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UOP Hydroprocessing Innovations Supplement Tech Paper
UOP Hydroprocessing Innovations Supplement Tech Paper
Maximize Assets.
Drive Results.
Hydroprocessing technology innovations
Maximize Assets. Drive Results.
Hydroprocessing technology innovations
Table of Contents
8 Cutting-Edge Catalysts
12
repare your short-term
P
and long-term diesel strategies
Leverage catalyst and technology breakthroughs
to balance diesel-gasoline production efficiently
After several years of strong margins prices. Energy efficiency gains will be surpass demand in the OECD countries
and robust global demand growth, the driven by higher prices and in part by (Fig. 1). Refined product demand in
refining industry persevered through the implementation of greenhouse gas initia- OECD countries suffered a steep drop
market lows of 2009. Significant new tives in major economies. in 2008–2009 to 41.4 million (MMbpd)
refinery capacity additions combined with Petroleum will continue to supply over in 2009, and the forecast demand growth
a dramatic fall in demand for refined prod- 92% of the energy demand in the trans- of only 0.2% per year through 2030 will
ucts has created a significant near-term portation sector through 2030. Diesel, jet keep demand below the 2005 peak level.
oversupply situation. The supply situation fuel and residual fuel oil are expected to be Demand in non-OECD countries will
is being further eroded by the requirement the fastest growing transportation fuels. grow rapidly from the current level of
to blend increasing volumes of ethanol and Most of the gasoline demand growth will 36.0 MMbpd in 2009 to 56.8 MMbpd
biodiesel into products, thereby reducing be in developing countries. Use of natural in 2030, a growth rate of 2.2%. Of the
crude oil processing requirements. This gas and electricity in the transportation expected 20.8 MMbpd increase, China
article highlights some of the key conclu- sector will continue to expand in niche alone will account for over 43% of this
sions from the recent update of Purvin & applications such as mass transit and local increase, or 9.1 MMbpd.
Gertz’s Global Petroleum Market Outlook. fleet vehicles, but will not become sig- Over the last few years, gasoline mar-
nificant private transport fuel alternatives kets in the Atlantic Basin have undergone
Economic outlook. The recent global until after 2020. profound changes both in terms of demand
recession has had a significant medium- Petroleum will supply an increasing trends and the introduction of biofuels. The
term impact on all countries, but over the share of the energy demand in the other widespread introduction of ethanol into
next 20 years, we expect world economic sectors of the world economy. Most of this the US gasoline supply initially replaced
growth to average roughly 3.5%. Growth increase will come from higher use of eth- methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), but
will be higher in the developing countries ane, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and more recently, ethanol has added signifi-
than in the mature, developed regions such naphtha for petrochemicals manufacturing cantly to the domestic gasoline supply. The
as Europe and North America. Strongly in the developing countries of Asia and the increased blending of ethanol as required by
divergent economic growth patterns in the Middle East. Another notable increase in the Renewable Fuels Standard regulations
developing vs. developed countries result demand will come from increased use of and decreased gasoline demand in response
in equally strong divergence in petroleum residual fuel oil for power generation in to record high consumer prices resulted in
demand growth. Demand in the develop- the Middle East. a significant decrease in the consumption
ing countries will surpass Organization Shortly after 2015, demand in the of petroleum-based gasoline components
for Economic Co-operation and Devel- non-OECD countries is expected to in the US in 2008 and 2009.
opment (OECD) demand by 2015, and
virtually all future growth will be outside
of the OECD countries (North Amer- NON-OECD REFINED PRODUCT DEMAND
ica, Europe, and Japan). China alone is (Million Barrels per Day)
60
expected to account for over 40% of non- Latin America
OECD demand growth through 2030. 50 Middle East
India
40 China
Refined product demand. The Other Countries
challenge to supply energy to a growing 30
global population of expanding financial 20
means is huge. Energy requirements will
10
remain high in terms of consumption per
capita even as major advances in energy 0
1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030
efficiency are deployed. The large poten-
tial for global demand growth underpins
our view of higher future petroleum Fig. 1. Non-OECD refined product demand—1990 to 2030.
