JohnJechura jjechura@mines.

edu
Updated:June29,2014
CrudeDistillation
Chapter4
Light Naphtha
Crude
Oil
Desalter
Atmospheric
Distillation
Vacuum
Distillation
Gas
Separation &
Stabilizer
Solvent
Deasphalting
Coking
Visbreaking
Fluidized
Catalytic
Cracking
Hydro-
cracking
Naphtha
Reforming
Isom-
erization
Sat Gas
Plant
Polymer-
ization
Alkylation
Naphtha
Hydro-
treating
Treating &
Blending
Coke
Fuel Gas
LPG
Aviation
Gasoline
Automotive
Gasoline
Solvents
J et Fuels
Kerosene
Solvents
Heating Oils
Diesel
Residual
Fuel Oils
Lubricant
Greases
Waxes
Asphalts
Heavy
Naphtha
Kerosene
Distillate
AGO
LVGO
HVGO
Vacuum
Residuum
Cat
Distillates
Gas Oil
Hydro-
treating
DAO
Isomerate
Gas
Alkyl
Feed
Alkylate
Polymerization
Naphtha
Gases
Butanes
LPG
Reformate
Naphtha
Fuel Oil
Bottoms
Distillates
Distillate
Hydro-
treating
Cat
Naphtha
Cycle Oils
SDA
Bottoms
Coker
Naphtha
Heavy
Coker
Gas
Oil
Light Coker
Gas Oil
Sulfur
Plant
Sulfur
Naphtha
Fuel Oil
Solvent
Dewaxing
Lube Oil
Waxes
2
20LargestAtmosphericComplexesinU.S.
3
EIA,Jan.1,2014database,publishedJune2014
http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/refinerycapacity/
Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing
Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions
Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn
AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F
ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails
4
Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing
Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions
Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn
AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F
ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails
5
Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing
Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions
Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn
AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F
ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails
6
Atmospheric&VacuumTowerComplex
7
Atmospheric&VacuumTowerComplex
8
KochGlitsch BulletinKGSS1,Rev.32010,
http://www.kochglitsch.com/Document%20Library/KGSS.pdf
AtmosphericColumnw/oPreflash
9
Basedonfigurefrom
RefiningOverview PetroleumProcesses&Products,
byFreemanSelf,EdEkholm,&KeithBowers,AIChE CDROM,2000
FeedPreheatTrain&Desalter
FeedPreheatTrain
Initialheatexchangewithstreamsfrom
withinthetower
Heatrecoveryimportanttodistillation
economics!
o Firstabsorbpartoftheoverhead
condensationload
o Exchangewithoneormoreofthe
liquidsidesstreams,beginningwith
thetop(coldest)sidestream
Requireflexibility
o Changesincrudeslate
o Temperatureatdesalter
o Limitsontwophaseflowthrough
network
Finalheatinginadirectfiredheater
Heatenoughtovaporizelightportions
ofthecrudebuttemperaturekeptlow
tominimizethermalcracking
o Inlettypically550F
o Outlet600to750F.
Heaviercrudescannotbeheated
tothehighertemperatures
Desalter
Temperaturecarefullyselected donotlet
watervaporize
Lightercrudes(>40API)@250F
Heaviercrudes(<30API)@300F
Allcrudescontainsalts(NaCl,MgCl,)
Saltpresentintheemulsifiedwater
Treatedinthefieldwithheat&chemicalsto
breakoilwateremulsions.
Saltcancausedamagetoequipment
o Scaleinheatexchangers
o HCl formationcanleadtocorrosion
o Metalscanpoisonrefinerycatalysts
Removesalts&dissolvedmetals&dirt
Oilmixedwithfreshwashwater&demulsifiers.
