Energy savings in preheat trains
with preflash
An eastern European refinery combined pinch technology and process simulation
to achieve the most cost effective energy savings
CHRIS BEALING, JUAN GOMEZ-PRADO and JIM SHELDON
KBC Process Technology
I
ncreasing global competition and
more stringent regulation on
greenhouse gas emissions have
pushed refineries to look for availa-
ble methods to reduce their carbon
footprint and energy bill in a cost
effective manner. In this regard,
crude distillation units (CDU) are
particularly important as this type
of unit typically accounts for
approximately 25% of an existing
refinery’s total energy consump-
tion. This shows the need to
improve the economic efficiency of
the operation, which is key for
overall site energy efficiency.
Pinch technology is one of the
ways to improve economic effi-
ciency and reduce carbon footprint.
‘Energy pinch’ is a well established,
rigorous, structured, thermody-
namic approach for identifying
energy efficiency opportunities that
can be used to tackle a wide range
of such process and utility related
problems as, for example, reducing
operating costs, debottlenecking
processes, and improving energy
efficiency. However, traditional
pinch techniques alone do not
allow the rigorous assessment of
the impact on the overall heat and
material balance of modifying the
inlet conditions of existing preflash
drums/towers. Therefore, unless
inlet conditions to the preflash
remain unchanged, a combination
of traditional pinch techniques and
process simulators should be used
when evaluating energy savings
projects on CDU preheat trains
with preflash. For these tasks, KBC
uses its in-house software
SuperTarget for determining energy
saving ideas and Petro-SIM (KBC’s
process simulator) for evaluating
www.eptq.com
400
DT = 30ºC
Qh = 89.0
Qc = 64.6
300
Temperature, ºC
200
CDU TPA
100
CDU ovhds
Preflash ovhds
Raw crude
0
0 50
Figure 1 Composite curves
the effect of any changes to product
yields, as well as confirming possi-
ble fuel savings.
This article gives a brief introduc-
tion to energy pinch and illustrates
how combining pinch with process
know-how helps to overcome the
challenge of achieving energy
savings on CDUs with preflash.
CDUs separate and recover the
relatively lighter fractions from
fresh crude oil charge, while the
vacuum distillation unit processes
the crude distillation bottoms to
produce an increased yield of
liquid distillates and heavy residual
material. The function of a preflash
device (either drum or tower) is
simply to remove light components
of the crude before entering the
CDU furnace. While the vapour
stream is then sent either to the
furnace outlet, to a desired location
in the crude column, or to down-
stream columns (such as
debutanisers) for further separation
after being mixed with naphtha
from the CDU, flashed crude, in its
Atm resid to VDU
Vac resid
Flashed crude
VDU MPA
CDU BPA
HVGO Desalted crude
LGO
Desalted crude
Hot composite
Cold composite
100 150 200 250 300
Enthalpy, Gcal/h
turn, is either sent directly to the
CDU furnace or to a preheat train
for further heating before being
sent to the furnace.
Crude units account for approxi-
mately 25% of a refinery’s total
liquid fuel consumption. Their
operation is, therefore, key in terms
of a refinery’s overall energy effi-
ciency. Over the last few years,
high fuel prices in addition to an
ever more carbon-conscious opera-
tion have driven refiners to look for
ways to improve the energy effi-
ciency of their units, in particular of
CDU preheat trains, as one of the
few available avenues for effective
cost reduction.
What is pinch technology?
Pinch technology is a systematic
approach that analyses all process
heating and cooling demands in
terms of quantity (duty) and qual-
ity (temperature). The study of
these factors ensures that all oppor-
tunities to recover waste heat
within a process are identified and
PTQ Q2 2016 81
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 VDU TPA/Vac Diesel LVGO
303.2t/h 33.2t/h
173.4ºC 243.2ºC

