Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd (MRPL) has been awarded a patent on ‘Process distillation of petroleum fractions by making use of fuel gas/hydrocarbon vapours instead of steam’, by the Indian Patent Office.

The company said in a press release on Wednesday that the innovation has the potential to reduce water consumption and sour water generation in product stripping and fractionation operations. This was achieved through in-house research conducted by the research and development wing of MRPL, it said.

The invention offers an avenue to reduce water requirement and achieve energy efficiency, the release added.