Vacuum Distillation

Unit
- Process

Sujit K Ghosh

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 Introduction: Refinery Overview

• Refining Objective:
 High volume Fuels / Lube production

 Flexible operation for different crudes

 Proactive on environmental issues

 Maximize higher value distillate yield

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 Introduction: Refinery Overview

• RefineryTypes:
 Simple:
 Processing specific range of crude to middle
distillates
 CDU & VDU, FCCU / Hydrocracker, Catalytic
Reformer, Hydrogen Plant
 Complex:
 Processing variety of crude making a range of
high value added products
 CDU & VDU, Visbreaker, Lube extraction, FCCU,
Delayed Coker, Catalytic Reformer, Sulphur
Plant, Bitumen Plant
 Integrated:
 Refinery + Petrochemical
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 Refinery Feed Stock

• Crude Oil:
– mixture of large number of hydrocarbons
1. Paraffins : normal and iso paraffins
 Methane, Ethane, Butane, iso-butane
2. Napthenes : Cycloalkanes / Sat. ring
structure
 Methyl cyclo pentane
3. Aromatics : Benzene Ring & its derivatives
 Benzene, Toluene

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 Refinery Feed Stock

• Crude Assay:
– Used to evaluate crude for processing
 Crude assay Determines
 Refinery Configuration
 Product Yield Analysis
– Assay Content:
 Key Crude oil properties
 Boiling Point curve including properties of
fractions
 Chracterization factor (k)
 Density Curve
 Sulphur & Nitrogen content
 Other contaminants

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 Vacuum Distillation

• Why Vacuum unit ?

– Further fractionation of Reduced Crude Oil
(RCO) ex ADU/CDU residue to get heavier
distillates :
1. For Lube feed stock
2. For Cracking for high value fuel distillates.
• Recovery of distillates from RCO without Vacuum leads to
coking/ cracking and quite energy intensive.
• Higher temperature operation requires :
- Special metallurgy & higher cost.
- Higher protection for equipment & personnel

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 Vacuum Distillation

 Product Routings:
Distillates:
 HSD Pool
 FCC Feed
 Hydrocracker Feed
 Lube Processing
Vacuum Residue
 Lube Processing ( PDA extraction)
 Visbreaker / Thermal cracker Feed
 Bitumen

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 Vacuum Distillation

• VDU Types:
Fuel Based Lube Based
Prepares feedstock for Prepares feedstock for
FCC, Hydrocracker Lube Processing
Products: Products:
1. Diesel 1. Gas Oil/Diesel
2. LVGO 2. Spindle Oil
3. HVGO 3. Light Oil
4. Slop 4. Intermediate Oil
5. Vacuum Residue 5. Heavy Oil
6. Vacuum Residue

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 Vacuum Distillation

• Vacuum Column Types:

Dry Damp Wet
Top/Flash Press (mm Hga) 8 / 24 25 / 42 75 /95
Heater Outlet Temp (oC) 420 405 395
Steam Nil Medium Highest
Column Dia Highest Medium Least
Transfer Line Highest Least Medium

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 Vacuum Distillation: Column Types

• Dry Vacuum Features:

 Higher Heater Outlet temp (COT)
 More ejector steam
• Wet Vacuum Features:
 Used for Lube Stocks where Flash Point of Products
are to be met
 Reduces Heater Outlet temp (COT) requirement
due to partial pressure of steam
 Lesser Ejector steam
 Marginally better yield of distillates and
controllability due to steam
 Economics normally in favour of Damp
Vacuum
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 Vacuum Distillation:
Distillate Specification

KV Flash Point CCR

(CST@98.9oC) (oC) (Wt %)
Gas Oil 1.3-1.6 120 -
Spindle Oil 3.5-3.6 160+ -
Light Oil 6.0 min 200+ -
Inter Oil 9.0-11.0 230-240 -
Heavy Oil 19.0-24.0 240-260 2.4 max
Short Residue 1200+ 300-320 18-20
• Lube VDU Columns are typically wet vacuum
as:
 Products need to meet Flash Point spec
 Better product separation (Sharp Cut) required
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 VDU: Process Description

Block Diagram:

Furnace Pre-heat OSBL

Train
Feed Booster Feed Pump
Ejector
GO

SO SO
Vacuum
LO LN
Column
IO IN
HO HN

SR

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 What is Vacuum Distillation?

Distillation under vacuum Condition

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 What is Vacuum?

• Any pressure below atmospheric.