Separationinelectrostaticsettlingdrum
Washwaterupto10%ofcrudecharge
~90%ofthewatercanberecovered
Effluentwatertreatedforbenzene
10
CrudeElectrostaticDesalting
11
BFDsfrom:
RefiningOverview PetroleumProcesses&Products,
byFreemanSelf,EdEkholm,&KeithBowers,AIChE CDROM,2000
DrawingbyMiltonBeychok
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/File:Desalter_Diagram.png
ExampleCrudePreheatTrains
12
Ref:Debottleneckcrudeunitpreheatexchangernetworkinefficiencies
Bright,Roy&AlZahrani,HydrocarbonProcessing,February2012
DirectFiredHeater
13
Ref:Usefultipsforfiredheateroptimisation
Bishop&Hamilton,PetroleumTechnologyQuarterly,Q22012
AtmosphericDistillationSummary
Condenser
PartialcondenserifnoStabilizer
Column.
TotalcondenserifStabilizerColumnto
removelightends.
butnoreboiler.
Feedpreheatexchangertrain
Alloftheheattodrivethecolumn
comesfromthehotfeed.
Asmuchas50%oftheincoming
crudemaybeflashed.
Overflash
o Extraamountofmaterialvaporizedto
ensurerefluxbetweenflashzone&
lowestsidedraw
o Typically2vol%offeed
Pumparounds
Movecoolingdowncolumn.
Liquidreturnedabovedrawtray
Sidedraws
Sidestrippers
Cleanupsideproducts
Strippingsteam
Reducehydrocarbonpartialpressure
Condensed&removedasasecond
liquidphase.
Conditionssetsoitdoesnt
condensewithinthecolumn can
leadtofoaming
Mustbetreatedassourwater
14
AtmosphericDistillationSummary
WashZone
Coupletraysbetweenflashzone&gasoil
draw.
Refluxtowashresins&otherheavymaterials
thatmaycontaminatetheproducts.
Condenser
Typically0.5to20psig.
Balancingact
Lowpressuresreducecompressionon
overheadsystem
Highpressuresdecreasevaporizationbut
increaseflashzonetemperatures&furnace
duty;affectsyields
Pumparounds
Reducesoverheadcondenserload&achieves
moreuniformtowerloadings
Providesliquidrefluxbelowliquiddraws
SideDraws&Strippers
Sidestrippersremovelightcomponenttail
&returntomaincolumn
Steamstripperstraditional
Reboiled strippersreduceassociatedsour
water&mayreducesteamusage
Trays&PressureProfile
Typically32traysintower
0.1psipertrayfordesign&targetfor
operation
Mayfindashighas0.2psipertray,but
probablyflooding!
Condenser&accumulator
3to10psiacrosscondenser
Liquidstaticheadinaccumulator
Typically6to16psiacrossentirecolumn.
15
VacuumDistillation
16
RefiningOverview PetroleumProcesses&Products,
byFreemanSelf,EdEkholm,&KeithBowers,AIChE CDROM,2000
Considerpracticalconditionsforvacuumunitmodeling
R.Yahyaabadi,HydrocarbonProcessing,March2009
VacuumDistillationSummary
ColumnConfiguration
Vacuumconditionstokeepoperating
temperatureslow
Largediametercolumn
Verylowdensitygases
Condenseronlyforwatervapor
Liquidrefluxfrompumparounds
Noreboiler
Strippingsteammaybeused
Neededfordeepcuts(1100F)
Commonproblem cokinginfired
heater&washzone
Firedheater highlinearvelocitiesto
minimizecokeformation
Washzone sufficientwashoilflowto
keepthemiddleofthepackedbedwet
Feed
Atmosphericresiduum
Allvaporcomesfromtheheatedfeed
Undervacuum(0.4psi)
Separatehigherboilingmaterialsatlower
temperatures
Minimizethermalcracking
Products
Mayhavemultiplegasoils
UsuallyrecombineddownstreamtoFCCU
afterhydrotreating
Vacuumresid
Blended asphalt,heavyfueloil
Furtherprocessing thermal,solvent
o Choicedependsonproducts&typesof
crude
17
VacuumDistillationSummary
DrySystem
1050F+cuttemperature&nostripping
steam
Smallertowerdiameters
Reducedsourwaterproduction
Pressureprofile
Flashzone:2025mmHgabs&750to
770F.
