Professional Documents
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Distillation
Chapter 4
Crude Distillation Technologies
Provider Features
Foster Wheeler Complex of atmospheric & vacuum distilation for
Shell Global Solutions initial separation of crude oil. May include preflash
TECHNIP column.
Uhde GmbH Vaccum distillation
3
Typical Crude Tower Cut Points
Light Naphtha
80 to 90 180 to 220
(LSR Gasoline)
Distillate
330 to 380 420 to 520
(Kerosene)
AGO
420 to 520 650
(Atm Gas Oil)
LVGO
650 800
(Light Vac Gas Oil)
HVGO
800 950 to 1100
(Heavy Vac Gas Oil)
Vacuum Resid 950 to 1100
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Typical Overall Efficiencies
Typical Typical No. of Drickamer &
Typical No. of
Column Service Overall Theoretical Viscosity Maxwell Bradford in
Actual Trays
Efficiency Trays Ludwig
Simple Absorber/Stripper 20 – 30 20 – 30 Molal Ave
Ave Viscosity of
Steam Side Stripper 5 – 7 2 cP
liquid on plates
Viscosity of Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers, 4th ed.
Feed
Reboiled Side Stripper 7 – 10 3 – 4 Carl Branan, Gulf Professional Publishing, 2005
Reboiled Absorber 20 – 40 40 – 50 0.05 … 98
0.10 104 79
Deethanizer 25 – 35 65 – 75
0.15 86 70
Depropanizer 35 – 40 70 – 80
0.20 76 60
Debutanizer 38 – 45 85 – 90
0.30 63 50
Alky DeiC4 (reflux) 75 – 90 85 – 90 0.40 56 42
Alky DeiC4 (no reflux) 55 – 70 55 – 65 0.50 50 36
Naphtha Splitter 25 – 35 70 – 75 0.60 46 31
C2 Splitter 110 – 130 95 – 100 0.70 43 27
C3 Splitter 200 – 250 95 – 100 0.80 40 23
C4 Splitter 70 – 80 85 – 90 0.90 38 19
Amine Contactor 20 – 24 4 – 5 1.00 36 17 Engineering Data Book, 12th ed.
Amine Stripper 20 – 24 45 ‐ 55 9 – 12 1.50 30 7 Gas Processors Association, 2004
Crude Distillation 35 – 50 50 – 60 20 – 30 1.70 28 5
Stripping Zone 5 – 7 30 2
st
Flash Zone – 1 draw 3 – 7 30 1 – 2
st nd
1 Draw – 2 Draw 7 – 10 45 – 50 3 – 5
2nd Draw – 3rd Draw 7 – 10 50 – 55 3 – 5
Top Draw – Reflux 10 – 12 60 – 70 6 – 8
Vacuum Column (G.O. Operation)
Stripping 2 – 4 1
Flash Zone – HGO Draw 2 – 3 1 – 2
HGO Section 3 – 5 2
LGO Section 3 – 5 2
FCC Main Fractionator 24 – 35 50 – 60 13 – 17
Quench Zone 5 – 7 2
Quench – HGO Draw 3 – 5 2 – 3
HGO – LCGO 6 – 8 3 – 5
LCGO – Top 7 – 10 5 – 7
Refinery Process Modeling
Gerald Kaes, Athens Printing Company., 2000, pg. 32
5
Topics
• Crude Stills
Historically the oldest refining process
Only the first step in crude oil processing
• Purpose
To recover light materials
Fractionate into sharp light fractions
• Configuration — May be as many as three columns in series
Crude Stabilizer/Preflash Column
• Reduce traffic in the Atmospheric Column
Atmospheric Column
Vacuum Column
• Reduced pressure to keep temperatures below 650F
• Product Yield Curves
6
Typical Configuration
Atmospheric Column w/o Preflash
Refining Overview – Petroleum Processes & Products,
by Freeman Self, Ed Ekholm, & Keith Bowers, AIChE CD‐ROM, 2000
8
Crude Electrostatic Desalting
Drawing by Milton Beychok
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/File:Desalter_Diagram.png
BFDs from:
Refining Overview – Petroleum Processes & Products,
by Freeman Self, Ed Ekholm, & Keith Bowers, AIChE CD‐ROM, 2000
9
Direct Fired Heater
Ref:
“Useful tips for fired heater optimisation”
Bishop & Hamilton, Petroleum Technology Quarterly, Q2 2012
10
Fractionation Columns & Trays
Drawings by Henry Padleckas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractionating_column
11
Fractionation Columns Tray Types
http://www.termoconsult.com/empresas/acs/fractionation_trays.htm
12
Trays & Packing
http://www.ec21.com/product-details/Tower-Internals--3942077.html
13
Feed Preheat Train & Desalter
• Feed Preheat Train • Desalter
Initial heat exchange with streams from Temperature carefully selected — do not let
within the tower water vaporize
• Heat recovery important to distillation • Lighter crudes (> 40API) @ 250F
economics!