How is it expressed?
760 mmHg (a)  1 Atm  0 Kg/cm2 (g)
76 mmHg vac ? (760-76) mmHg absolute
76 mmHg abs ?  (760-76) mmHg vac

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 Process Description

Five main sections

• The Pre-heat Train
• The Furnace
• The Vacuum Column
• The Side Strippers
• Auxilliary Systems

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 Process Description
Block Flow Diagram

Furnace Pre-heat
Train
Feed Booster Feed Pump
Ejector
GO

SO SO
Vacuum
LO LN
Column
IO IN
HO HN

SR

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 Process Description

The Pre-heat Train configuration is based on

• Heat recovery plan & Product R/D temp before cooler
• Heat Exchanger network configuration as per heat/
temperature potential of streams
• Fouling characteristics, Corossivity of the liquid, flow,
viscosity, metallurgy, etc
RCO
Feed To
Furnace
Gas IO SR
Oil
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 Process Description

The Furnace
• The required temperature for distillation is achieved in the
furnace, the outlet of which directly goes to to the Flash
zone of the vacuum distillation column.
• The furnace is a balanced draft type and has the facility of
dual firing (both Fuel gas & Fuel oil). Its has got two
passes with flow control in each.
• The feed stream from the pre-heat train enters the
convection zone followed by the radiation zone.
• Major part of the oil feed to the furnace gets vaporized
before entering the vacuum column.

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 Process Description
Vacuum Column features :
• The distillation and stripping takes place in the vacuum column.
• Internals are normally packing/ tray type or both.
• Bottom section (stripping) are typically with trays (sieve).
• Downcomers are either side/central or both based on liquid load.
• Transfer line enters tangentially with impingement plate to reduce impact.
• Multi Product Draw.
• Side draws are provided with strippers to control flash point
• Typical turn down 60-65%
• Top and bottom section are SS cladded based on crude property.
• Top temperature maintained 15-20 C above the Dew Point
• Column Diameter higher as compared to ADU columns (?)
• Diameter fixed by capacity and height depends on degree of rectification.

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 Process Description
The Vacuum Column
• Two reflux :
• Top reflux
• Bottom Reflux (Known as Pump Around).
• Pump Around: To remove heat from the column
• Key parameters:
– Flash zone temperature/ pressure,
– Top temperature/pressure,
– Side draw temperatures
– PA return flow and tempearure
– Bottom tempearture

