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PETROLEUM REFINING PROCESS

OVERVIEW
Thermal Cracking Process:
Heavy fuels are subjected to pressure and intense

heat, physically breaking the large molecules into smaller ones to produce gasoline and distillate fuels. Catalytic processes: Used to increase gasoline yield and improve octane yield which improves the anti-knock properties of the fuel.

Treatment process
Used to remove non-hydrocarbons,

impurities and other constituents that decrease the efficiency of the conversion process or adversely affect the finished product properties. Examples :
Chemical sweetening, drying, caustic washing,

clay contacting, acid treating, hydro treating , solvent dewaxing, solvent extraction

Common refinery chemicals

Leaded Gasoline additives


TEL(Tetra Ethyl Lead) and TML(Tetra Methyl

Lead) are additives formerly used to increase the octane no. They are used only in Aviation fuels.

Oxygenates
Chemical ETBE MTBE TAME Full Form Ethyl Tertiary Butyl Ether Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether Tertiary Amyl Methyl Ether

Oxygenates
Improve gasoline octane ratings Reduce Carbon Mono Oxide Emissions

Caustics
They are added to desalted water to

neutralize acids and reduce corrosion. Added to desalted crude to reduce the amount of corrosive chlorides in the tower overheads Used to remove contaminants from HC streams

Sulfuric Acid and Hydrochloric Acid


Used as catalysts in alkylation process Sulfuric acid is also used in treatment

processes

Refining operations

Various Processes
Process name Atmospheric distillation Vacuum distillation Sweetening Hydrogenation Hydrodesulphurization Hydrocracking Inhibitor sweetening Catalytic dewaxing Purpose Produce kerosene Produce lubricants Remove sulfur & odor Remove sulfur Remove sulfur Improve quality and reduce sulfur Remove mercaptan Improve pour point By-Products Tar,naptha Asphalt, coker Sulfur Sulfur Sulfur Alkylation feedstocks Disulfides Wax

Various processes
Process name Catalytic polymerization
Alkylation Thermal Cracking Fluid catalytic cracking Thermal Reforming Catalytic cracking Catalytic Reforming

Purpose Increase gasoline yield and octane no:


Increase gasoline yield and octane no:

Byproducts Petrochemical feedstocks


High octane aviation gasoline

Increase gasoline and improve Bunker fuel, octane no: residual Increase gasoline and improve Petrochemical octane no: feedstocks Increase octane number Increase octane number Convert low quality naptha Residual Petrochemical gasoline Aromatics

Deasphalting

Increase cracking and feedstock

Asphalt

Various processes
Process name Visbreaking
Solvent Extraction Isomerization Coking

Purpose Reduce viscosity


Improve lubricant viscosity index Produce alkylation feedstock Produce gasoline feedstock

Byproducts Tar, increased distillate


Aromatics Naptha Coke

Crude Oil
Average Composition
84% carbon 14% hydrogen 1-3% Sulfur 1% nitrogen, oxygen, salts and metals

Classification Paraffinic Aromatic Naphthenic

API
Higher the API gravity, the lighter the crude

as it has less Carbon, more hydrogen and are high on paraffins and yield more gasoline. Lesser API gravity means they are high on aromatics

Sweet n Sour
Crude oils that contain appreciable quantities

of H2S or other reactive sulfur compounds are called as Sour and those with less Sulfur reactive compounds as Sweet.

Sulfur problem
As a rule the proportion, stability and

complexity of the compounds are greater in heavier crude oil fractions. H2S is a primary contributor of corrosion in refinery equipment's. Mercaptans, elemental sulfur also cause corrosion

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