Global demand for diesel is growing The global bunker quality requirement Regional crude oil trade patterns will
much faster than gasoline demand. Key of 0.5% sulfur fuel in 2020/2025 is a continue to evolve as long-term produc-
factors are dieselization of the personal complicated inter-industry topic that was tion trends continue. Pipeline capacity to
vehicle fleet in Europe, growing penetra- addressed by Purvin & Gertz in a separate supply growing markets in Asia is increas-
tion of ethanol into gasoline, improving comprehensive study titled Residual Fuel ing. Higher production from Africa and
vehicle efficiency and higher sustained Market Outlook. How the shipping indus- South America will also help satisfy the
prices affecting personal vehicle use. Die- tries respond to the changes in regional future demand for crude oil in Asia.
sel demand in the Atlantic Basin caught and global bunker sulfur fuel requirements Closer to home, the expanding pipeline
up to gasoline demand in 2008, and is and to what degree onboard scrubber tech- network in North America will increase
poised to return to growth while gaso- nology is adopted are key factors affect- supply flexibility for the Canadian oil
line stagnates. Refiners will be pressed to ing the bunker fuel outlook. Increased sands. These trends will have significant
increase diesel output and reduce gasoline carbon emissions from these new speci- impacts on refiners and their need for new
yield, and Europe’s structural surplus of fication requirements must also be con- conversion capacity.
gasoline will persist. sidered. Investment in large scale residue In addition, rapid development of
Tighter diesel sulfur specifications are hydroprocessing would be a major shift in natural gas reserves is causing conden-
propagating throughout the world after refining strategy and the displacement of sate and LPG to increase strongly, thereby
having been implemented in Europe, 4 MMbpd of residual bunker demand to contributing to petroleum supply. New
Japan and North America. In order to distillate fuel would require major addi- condensate production is contributing to
improve air quality, many of the world’s tional refinery conversion investments. At refined product supply, especially naph-
megacities (i.e., Beijing, Shanghai, Mexico the same time, the suitability, acceptance tha and distillate.
City, São Paulo and Mumbai) now require and adoption of onboard scrubbers is not
clean burning diesel and gasoline with sul- a foregone conclusion. Alternative fuels. A great deal of
fur levels below 500 ppm. Over the next 5 discussion has been focused on the devel-
to 10 years, we expect that most countries Crude oil supply. Crude oil produc- opment of alternative fuels for use in the
will begin to adopt these requirements tion from non-OPEC countries is not transportation sector. The primary alterna-
and some will go even further to require expected to expand fast enough to keep tive fuels currently commercially available
ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) and gaso- pace with demand growth after the eco- are biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.
line. Several states in the US are planning nomic recovery is well underway. Strong However, other important alternative fuels
to tighten heating oil sulfur specifications growth in crude production from Brazil, include methanol, compressed natural gas
by the end of this decade. Combined, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Canada (CNG), LPG, gas to liquids (GTLs), coal
these actions will have the eventual effect and a few other non-OPEC countries will to liquids (CTLs), electricity and hydrogen.
of requiring additional hydroprocessing barely keep production levels rising for this Significant penetration of alternative fuel
capacity in refineries. group of countries through most of this vehicles would have very important impli-
Bunker fuel is the only growth market decade, but an eventual decline is forecast cations for refiners as transportation fuel
for residual fuel oil, but annual growth unless some unexpected large discover- demand growth would moderate the need
varies with the demand for petroleum, ies are made and developed. Incremental for refining capacity. The rapid drop in gas-
containerized cargo and minerals. Resid- crude oil production will come mostly oline consumption in the US is causing the
ual fuel use for power generation and from OPEC members beginning this year. percentage of ethanol blended to increase
other stationary applications has been Increasing OPEC market share will allow with negative effects on the refining indus-
in decline for many years as increasing the cartel to maintain long-term price lev- try. In Europe, biofuels mandates are also
supplies of natural gas have gained mar- els above $70/bbl. affecting the industry. CTL developments,
ket share based on pricing and/or envi- Growth in production of heavy crude mostly in China, are gaining importance as
ronmental benefits. One exception is oils has slowed markedly over the last five a marginal supply source.