Desalter water Cold feed to K1

338.4t/h 114.2ºC 127.3ºC 40.0t/h 117.6ºC
Crude
20.3ºC T1-1/2 T3 80.0ºC
787.0t/h 16.6Gcal/h 2.4Gcal/h
12.3kg/cm2 To T9-1
80.0ºC 120.0ºC 121.0ºC
182.4ºC
to T37 to T38
To T30 205.0ºC
117.4ºC
448.6t/h 50.0ºC 85.9ºC 88.0ºC 116.2ºC 117.6ºC
T2-1 T4-1 T2-2 T4-2
6.0Gcal/h 8.1Gcal/h 0.3Gcal/h 6.7Gcal/h
CDU TPA CDU MPA
180.9t/h 158.0ºC 281.8t/h
to T32 184.8ºC
173.1ºC 241.5ºC
VDU MPA draw
393.3t/h CDU BPA
289.9ºC 64.9t/h
X-2 X-1 299.3ºC
16.2Gcal/h 9.0Gcal/h
Cold feed 235.0ºC 145.6ºC 348.0t/h
117.6ºC T10-1/2 T5-1/2
20.7Gcal/h 5.7Gcal/h
To T46
208.0ºC 229.1ºC 162.9ºC
K10 MPA return/draw to T39 to T31
K-1
Preflash column 237.7ºC 240.0ºC 10.9t/h
T54
11.4t/h 0.9Gcal/h
184.6ºC 342.6ºC To T42
Stop Wax 202.7ºC
360.0ºC 345.0ºC
240.5ºC 130.0ºC 324.7t/h
T7-1/2/3 T6
295.4ºC 23.6Gcal/h 2.3Gcal/h

N1-2/3 N1-1 207.8t/h 29.2t/h

AR to VDU furnace
62.6Gcal/h 18.3Gcal/h 363.2ºC 323.8ºC
VacRes HGO

732.6t/h
263.3ºC

Figure 2 Preheat train configuration

maximised, reducing the demand between the two composite curves additional capacity was required.
for hot and cold utilities. The in the plot. By doing this, the crude coil inlet
fundamental principle behind this As mentioned previously, in the temperature (CIT) to the CDU
technology is the ability to match case of preheat trains with preflash furnace increased and the CDU
individual demands for a commod- devices, traditional pinch tech- furnace was debottlenecked.
ity (in this case heat) with a suitable niques alone do not account for However, this represents a major
supply. One of the principal tools changes to the heat and material operational inefficiency, as much of
used in pinch analysis is composite balance that result from modifying the heat introduced to the system
curves (see Figure 1). the crude inlet conditions to the by the preflash furnace is lost to the
The basic principle of their gener- preflash device. Therefore, unless preflash overhead coolers.
ation is as follows: the process inlet conditions to the preflash In order to analyse the alterna-
streams to be analysed are first remain as for the base case, a tives to improve the performance of
divided into sources and sinks, combination of traditional pinch the preheat train, a simulation of
corresponding to hot and cold techniques and process simulators the crude unit (preheat train and
streams. The hot and cold streams should be used when evaluating columns) using Petro-SIM based on
are then plotted in terms of quality energy saving ideas. DCS data provided by the refiner
(temperature) against quantity The case study presented in this and KBC’s own crude assay data
(heat duty). The resulting curves article corroborated the statement was developed. The SuperTarget
enclose a representation of the that a combined approach (pinch software tool was used to extract
amount of heat in the process and technology/process simulator) the relevant energy data and to
the temperature range over which should be followed to avoid determine the best possible options
it is available. misevaluating possible savings. to improve the CDU’s energy
By combining these curves on one performance.
diagram, the minimum amount of Energy optimisation of a CDU While performing the energy eval-
hot and cold utility requirements (or preheat train with a preflash tower uation of the existing design, it was
targets) can be determined. Process The authors performed a strategic noticed that the vacuum residue
heat recovery is possible where the energy review on a crude distilla- (VR) is used to preheat the crude
hot and cold composite curves over- tion unit, in a 7 million t/y Eastern through various heat exchangers
lap. The remainder of the heat European refinery, aimed at before being sent to the air cooler at
balance must be made up by exter- improving the energy efficiency of 180°C, where its heat is lost to the
nal hot and cold utilities. Comparing the unit. The preheat train configu- atmosphere. According to the pinch
this target with the actual utility ration of this unit is illustrated in analysis, the simplest and most cost
consumption quantifies the scope Figure 2. At the time of the study, effective way to debottleneck the
for savings achievable. The ‘pinch’ the CDU furnace was bottlenecked CDU furnace would be to recover
that gives its name to the technology and the preflash reboiler (a fired this waste heat against the crude.
is the point of the closest approach heater) was fired up at times when The most efficient way of doing this