Topoftower:10mmHgabs
DeepCutSystem
1100F+cuttemperature&stripping
steam
Steamreduceshydrocarbonpartial
pressures
Pressureprofile
Flashzone:30mmHgabs
HCpartialpressure1015mmHgabs
Topoftower:15mmHgabs
SteamEjectors&VacuumPumps
Vacuummaintainedontoweroverhead
Steamsystemsconsideredmorereliable
Wastesteamissour&mustbetreated
Combinationssystems Laststeam
stagereplacedwithavacuumpump
18
Drawingfromhttp://www.enotes.com/topic/Injector
CrudeDistillationUnitCosts
Atmosphericcolumnincludes
Sidecutswithstrippers
Allbatterylimitsprocessfacilities
Heatexchangetocoolproductstoambienttemperature
Centralcontrolsystem
Vacuumcolumnincludes
Facilitiesforsinglevacuumgasoil
3stagevacuumjetsystemat30 40mmHg
HeatexchangetocoolVGOtoambienttemperature
19
Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing
Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions
Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn
AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F
ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails
20
TypicalCutPointDefinitions
Cut TBPIBP(F) TBPEP(F)
LightNaphtha
(LSRGasoline)
80to90 180to220
HeavyNaphtha 180to220 330to380
MiddleDistillate
(Kerosene)
330to380 420to520
AGO
(AtmGasOil)
420to520 650
LVGO
(LightVacGasOil)
650 800
HVGO
(HeavyVacGasOil)
800 950to1100
VacuumResid 950to1100
21
ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails
Industrialdistillationcolumnsdonotprovideperfectlysharpseparations
Initialcalculationsusingcrudeoilassaysassumethatallmaterialsatacertainboilingpoint
goestooneproductoranother
Imperfectseparationsresultinlightends&heavyendstailsinadjacentproducts
Presenceoftailscomplicatethedefinitionofcutpoint
Analysis
Scaledistillationcurvestorepresentthevolumeremoved
CutpointtemperaturerepresentsthefeedsTBPcorrespondingthecumulativevolume
removed
Tailrepresentsthelightfractionsamountabovethecutpoint&theheavyfractions
amountbelowthecutpoint
Overlaprepresentstherangebetweenlightfractionsendpoint&theheavyfractionsinitial
point
Endpointmayberepresentedby99%
Initialpointmayberepresentedby1%
22
Example AtmosphericTowerProducts
23
ScaletoFractionofCrudeCharge
24
CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails
25
Ref:R.N.Watkins,PetroleumRefineryDistillation,2
nd
ed.,1979
CutPoints&OverlapsforExample
26
BoilingPointRangesforExample
27
Summary
Reportedrefinerycapacitytiedtochargetocrudedistillationcomplex
IncreasecapacitywithPreflashcolumn
Complexcolumnconfigurations
Noreboilers,heatfromfeedfurnaces
Reuseheatviaheatexchangebetweenfeed&internalcolumnstreams
Sidedraws,pumparounds,sidestrippers
Pumparounds required toensureliquidrefluxwithinthecolumn
Strippingsteam
3phasecondensers
Condensedwaterwillhavehydrocarbons&dissolvedacidgases
Preheattrainrecyclesheat
Products&internalstreamsheatthefeed
Feedcoolstheinternalstreams&products
Vacuumcolumntoincreasetheeffectivecutpoints
Vacuumcolumnslargediametertokeepvaporvelocitieslow
Vacuumgasoilsrecombined onlyseparatedforoperatingconsiderations
Pressuredropsareimportant,especially inthevacuumcolumn
Steamstrippingaidsinseparationwithoutcracking
Metalsareundesirable.Canremovesome metalsviadesalters.