the Middle East where Purvin & Gertz years. Significant declines were seen in We do not expect that biofuels supply
expects a significant increase in the use Mexico and Venezuela, but increasing will be able to rise to fully meet mandated
of residual fuel oil for water desalination production from other countries such as levels as feedstock, land and food prices
and electric power generation. Angola, Brazil, Colombia and Sudan has rise. Political and financial pressures will
New ship bunker fuel quality require- provided a partial offset. Large invest- continue to cause some countries to scale
ments adopted by the International Mari- ments in refinery conversion capacity back mandate policies as biofuels sup-
time Organization (IMO) will impact the since 2000 allowed refiners to increase ply becomes tighter and more expensive
refining industry as well as the shipping the percentage of heavy crude runs from relative to other alternatives. Third-gen-
and bunker fuel supply industries. In the 15% in 2000 to about 19% in 2005. eration biofuels such as cellulosic ethanol
near term, the most significant impact Heavy crude’s share has not increased and oils derived from algae will continue
will be the fuel substitution (diesel vs. since 2005 and is expected to remain near to develop technologically and commer-
residual fuel oil) requirements of the current levels until 2013 after which a cially, but deployment of new production
IMO regulations for the Environmental gradual rise is expected due to increas- capacity will be slow and only limited
Control Areas (ECAs) in North Europe ing oil production from Canada and the contributions to global supply will be
and North America. Middle East. seen this decade.
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Market Overview by Purvin & Gertz, Inc.
Purvin & Gertz, International Energy Consultants developments in the crude oil and refined products markets; it
Founded in 1947, Purvin & Gertz is an independent con- contains a comprehensive examination of the refining industry
sulting firm providing technical, commercial and strategic advi- and an outlook for prices and refining margins in the major
sory services to a broad range of clients in the energy industry. refining centers of the world through 2030. The Crude Oil
Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the firm maintains an inter- and Oil Sands Market Outlook provides an in-depth analysis
national network of offices in the US, Canada, Europe, Russia, of North American supply and demand for crude oil, refinery
Asia and the Middle East. Purvin & Gertz specializes in serving capacity requirements, and an annual special topic related to
entities involved in the production, processing, transportation, the oil sands. Both of these services are updated annually with
and marketing of crude oil, natural gas and gas liquids, as well quarterly updates of price and margin forecasts. One of our
as petroleum products by offering a range of custom consulting most recent specialized studies is the Residual Fuel Market Out-
services to assist clients in their decision making processes. look, a timely and comprehensive review focusing on the issues
Additionally, Purvin & Gertz offers a variety of interna- of balances and economics of bunker fuel, stationary fuel oil
tional energy market studies that analyze market trends and and residual refinery feedstocks.
provide forecasts of supply, demand, pricing and production Visit our website at www.purvingertz.com for more informa-
economics of key energy commodities in the most relevant tion. Purvin & Gertz is an employee-owned consulting firm,
markets around the world. independent of any parent company, engineering firm, equip-
Our flagship service, the Global Petroleum Market Outlook ment manufacturer or process licensor.
(GPMO), presents an in-depth analysis of long-term trends and
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hydrogenation reaction stages to allow Hydrotreating solutions products in most applications are used as
the hydrocracked product to be hydroge- to meet environmental specs environmentally acceptable clean fuels.
nated in an optimized environment and Hydrotreating technology is designed UOP has offered hydrotreating technol-
enables a co-processing option for other to remove contaminants like sulfur, ogy since the early 1950s, and in 1995
distillate streams. nitrogen, condensed-ring aromatics, and UOP joined forces with Unocal to cre-
metals. The feedstocks processed range ate the Unionfining technology, a high-
Optimize diesel and gasoline from naphtha to vacuum resid, and the performance hydrotreating option. In
production across your
conversion units
The UOP Advanced Partial Conver-
sion Unicracking (APCU) process can
help refiners with existing FCC units to
balance their diesel/gasoline production
in a cost-effective manner. This process
allows production of ultra-low-sulfur die-
sel (ULSD) at low conversion in a lower
pressure design while pretreating FCC
feedstock. The design concept allows the
refiner to optimize hydrogen addition to
FCC feed while maintaining the proper
level of hydrogenation for high-quality
distillate. This innovation is important
because the unit pressure is often set by
the need to produce low-aromatic, high-
cetane diesel, and produces unconverted
oil with a higher than optimal hydrogen
content in the FCC feed, which can result
in higher overall hydrogen consumption.