• Heavier crudes (< 30API) @ 300F
- First absorb part of the overhead
condensation load All crudes contain salts (NaCl, MgCl, …)
- Exchange with one or more of the • Salt present in the emulsified water
liquid sides streams, beginning with
the top (coldest) side stream. • Treated in the field with heat & chemicals to
break oil water emulsions.
Final heating in a direct fired heater
• Salt can cause damage to equipment
• Heat enough to vaporize light portions
of the crude but temperature kept low - Scale in heat exchangers
to minimize thermal cracking - HCl formation can lead to corrosion
- Inlet typically 550F - Metals can poison refinery catalysts
- Outlet 600 to 750F.
Remove salts & dissolved metals & dirt
Heavier crudes cannot be heated to
the higher temperatures • Oil mixed with fresh wash water & demulsifiers.
Separation in electrostatic settling drum
Wash water up to 10% of crude charge
• ~ 90% of the water can be recovered
Effluent water treated for benzene
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Atmospheric Distillation Summary
• Column Configuration
Condenser … Side draws
• Partial condenser if no Stabilizer Side strippers
Column.
• “Clean up” side products
• Total condenser if Stabilizer Column to
remove light ends. Stripping steam
… but no reboiler. • Reduce hydrocarbon partial pressure
• Removed as a second liquid phase in the
• Feed preheat exchanger train
condenser’s accumulator
• All of the heat to drive the column
- Conditions set so it doesn’t condense
comes from the hot feed.
within the column – can lead to foaming
- As much as 50% of the incoming
- Must be treated as sour water
crude may be flashed.
Pumparounds
• Move cooling down column.
• Liquid returned above draw tray
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Atmospheric Distillation Summary
• Wash Zone • Side Draws & Strippers
Couple trays between flash zone & gas oil “Cut point” related to final boiling point of
draw. draw stream
Reflux to wash resins & other heavy Side strippers remove light component
materials that may contaminate the “tail” & return to main column
products.
Steam strippers traditional
• Condenser Reboiled strippers reduce steam usage &
Typically 0.5 to 20 psig. associated sour water
Balancing act • Trays & Pressure Profile
Low pressures reduce compression on Typically 32 trays in tower
overhead system
0.1 to 0.2 psi per tray
High pressures decrease vaporization but
increase Condenser & accumulator
flash zone temperatures & furnace duty; 3 to 10 psi across condenser
affects yields
Liquid static head in accumulator
• Pumparounds
Typically 6 to 16 psi across entire column.
Reduces overhead condenser load &
achieves more uniform tower loadings
Provides liquid reflux below liquid draws
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Vacuum Distillation
Drawings from:
Refining Overview – Petroleum Processes & Products,
by Freeman Self, Ed Ekholm, & Keith Bowers, AIChE CD‐ROM, 2000
17
Vacuum Distillation Summary
• Column Configuration • Feed
Vacuum conditions to keep operating Atmospheric residuum
temperatures low
Large diameter column All vapor comes from the heated feed
Very low density gasses Under vacuum (0.4 psi)
Condenser for water vapor Separate higher boiling materials at lower
Liquid reflux from pumparounds temperatures
No reboiler • Minimize thermal cracking
Stripping steam may be used • Products
Needed for deep cuts (1100F)
May have multiple gas oils
• Usually recombined downstream to FCCU via
hydrotreating
Vacuum resid
• Blended — asphalt, heavy fuel oil
• Further processing — thermal, solvent
- Choice depends on products & types of crude
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Vacuum Distillation Summary
• Dry System • Steam Ejectors & Vacuum Pumps
1050F+ cut temperature & no stripping Vacuum maintained on tower overhead
steam
Steam systems considered more reliable
Smaller tower diameters
Waste steam is sour & must be treated
Reduced sour water production
Combinations systems — Last steam stage
Pressure profile replaced with a vacuum pump
Flash zone: 20‐25 mmHg abs & 750 to
770F.