28
Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing
Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions
Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn
AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F
ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails
29
SupplementalSlides
Phillips66capacities
Crudedistillationtechnologyproviders
Typicaldistillationcolumnconfiguration
Fractionationcolumns&trays
Fractionationtraytypes
Trays&packing
Typicaltrayefficiencies
30
Phillips66DistillationComplexes
31
U.S.informationfromEIA,Jan.1,2014database,publishedJune2014
http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/refinerycapacity/
CrudeDistillationTechnologies
Provider Features
Foster Wheeler
Shell Global Solutions
TECHNIP
Uhde GmbH Vaccum distillation
Complex of atmospheric & vacuum distilation for
initial separation of crude oil. May include preflash
column.
32
TypicalDistillationColumn
Topofcolumn condensertoremoveheat
Providesliquidrefluxthroughtopofcolumn
Partialcondensermayhavevaporbutnoliquiddistallate product
Coldesttemperature coolingmediamustbeevencolder
Lowestpressure
Topsectionstripsheavycomponentsfromtherisingvapors
Feed
Vapor,liquid,orintermediatequality
Introducedinvaporspacebetweentrays
Internals
Traystocontactrisingvaporswithfallingliquids
Pressuredropacrosstrays overcomestaticheadofliquidontray,
Bottomofcolumn reboiler toaddheat
Providesvaportrafficinbottomofcolumn
Highesttemperature heatingmediamustbeevenhotter
Highestpressure
Bottomsectionstripslightcomponentsfromthefallingliquid
33
DrawingbyHenryPadleckas &modifed byMiltonBeychok:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Continuous_Binary_Fractional_Distillation.PNG
FractionationColumns&Trays
34
DrawingsbyHenryPadleckas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractionating_column
FractionationTrayTypes
35
http://www.termoconsult.com/empresas/acs/fractionation_trays.htm
Trays&Packing
36
http://www.ec21.com/product-details/Tower-Internals--3942077.html
TypicalOverallEfficiencies
ColumnService
TypicalNo.of
ActualTrays
Typical
Overall
Efficiency
TypicalNo.of
Theoretical
Trays
SimpleAbsorber/Stripper 2030 2030
SteamSideStripper 57 2
ReboiledSideStripper 710 34
ReboiledAbsorber 2040 4050
Deethanizer 2535 6575
Depropanizer 3540 7080
Debutanizer 3845 8590
AlkyDeiC4(reflux) 7590 8590
AlkyDeiC4(noreflux) 5570 5565
NaphthaSplitter 2535 7075
C2Splitter 110130 95100
C3Splitter 200250 95100
C4Splitter 7080 8590
AmineContactor 2024 45
AmineStripper 2024 4555 912
CrudeDistillation 3550 5060 2030
StrippingZone 57 30 2
FlashZone1
st
draw 37 30 12
1
st
Draw2
nd
Draw 710 4550 35
2
nd
Draw3
rd
Draw 710 5055 35
TopDrawReflux 1012 6070 68
VacuumColumn(G.O.Operation)
Stripping 24 1
FlashZoneHGODraw 23 12
HGOSection 35 2
LGOSection 35 2
FCCMainFractionator 2435 5060 1317
QuenchZone 57 2
QuenchHGODraw 35 23
HGOLCGO 68 35
LCGOTop 710 57
Viscosity Maxwell
Drickamer&
Bradfordin
Ludwig
cP
AveViscosityof
liquidonplates
MolalAve
Viscosityof
Feed
0.05 98
0.10 104 79
0.15 86 70
0.20 76 60
0.30 63 50
0.40 56 42
0.50 50 36
0.60 46 31
0.70 43 27
0.80 40 23
0.90 38 19
1.00 36 17
1.50 30 7
1.70 28 5
37
RefineryProcessModeling
GeraldKaes,AthensPrintingCompany,2000,pg.32
RulesofThumbforChemicalEngineers,4thed.
CarlBranan,GulfProfessionalPublishing,2005
EngineeringDataBook,12thed.
GasProcessorsAssociation,2004