The APCU process can reduce hydrogen
consumption by 5% to 10% compared to
a conventional mild hydrocracking unit.
Integration of a separate hydrotreating
reactor in the process enables post-treating
of other refinery middle distillate streams
in a single unit.
Integrating your hydroprocessing
unit with other upgrading technologies
can reduce equipment count and utility
requirements for compression, pumping,
and process heating. In one case with a
Mediterranean refiner, UOP, working
closely with the customer, applied an
innovative integrated scheme to optimize
a residue conversion complex. The site
already included a delayed coker, distil-
late hydrotreater, and a coker naphtha
hydrotreater. The solution for optimi-
zation was an innovative integration of
Distillate Unionfining and Unicracking
units, which is projected to deliver greater
than $20 million in additional product
revenue. For this case, a low-pressure
coker naphtha hydrotreater/distillate
hydrotreater reactor section and high-
pressure hydrocracker reactor section were
provided with integrated fractionation
and compression. Overall distillate yields
should increase by six percent.
more recent years, an alliance with Albe- existing units. These revamps can include are necessary for octane quality, careful
marle, the Hydroprocessing Alliance, the addition of reactors, makeup hydro- design of the catalyst properties and pro-
has expanded the capabilities to provide gen purification systems, recycle gas cessing conditions is critical.
optimal solutions using complimentary scrubbers, improved separation systems, UOP can offer an optimized FCC and
strengths from both companies. or innovative integration schemes that gasoline treating complex along with the
Recent regulatory requirements to will maximize product yields and quality SelectFining process and the SelectFining
produce ULSD and low-sulfur gasoline in a cost-efficient manner. S-250 catalyst to enable minimal octane
have created a very dynamic market as loss while meeting stringent gasoline sul-
refiners must build new units or revamp Low-sulfur gasoline production fur targets. This same S-250 catalyst is a
existing assets to produce “green” fuels. Because of feedstock and product competitive drop-in solution for existing
To meet this challenge, UOP’s Clean requirements that refiners are facing, it selective hydrodesulfurization units.
Fuel Technology Center was created and is no longer sufficient to develop tech- The continuous emphasis that UOP
staffed with experts from several engi- nology based on manipulation of bulk has placed on the hydroprocessing process
neering disciplines, working together properties. Technology development and catalyst innovation, and the full suite
with customers to address the refiners’ has reached a level of sophistication that of applications that are offered, has resulted
specific configurations and provide opti- requires understanding the specific reac- in licenses for over 195 hydrocracking
mized and economically attractive solu- tion chemistry and how to control it. units and over 500 hydrotreating units
tions. In recent years, demand for low- One example of this sort of technology worldwide during the almost 60-year his-
sulfur gasoline and ULSD has driven the development is embodied in the UOP tory of these technologies.
advance of these technologies to meet low SelectFining™ Process. This process uses
contaminant specifications. selective hydrodesulfurization of FCC
UOP offers a number of ways to meet naphtha to meet low-sulfur gasoline
these specifications, from simple catalyst specifications while maximizing octane
replacement with the new generation of retention. In order to remove sulfur while
high-activity catalysts to the revamp of retaining the chemical components that
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Catalyst Innovations
Cutting-Edge Catalysts
The current economic climate presents a complex set of just for activity and selectivity goals, but also for the appro-
challenges to refiners. To be effective in providing solutions, priate levels of hydrogenation and product speciation. This
catalyst developers must be prepared to streamline their meth- allows a selective use of hydrogen resources and avoids adding
odology to arrive at optimal solutions in a shorter time period. an excessive amount of hydrogen into boiling ranges where it
The successful catalyst provider must be on the cutting edge of does not add value.
