of Rs 200 to Rs300 crores per million ton of crude throughput, India would go ahead with both expansion of existing facilities and with adopting in-technologies like Hydrocrackers which gives greater selectivity in terms of higher middle distillates production. A brief survey is presented of India's petrochemical industry.