Top of tower: 10 mmHg abs
• Deep Cut System
1100F+ cut temperature & stripping
steam
Steam reduces hydrocarbon partial
pressures
Pressure profile
• Flash zone: 30 mmHg abs
• HC partial pressure 10‐15 mmHg abs
• Top of tower: 15 mmHg abs
Drawing from http://www.enotes.com/topic/Injector
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Crude Distillation Unit Costs
• Atmospheric column includes • Vacuum column includes
Side cuts with strippers Facilities for single vacuum gas oil
All battery limits process facilities 3‐stage vacuum jet system at 30 – 40 mmHg
Heat exchange to cool products to ambient temperature Heat exchange to cool VGO to ambient temperature
Central control system
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Topics
• Crude Stills
Historically the oldest refining process
Only the first step in crude oil processing
• Purpose
To recover light materials
Fractionate into sharp light fractions
• Configuration — May be as many as three columns in series
Crude Stabilizer/Preflash Column
• Reduce traffic in the Atmospheric Column
Atmospheric Column
Vacuum Column
• Reduced pressure to keep temperatures below 650F
• Product Yield Curves
21
Crude Tower Products
Crude
TBP Yield
°F wt% Gasoline Naphtha Kerosene Gas Oil Residue
140 4.00 24.80
176 6.50 40.30 1000
TBP [°F]
500 35.57 98.54 22.68 0.30
500 Naphtha
536 38.98 99.88 39.77 0.62
572 42.34 56.05 1.31
400 Gasoline
608 45.67 70.54 2.63
644 48.98 82.47 4.84
300
680 52.16 90.99 8.04
716 55.18 95.66 12.35
200
752 58.15 97.99 17.40
788 61.12 99.13 22.90
100
824 63.99 99.62 28.43
860 66.74 99.84 33.91
0
896 69.37 99.95 39.03 0 20 40 60 80 100
932 71.77 43.81 Yield [wt%]
100.00 16.13 7.01 8.21 18.43 50.22
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Scale to Fraction of Crude Charge
Crude
TBP Yield
°F wt% Gasoline Naphtha Kerosene Gas Oil Residue
140 4.00 4
176 6.50 6.5 1000
TBP [°F]
500 35.57 31.23 35.53 49.93
500
536 38.98 31.34 38.68 50.09
572 42.34 41.68 50.44
400
608 45.67 44.35 51.1
644 48.98 46.55 52.21 Crude
300
680 52.16 48.12 53.82 Gasoline
716 55.18 48.98 55.98 Naphtha
200
752 58.15 49.41 58.52 Kerosene
788 61.12 49.62 61.28 Gas Oil
100
824 63.99 49.71 64.06 Residue
860 66.74 49.75 66.81 0
896 69.37 49.77 69.38 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
932 71.77 71.78 Yield [wt%]
100.00 16.13 23.14 31.35 49.78 100
Increment 16.13 7.01 8.21 18.43 50.22
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Summary
• Refinery capacity based on charge to crude distillation complex
Increase capacity with Pre‐flash column
• Complex column configurations
No reboilers, heat from feed furnaces
• Reuse heat via heat exchange between feed & internal column streams
Side draws, pumparounds, side strippers
• Pumparounds required to ensure liquid reflux within the column
Stripping steam
3‐phase condensers
• Condensed water will have hydrocarbons & dissolved acid gases
• Vacuum column to increase the effective cut points
Vacuum columns large diameter to keep vapor velocities low
Vacuum gas oils recombined – only separated for operating considerations
• Pressure drops are important, especially in the vacuum column
• Steam stripping aids in separation without cracking
• Metals are undesirable. Can remove some metals via desalters.
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