new materials development, characterization, application and In UOP’s newest generation of hydrocracking catalysts,
scale-up. The technological challenge for a catalyst provider varying levels of hydrogenation capability can be found
is to minimize costs and maximize returns for our clients. throughout the activity-selectivity range. Fig. 2 shows a two
UOP has developed a catalyst portfolio that includes a broad dimensional representation of catalysts with a broad range
range of catalysts designed with specific objectives to improve of activity and selectivity. The two colors represent different
refinery profitability. catalyst design strategies with respect to hydrogenation. The
Due to demands for products with more specific require- catalysts shown in red are designed for selective hydrogen
ments, refining technologies, like hydrocracking, are steadily
moving from a characterization of feeds and products based
solely on their bulk physical properties like distillation, grav-
ity, sulfur and nitrogen content to molecular-level definitions
based on classes of individual compounds. As a result of signifi-
cant scientific and technical advances, we have the capabilities
to enhance our understanding, and increase the precision of
controlling conversion reaction chemistry. Hydrocarbon types
can be varied in their proportions depending on product objec-
tives. To achieve outstanding yields and product properties
from processing difficult feedstocks, features like selectivity,
activity, stability, and hydrogenation activity are manipulated
by intelligent adjustment of the fundamental properties of
the catalysts. The strength and distribution of the acid sites
in hydrocracking catalysts must be controlled to provide the
capability to achieve activity and selectivity targets. In balance
with this acid function, the metal function must be optimized
to ensure product quality and activity are maintained over the
entire cycle. In addition to providing optimized acid and metal
functions, the porosity of the catalyst structures must be care-
fully manipulated to allow optimal access and egress for feed
and product molecules. This porosity control becomes particu- Fig. 1. Relationship of activity vs. yield vs. concentration of cracking
larly important when processing heavy feeds and producing components in catalyst development.
maximum yields of distillate products. In the past, this type of
adjustment required a time-consuming set of iterations through
multiple formulation and testing steps, which could take years
to arrive at improved performance. In recent years, driven by
refiner needs for faster development, UOP has constructed a
tool set, the Catalyst Design Engine, based on relationships
drawn from years of experience in hydrocracking. This tool
allows for a first-iteration catalyst formulation, which comes
quite close to meeting performance goals and greatly shortens
the overall development time for successful catalysts.
addition and improved cold flow properties, while the cata- of their refineries. The unit performance data following the
lysts shown in blue are designed for maximum hydrogenation catalyst change shows an activity improvement of 10°C relative
of products and high quality unconverted oil. As new zeolite to the previous cycle with DHC-8. Fig. 3 highlights the HC-
structures and improved metal functionalities are developed, 215LT liquid volume yield advantages compared to DHC-8.
the performance and value of UOP Unicracking catalysts to This refiner is enjoying both an increase in distillate yield
refiners will continue to increase. and an increase in total product volume with the HC-215LT
In order to properly optimize today’s hydrocracking units, catalyst. The increase in middle distillate yield was significant
careful attention must be paid to providing the appropriate even with a more stringent back end diesel cut point (decreased
catalyst and reaction environment for the molecules present at from 370 to 350°C).
all points within the reaction system. The availability of a cata-
lyst portfolio with a broad scope in capabilities allows strategic Capture naphtha and diesel production flexibility
placement of optimum catalysts so that maximum yields of Unicracking HC-185LT catalyst is part of the high-activity
desirable products can be achieved. In the high ammonia, high high-selectivity catalyst family, developed to promote asym-
hydrogen sulfide first-stage environment, multiple catalysts can metric cracking and isomerization of paraffins at the expense
be stacked to minimize over-cracking and reduce quench gas of aromatic saturation. HC-185LT features include:
requirements. Catalysts with acid-metal balances adjusted for • Maximum flexibility to switch between naphtha and diesel
low ammonia environments can be used in the second stage for production within a single catalyst cycle as market conditions
maximum high-quality distillate yields. These and other innova- warrant.
tive applications of new-generation catalysts will be invaluable • Higher diesel yield than catalysts developed for maximum
in meeting the needs of refiners as they face future challenges. naphtha production at a nominal conversion of 30–50 vol% to
While UOP’s new catalysts are being developed with an diesel and lighter products.
increased level of sophistication, the proof of their value comes • Lower hydrogen consumption, 10–20%, compared to
with demonstrated performance. analogous catalysts, while improving cold flow properties in
the distillate range material, as shown in Table 1.