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 Process Description

The Vacuum Column

To Ejectors
Reflux

Gas oil
SO
LO

Vacuum
RCO From Furnace IO
Distillation
Column
HO

Stripping Steam Vacuum Slop

SR/VR

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 Process Description

The Side Draw Strippers

• Different cuts drawn from the vacuum column are
routed to their respective Stripper columns.
• Lighter components in the draws are stripped off
the main product by using superheated steam.
```` Draw Temperatures
• Spindle Oil stripper----- 210-240 C
• Light Oil stripper-------- 250-280 C
• Inter Oil stripper--------- 300-320 C
• Heavy Oil Stripper------ 340-360 C

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 Process Description

The Side Draw Strippers

• The bottom products from the Strippers are routed to their
respective storage tanks after exchanging heat with the
RCO Feed in the Pre- Heat exchanger Train and then
Cooling Water Exchangers.

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Process Flow Diagrams

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 Haldia Refinery
Vacuum Distillation Unit PFD
(furnace and fractionator circuit)
Furnace recycle Ex p-9/9r FC-10B
FC-10A FC-5 To Ejectors GO to E-1A/B/C/D
FC-4 CW E-128A/B
VB steam VS steam GO as reflux
FC-9 ex E-2A/B/C
Turbulising P-3/3R
FC-8 F-1
steam
Turbulising C-105
steam #4
Combustion air
GO draw
Burners #26 #1 VS steam
Ex APH
#22 SO draw LC-101
FC-102 SO toE-123
Fuel gas C-2
#19 LO draw LC-03 #4 P-7/7R
IFO supply PC-06 HV-01 #1
FC-11 E-6A/B/C VS steam
Turbulising steam

#16
IFO return PA draw
Atomising steam DPC-03 C-1
#12 LO to E-121
RCO ex F-1/F-2

FC-202 P-6/6R
Comb. air FC-201 To burners #8 P-5/5R

IO draw LC-04
Over Flash #4
F-2 #5 C-3
#1 VS steam
FC-216 IO to E-7
P-113/113R Burners
FC-217
Turbulising steam

RCO Ex E-11 #4 HO draw LC-05

FC-209 P-9/9R #4
FC-10B P-12/12R
Fuel gas #1 Vac slop to E-9 C-4
Combustion air

FC-13 #1 VS steam
IFO supply
Ex APH

VS STEAM HO to E-9
IFO return
Bot Quench Ex H-1A/B
Atomising steam
FC-12
SR draw SR to E-11 P-8/7R
HO Ex P-8/7R
as Demister Wash P-10/10R
 Haldia Refinery
Vacuum Distillation Unit PFD
(Feed preheat and product cooling section )

FC-21
LO R/D E-127
B-1 To VBU

FC-20
CW To TK-761 To VBU
RCO Ex tanks
To TK-761
P-1/1R To Tar
FC-15

FC-23
FC-22
E-121
LO Ex P-5/5R GO to top reflux To Tar
E-1A E-2A
E-1C E-2B FC-19 FC-23A To HSD
GO Ex P-3/3R E-1B GO to R/D FC-24
CW
CW IO to VBU
SO to R/D FC-25
E-1D
E-2C
CW E-125A/B IO to R/D
E-14A/B
SO Ex P-7/7R TW
E-123 Pump Around To # 18 of C-1
CW
E-6C E-126A/B FC-27

PA Ex P-6/6R TC-06 E-6B HO to R/D TW To R/D

FC-26
E-6A E-124A/B
E-4A E-122A/B LC-02 To VBU
IO Ex P-12/12R SR to R/D To PDA
TW
E-7 E-4B FC-28
FC-12 To VBU

HO Ex P-8/7R HO Ex P-8/7R
Bot quen
E-9
Vac slop Ex P-9/9R H-1A H-1B
TW E-10 To VB steam
SR Ex P-10/10R header

RCO to P-113/113R suction E-11 Vac slop to PDA DM water

 Haldia Refinery
Vacuum Distillation Unit PFD
(Vacuum System)

Cooling Water Inlet Header

E-128A E-128B VM Steam to Ejectors PC-121
PC-05 Cooling Water
#26 CW CW SEJ Return Header
#22 PEJ
31C-1
#19 CW Vent
CW E-129
E-130

CW

B-7
P-101/101R water P-102/102R
oil seal pot
Barometric legs
B-3 B-2 Hot well
Hot well water to OWS/ Desalter
coaleser
Hot well gas oil to HSD pool
Tempered water circuit
E-116A/B/C

CW
E-125A/B

DM water
B-105 E-124A/B/C IO
SR Vac
HO
VB steam Slop E-10

E-126A/B

Tempered water
P-114A/B/C
 Auxilliary Systems

The VDU has following auxilliary systems

2. The tempered water system
3. Steam generation and SR Cooling
4. Balanced Draft Furnace
5. Battery Limit product lines
6. Pumping systems
7. Vacuum System

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 Auxiliary Systems
The Tempered Water System :Why?

• Run down temperature @80 C

• Product congealing in nature.
• C/W higher scaling nature above 55 C.
• Less corrosive due to DM water/ Condensate
Make Up DM C/W
.
Water

TW TW cooler
vessel

SR SR IO HN

TW pump

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 Auxiliary Systems
Steam Generation and SR cooling

• Steam generation reboilers from SR stream.

• SR after Exchanging heat with RCO in 31 E 11 and 31 E
122 A/B enters 31-H- 1A/B where DM water recovers
the heat from SR and generates steam at ~5 Kg/ Cm2 g
and 151 C.

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 Auxiliary Systems
Balance Draft Furnace

Main Features:
Process circuit:
Turbo Steam
PHE Convection zone Radiation Zone
Column
Flue gas Circuit: Radiation Zone, Convection Zone,
APH , ID fan, Stack
Combustion Air Circuit: FD fan, SCAPH, APH,
Burners
Fuel Oil Circuit & Fuel gas circuit

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 Auxiliary Systems
Battery Limit and Product lines

Feed, Products and utilities are routed through the

Battery Limit.
The product lines are provided with Flow control valves,
Level control valves and necessary instrumentations like
Temperature Transmitters, Pressure Transmitters,
Pressure/ Temperature Gauges etc.

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 Auxiliary Systems
Vacuum System

Precondensers
Primary ejectors
Secondary ejectors
Seal pot
Barometric legs
Hot Well (HW)
Gas oil recovery system from HW

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 Haldia Refinery
Vacuum Distillation Unit PFD
(Vacuum System)

Cooling Water Inlet Header

E-128B VM Steam to Ejectors PC-121

E-128A

PC-05
Cooling Water
#26 Return Header
CW CW SEJ
PEJ
#22
31C-1

#19 CW
Vent
CW E-129
E-130

CW

B-7
P-101/101R P-102/102R seal pot
oil water
Barometric legs

B-2 Hot well

B-3 Hot well water to OWS/ Desalter
coaleser

Hot well gas oil to HSD pool