www.eptq.com PTQ Q2 2016 83

 117.6ºC
Desalted crude
To T2-2

VDU MPA draw

393.3t/h CDU BPA
289.9ºC 64.8t/h
X-1 299.3ºC
6.2Gcal/h
Cold feed 235.0ºC 145.6ºC 348.0t/h
117.3ºC T10-1/2 T5-1/2
20.7Gcal/h 6.7Gcal/h
To T46
208.0ºC 229.1ºC 208.0ºC
K10 MPA return/draw to T39 to T31
K-1
Preflash column 222.1ºC 240.0ºC 10.9t/h
T54
156.0ºC 11.4t/h 0.5Gcal/h 155.0ºC
342.6ºC
To T42 Stop Wax
360.0ºC Vac Res 345.0ºC 253.2ºC
To K-2
207.6t/h 130.0ºC 240.5ºC 344.2t/h
363.2ºC
T6 T7-1/2/3
276.2ºC 1.4Gcal/h 16.9Gcal/h
Relocated exchanger
N1-2/3 N1-1 23.2t/h
56.8Gcal/h 19.8Gcal/h 323.8ºC
HGO

New heat exchanger 736.2t/h

NEW 255.5ºC
Relocated heat exchanger New exchanger 10.0Gcal/h 296.0ºC
(area 760m2)

Figure 3 Heat recovery from vacuum residue

is by installing a new heat exchanger downstream of the Therefore, having defined this structural change
preflash column (see Figure 3). to the heat exchanger network using pinch tech-
Pinch techniques alone would mis-estimate energy niques, the full system must then be optimised based
savings. Deviations occur as the interactions within the on process simulation. This is done to capture the
preflash tower cannot be captured by pinch effect of changes to the preflash feed inlet
techniques: temperature.
• Preflash reboiler duty will change to meet product A full evaluation of this project was carried out
specifications. using a Petro-SIM simulation of the system (CDU
• Preflash reboiler duty is not a direct function of preheat train and columns). It was found out that this
crude inlet temperature, as part of the feed heat is lost project will increase the crude CIT to ~276°C, which
to the preflash overhead coolers. represents a reduction in the CDU furnace absorbed
duty of 5.8 Gcal/h. However, the preflash reboiler
absorbed duty will increase by 1.5 Gcal/h as the crude
temperature to the preflash will decrease. The overall
fuel saving is worth $1.2 million per year.
The most efficient solution (see Figure 4), which
maximises the heat recovery of the unit, was also eval-
uated. However, in times when budgets are tight,
pinch technology together with process know-how can
help to identify simple solutions that lead to significant
savings. In this case study, the option presented above
offers around 40% of the maximum fuel saving at a
fraction of the cost.
It should be mentioned that, although the crude
temperature to the preflash tower decreases for the
simple project option, the Petro-SIM simulation of the
system confirms that product specifications are still
met. A following article in this series will show that in
some cases decreasing the crude temperature to the
preflash device could also be beneficial from the yield
point of view.

Conclusion
Pinch technology is a well established and powerful
tool that offers a systematic approach to the identifica-
tion of cost effective energy reduction opportunities in
all industrial sectors. However, in complex systems
such as crude preheat trains with preflash drums/
towers, while pinch analysis has a critical role to play,
it does not account for the effect changes on the
preflash inlet temperature will have on the overall heat
and mass balance of the system.
Therefore, while pinch technology can identify