Increase diesel with improved cold flow properties As of 2Q 2010, HC-185LT catalyst is operating in four North
Unicracking HC-215LT catalyst represents the highest die- American hydrocracking units and is demonstrating the excel-
sel selectivity in the catalysts designed for optimum hydrogen lent cold flow properties expected for this catalyst. Commercial
addition and improved cold flow properties. A recent applica- data, as shown in Fig. 4, demonstrates the cloud point response
tion of this catalyst was in a 90% conversion, once-through of diesel with an initial cut point of 340°F with changes to the
Unicracking unit, which had previously used the UOP Uni- end points, indicating the ability to make arctic diesel with an
cracking DHC-8 catalyst. The decision to use HC-215LT was end point of 740°F.
based on the successful performance of this catalyst in another
Shift to higher diesel production
Table 1. Full-Range Distillate Analysis The Unicracking HC-150LT catalyst is a flexible catalyst
that is ideally suited for providing a shift from naphtha to
HC-24L HC-185LT higher diesel production. Compared to Unicracking HC-43LT
Cloud Point, °F 18 7 catalyst, HC-150LT is 10°F more active, consumes 10–15%
Pour Point, °F 16 –11 lower hydrogen with similar product selectivity.
CFPP, °F 19 5 An early application of HC-150LT was in a European refinery
to meet an increasing diesel market demand by shifting their
Fig. 3. Cycle average volumetric product yields for Unicracking Fig. 4. Diesel cloud point vs. final boiling range for Unicracking
catalysts. HC-185LT catalyst.
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Catalyst Innovations
diesel to gasoline ratio. Changing to HC-150LT and a new-gen- significantly improved, resulting in effective and uniform gas
eration pretreating catalyst enabled a significant improvement and liquid mixing, as seen in Fig. 5.
in the diesel yield. This combination of new catalysts enabled The trays are custom designed for each application to ensure
the refiner to process tougher feed and increase the feed rate maximum performance. This is done to ensure that proper
by 5,000 BPSD while maintaining cycle length. The increased functioning/distribution is occurring across the trays in the
selectivity alone generates $6 million of product value over the various modes of operation being considered. This proper
cycle without valuing the greater feedrate and flexibility attained. distribution is important to minimize the radial temperature
The performance in this unit is summarized in Table 2. spread of effluents on top of the catalyst bed, and maintain
even distribution of liquid and vapor throughout an operating
Increased distillate yield with a new cycle. Poorly-designed reactor internals could allow channeling,
second-stage catalyst mal-distribution, and “by-passing”, a phenomenon in which a
HC-205LT is a Unicracking catalyst specifically optimized certain portion of the feedstock passes through a unit without
for producing very high distillate yields in a second-stage significant reaction. If allowed to occur, such a poor design
environment. Relative to the next best alternative catalyst in effectively leads to a higher space velocity, requiring higher
the second-stage application, HC-205LT has been shown to reactor bed temperatures for the same conversion or product
increase total distillate yield by 2–3 wt% and diesel yield by specification. The subsequent outcomes include loss of catalyst
3–5 wt%. In addition, HC-205LT has facilitated producing life, poor product quality, and unscheduled unit shutdowns.
high-quality products while processing heavy, difficult feed- UOP provides on-site support and supervision for reactor
stocks. A recent customer study has shown that these improve- internals installation. Over 440 Albemarle and UOP distribu-
ments for a 50,000 BPSD two-stage Unicracking unit, should tion trays have been installed and operated worldwide since
result in a $3.8 million increase in annual revenue. 1991.
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Technology developments
for improved distillate
yields and quality
In response to the increasing need
for high-capacity, maximum distillate
hydrocracking units, UOP initiated a
technology renewal program to advance
both the process and catalyst technology
for its two-stage Unicracking process.
Advancements in the design of this tech- Fig. 1. Global demand for refined products. Source: Purvin & Gertz
of 2–3 wt% in distillate yield over the more high-quality diesel product. The materials. The product qualities from
next best alternative in the market. The yield increase has been demonstrated on the enhanced two-stage operation are
increase in distillate yield also includes a wide range of feedstocks, including dif- excellent, producing low aromatics, high
a shift in selectivity to produce 3–5 wt% ficult high-nitrogen and high endpoint cetane with ultra low levels of sulfur in
the diesel product as seen in Fig. 1.
