Hello I am Oliver Gamet, TOTAL

representative working for Bitumen Supply. This video summarizes the complete
bitumen manufacturing process. We will explore what's bitumen for, refinery units
to produce it,
and bitumen downstream logistic. Bitumen is very different from other
products coming from crude oil. It's not a heating or driving fuel designed to
be used for less than one second. It's the lonely one being a construction product
that is designed to last over ten years. Bitumen is a natural glue. To be efficient
it needs to
fulfill several adequate ratios Between different chemical
families of heavy molecules. The most important ratio is a limited range
between the asphaltens, (that are the glue prone molecules) and the aromatics (that
dispers
asphaltens), aromatics being in majority. Due to the limited ratios
between chemical molecules, bitumen can only come from
some selected crudes. A rule of the thumb is that only high
sulfur crudes can be used for bitumen : The main reason is that sulfur is
highly present in the asphaltens and low sulfur crudes contain very few
asphaltenes, so it's few sticky. Because bitumen is made of heavy
molecules (boiling over 500 Celsius degrees) it's difficult to select, needing
a deep fractionation in several stages : Minimum atmospheric and vacuum
distillation. All bitumen is produced in
a vacuum distillation unit, but some retreated after (in three other units). Crude
oil is desalted and
heated over 370 Celsius degrees. Side productions are propane,
butane, driving fuels like gasoline, kerosene and diesel. It's important to note
that crudes
selected to produce bitumen put constraints on
commercial driving fuels. Sulfur constraint give a strong
economical penalty to produce bitumen. Atmospherical column bottom
is reheated around 400 Celsius degrees to enter a vacuum
column that is a liquid / gas separation. We use a vacuum tower with low, or
very low pressure because hydrocarbons began cooking over 400 Celsius
degrees whatever the pressure is. But combining 400 Celsius degrees with
low or very low pressure gives, without cooking, an equivalent of 515 celsius
degrees atmospherical distillation. Vacuum bottom can be a soft or
hard bitumen, depending on the crude, VDU temperature,
VDU vacuum, and other parameters. Lead come to the three other possible
additional units used to produce bitumen. If vacuum bottom is a soft
bitumen it can be desasphalted, (removing oil in a liquid, liquid extraction at
low temperature but high pressure). With help of propane or butane to produce
desasphalted pitch that is a hard bitumen
(because of high asphalten content). If vacuum bottom is a soft or
intermediate bitumen, it can be blown (by air) in a blowing
tower, to reticulate molecules with the help of oxygen, building
asphaltene-like molecules. Note that by blowing, hardening effect is quicker on
Ring and Ball than on
penetration (PI index increase). In the special case of feeding a very
soft base, oxidized bitumen for roofing can be obtained, but
cannot be used for road application. Marginal of bitumen quantities can come from
a vis breaking unit that breaks a percentage of vacuum into lighter molecules, and
so reduce vacuum residue quantities. Please note that bitumen classification
will be explained later in this MOOC. Keep only in mind that the smaller is
the number, harder is the bitumen. After getting soft and hard bitumen,
there are two logistical possibilities. First, produce finished
bitumen by inline blending. This saves tank then money but is more
touchy because blended quality can only be measured three hours later. Second,
minimum one tank per quality, and
analyze before loading. Less risk but more costly and
less flexible. Another fundamental point,
bitumen is a very viscous product. Optimal pumpability is got when
the viscosity is not higher than 0.2 Pascal point second. Storage temperature has
to be in
a range from 140 Celsius degrees, (soft bitumen), to 200 (hard bitumen). Keep in
mind too, that bitumen can not longer be pumped
around 2 Pascal point seconds, and there is only 40 degrees margin between
0.2 and 2 Pascal point seconds. While a standard truck loses 10
to 15 degrees each 24 hours. Meaning that you have to hurry
to deliver to customers. Remember bitumen key points. Its a construction product.
It a glue of heavy molecules from
selected high sulfur crudes. Bitumen key production unit
is vacuum distillation unit. Additional units can be blown units,
desasphalting units and visbreaking. Bitumen has to be stored at a high
temperature, allowing him to be under 0.2 Pascal point seconds. Thank you for your
attention.