84 PTQ Q2 2016 www.eptq.com

 VDU TPA/Vac Diesel Kerosene LVGO
272.2t/h 92.1t/h 33.3t/h
172.2ºC 192.9ºC 247.3ºC
New exchanger Cold feed to K1
(area 200m2) 63.0t/h Draw to T39 VDU MPA return
Desalter water 162.2ºC
338.4t/h 110.3ºC 126.2ºC 138.4ºC 40.0t/h 119.6ºC 231.8t/h
Crude
60.0ºC 91.5t/h 209.8ºC
20.3ºC T1-1/2 T-NEW4 T3
787.0t/h 14.6Gcal/h 2.5Gcal/h 2.3Gcal/h
11.0barg 72.7ºC 140.3ºC 131.9ºC 123.4ºC 166.0ºC CDU MPA
to T37 to T27 to T38 To T9-1 New exchanger New exchanger
9.5barg (area 1000m2) 281.9t/h (area 800m2)
To T30 150.0ºC 242.2ºC
117.4ºC 167.7ºC
448.6t/h 71.7ºC 93.8ºC 111.7ºC 136.0ºC 162.3ºC 182.7ºC 179.9ºC
T2-1 T4-1 T4-2 T2-2 T-NEW3 T-NEW2 8.6barg 4.5barg
Additional exchanger 10.7Gcal/h 5.0Gcal/h 4.2Gcal/h Relocated exchanger 6.5Gcal/h 10.9Gcal/h 9.0Gcal/h
(area 250m2) CDU TPA and additional area (700m2)
137.5ºC 102.3ºC
180.9t/h 192.3ºC
to T32 254.0t/h
173.1ºC
208.3ºC
140.0t/h
237.0ºC
CDU BPA
65.4t/h
X-2 X-1 308.2ºC
11.1Gcal/h 12.1Gcal/h
Cold feed 252.0ºC 195.4ºC 368.8t/h
119.6ºC T10-1/2 T5-1/2
14.7Gcal/h 4.1Gcal/h
To T46
394.0t/h 229.1ºC 308.2ºC
294.2ºC to T31
K-1
Preflash column VDU MPA / HVGO draw 261.9ºC 11.6t/h
342.7ºC
3.5barg T54
11.4t/h 0.7Gcal/h
208.3ºC 342.6ºC To T42
Stop Wax 239.4ºC
360.9ºC Vac Res 360.0ºC
203.0t/h 231.9ºC 186.2ºC 344.2t/h
363.7ºC
T7-1/2/3 T6
295.4ºC 11.0Gcal/h 1.5Gcal/h

N1-2/3 N1-1 207.8t/h 32.3t/h

AR to VDU furnace
44.7Gcal/h 19.0Gcal/h 363.2ºC 307.9ºC
VacRes HGO

New heat exchanger 714.7t/h

T-NEW1 0.0ºC
Relocated heat exchanger New exchanger 9.3Gcal/h 296.0ºC
Additional area (area 1200m2)

Figure 4 The most cost effective solution

prospective areas of improvement • Reduce operating costs Applied Thermal Engineering, 29, 2009, 1642-
1647.
to the design of the heat exchanger • Satisfy plant operating constraints.
network, it is only by combining it Chris Bealing is a Principal Consultant with
with process simulation and the Further reading over 20 years of experience working in KBC’s
appropriate process know-how that 1 Hydrocarbon Processing, Refining Processes Energy Services group in the UK. He holds a
the full system can be optimised. 2006 Handbook. Master’s degree in chemical engineering from
This combined approach has been 2 Linnhoff B et al, User Guide on Process Imperial College, London.
demonstrated to: Integration for the Efficient Use of Energy, Email: cbealing@kbcat.com
• Find generally optimum ways to Institution of Chemical Engineers, UK, 1982. Juan Gomez-Prado is a Senior Consultant
improve a refinery’s economic 3 Smith R, Chemical Process Design and at KBC Process Technology in the UK. He
Integration, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd, UK, 2005. holds a chemical engineering degree from
efficiency
4 KBC Process Technology Ltd, Pinch the Universidad Simón Bolívar and Master’s
• Establish more realistic savings
Technology foundation course training manual, and Doctoral degrees from the University of
than traditional pinch techniques Manchester. Email: jgomez-prado@kbcat.com
2009.
alone can achieve as interactions 5 KBC Process Technology Ltd, Best Technology Jim Sheldon is a Principal Consultant with 33
within the preflash tower are White Paper, 2007. years of experience in many aspects of process
included 6 Sloley A, Crude Petroleum Distillation, The consulting with KBC Process Technology in
• Optimise capital investment – Distillation Group, Inc., 2002. the UK. He holds a BSc and PhD in chemical
identify simple solutions that lead 7 Errico M et al, Energy Saving in a Crude engineering from Birmingham University.
to tangible savings Distillation Unit by a Preflash Implementation, Email: JSheldon@kbcat.com

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