Data collected through customer
studies allows UOP to confidently adjust
the optimum conversion and catalyst
configuration for changes in feed qual-
ity and specific operating constraints. In
addition to yield and quality advantages,
this two-stage configuration gives the
refiner tremendous flexibility for adjust-
ing to seasonal or market changes.
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Customer studies database that will enable quick execu- cost efficiently. UOP has worked with
From the existing naphtha hydrocracker tion on performance estimates with hundreds of refiners through the last 50
landscape UOP chose three units to evalu- optimized matching of catalyst features years to develop hydroprocessing revamp
ate via additional pilot plant testing and to customer needs. projects of all magnitudes. This experi-
customer studies. These units were among ence has resulted in the development of
the customer inquiries received by UOP Revamp Engineering. Pre-positioned a variety of revamp engineering services
to increase diesel production from exist- revamp engineering solutions cover the that are tailored to meet refiners needs.
ing naphtha hydrocracker assets. market landscape and identify typical This extensive experience conduct-
The basic approach for each Cus- revamp investment costs. ing process revamps has been on both
tomer Study was to: UOP process technology units as well as
• Evaluate target diesel flexibility Economic Evaluation. This project other units. In the past 10 years alone,
range yielded an economic screening tool that UOP has issued over 50 revamp Sched-
• Optimize catalyst selection and allows cost benefit analysis of potential ule A packages and conducted over 170
operating conditions catalytic and revamp solution options. process and equipment studies in the
• Determine revamp and capital cost Evaluating project cost and product hydroprocessing area.
requirements objectives requires in-depth knowledge Today’s market has shifted to one
• Perform economic evaluation with and application of refinery-wide technolo- with local and seasonal fluctuations in
sensitivity analysis to key drivers gies, evaluating both catalyst and process diesel demand and pricing advantage.
• Summarize key learnings with designs, to meet these new challenges. Naphtha hydrocrackers offer potential
respect to catalyst selection, common UOP’s catalyst recommendations for shifting between gasoline and die-
equipment bottlenecks, and key eco- with respect to naphtha and diesel sel production to capture maximum
nomic drivers production depend primarily on the profit. UOP’s recent investment in
These customer studies covered a broad refiner’s product requirements includ- hydrocracking unit capability develop-
range of unit configurations enabling the ing max naphtha production, max die- ment allows for a rapid response with
development of pre-positioned solutions sel production, or the ability to flexibly prepositioned solutions to address this
that are applicable to the overall market switch between naphtha and diesel pro- situation. UOP offers refiners a proven
landscape. Translating the knowledge duction. Hydrocracking catalysts can be partner in the quest for naphtha/diesel
gained from this project into tools that simply classified by activity and selectiv- flexibility or maximizing diesel produc-
can successfully address customer inqui- ity to distillate yield. UOP continues to tion from existing hydrocracker assets.
ries was the final critical step. develop its Unicracking catalysts across In addition, UOP is continuously push-
the entire range of product objectives. ing the state-of-the-art in process and
The key outputs of the project have Refiners looking to address market catalyst development as evidenced by
expanded capabilities in three key areas: trends must work with partners that can innovative new configurations including
offer a full breadth of catalyst solutions the Enhanced Two-Stage Unicracking
Performance Estimating. UOP as well as a strong understanding of how technology for maximum distillate yields
has established an expanded pilot plant to revamp existing assets effectively and and flexibility.
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complex, Tüpraş initiated a further opti- the company’s broad, cross-discipline The UOP solution is projected to
mization step to refine the basis for the expertise in technology, processes and cata- deliver significant improvement in on-
final design. Working closely with the lysts to create a solution that addressed all spec distillate yields, resulting in more
Tüpraş project team, UOP optimized the of the customer’s priorities and concerns. than $20 million in incremental annual
operating conditions and configuration By integrating the Unionfining and revenue for the refinery, compared to
of the integrated unit. This led to a fur- Unicracking units, the UOP approach other proposed approaches. Further
ther step increase in the yield of valuable will save Tüpraş an estimated $30 million improvements may be possible after the
distillate products. in capital costs and improve net present units come online in the 2014 timeframe
By working closely with the Tüpraş value by about $50 million, according to as even more efficient commercial cata-
team, UOP specialists were able to apply a Tüpraş estimate. lysts become available.
Processing Fischer-Tropsch
liquids for high-cetane diesel
and no-sulfur jet fuel
The abundance of coal, natural gas
and biomass available today is driving
interest in the use of FT technology to
produce quality transportation fuels. The
UOP upgrading technology can produce
premium quality, no-sulfur jet and die-
sel fuels with cetane numbers in the 70's
from the FT liquids.
UOP’s experience in the characteriza-
tion and testing of FT-derived liquids
began several decades ago, when UOP
was contracted by the US Department
of Energy to provide assistance in the
upgrading of FT synthesis products.
This work was performed in UOP’s
pilot plant facilities in Riverside and Des
Plaines, Illinois. Since that time, UOP
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has extended its knowledge of FT liquids ment with intermediate oil storage. The operation in Parachute Creek, Colorado.
upgrading through extensive pilot plant process uses efficient catalytic conver- This site operated a 10,000-bpsd shale
testing of FT liquids derived from both sion or removal of contaminants such as retorting and upgrading facility from
cobalt fixed-bed and iron slurry FT pro- chlorinated, sulfurous, and oxygenated 1983 until 1991.
cesses. These programs have yielded the organic compounds and polyaromatic In 1995, UOP acquired the technol-
identification of UOP-proprietary cata- hydrocarbons, and manages all sulfu- ogy and began development efforts to
lyst systems, which can optimize product rous and odorous compounds to elimi- address the significant challenges related
yields as well as the production of high- nate malodorous and toxic emissions. to processing shale oil. Contaminants like
quality diesel and jet fuels. It allows production of deeply desulfur- shale fines, arsenic, and unusually high
Although process selection may vary ized and saturated base oil and distillate contents of olefins, aromatics, nitrogen,
depending upon processing objectives and fuel products. and sulfur were the key issues that had to
desired product slate, UOP-designed FT Conventional base oil production be addressed.
liquids upgrading facilities will typically methods are energy intensive, consume Renewed interest in processing shale
include combinations of the UOP FT a diminishing fossil fuel resource, and oil in the US, China, Jordan and Esto-
Unionfining, Unicracking and the UOP place a large burden on the environment. nia has driven further improvements to
Catalytic Dewaxing process technologies. The HyLube Process rejuvenates used oil both catalytic and process technologies
This technology combination allows: to higher product standards meeting the in order to meet Euro Diesel specifica-
• Stabilization of the FT liquid’s growing need for higher quality base oils. tions. Today, UOP is working with cli-
lighter fraction, by reducing its bromine ents in the US and Europe where energy
number and converting its oxygen-con- Converting shale oil to security issues are driving further devel-
taining components, to produce a stor- transportation fuels opments. Many of these clients have
able naphtha-range product In some regions of the world, shale long histories of producing fuel oil from
• Conversion of the heavier portion oil is a significant resource, which can be shale, but they need expertise in order
of the FT liquid’s lighter fraction to pro- converted into high-quality liquid fuels to improve the quality of the material
duce jet- or diesel-range blending com- with the proper processing solutions. The for transportation use. UOP’s propri-
ponents estimated number of barrels of oil reserves etary advanced catalyst systems provide
• Stabilization of the FT liquid’s from shale in the US alone is over 2 tril- the ability to upgrade the various quali-
heavier wax fraction by reducing its bro- lion. Catalytic and process technology ties of shale oil into products including
mine number and oxygen content for the treatment of shale oil was devel- high yields of blendable Euro-quality
• Conversion of the FT liquid’s oped by Unocal to support a commercial distillate.
heavier wax fraction to produce jet- or
diesel-range blending components
• Improvement of the cold flow prop-
erties of the FT liquid’s lighter fraction to
enable it to be included in the diesel or jet
blending pool.
Backed by over 50 years of hydroprocessing innovations, UOP offers the best and most advanced solutions
to keep your business one step ahead.