UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

ASSIGNMENT 1 (CO1, PO3, C6)

COURSE : CPE656 Petroleum Refining Engineering
SEMESTER : 20242
TOTAL MARKS : 20%
RELEASE : 28 March 2024 (week 3)
DEADLINE : 26 April 2024 (week 5)

Question (CO1, PO3, C6)

Crude oil is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons that serves as the primary feedstock for
various downstream processes in the petroleum refining industry. Understanding the
properties and behaviour of crude oil is crucial for designing efficient and safe refining
processes. A distillation column is an essential piece of equipment in the crude oil
refining process. It functions similarly to a still, separating the oil into its many chemical
components based on volatility.

Table 1: List of crude oil assay.

Crude name Crude oil assay
Tapis crude_oil_tapis_assay_pdf_new.pdf (exxonmobil.com)
Oseberg blend crude_oil_oseberg_blend_assay.pdf (exxonmobil.com)
Brent blend crude_oil_brent_blend_assay_pdf.pdf (exxonmobil.com)
Gorgon crude_oil_gorgon_assay_pdf.pdf (exxonmobil.com)
Zafiro blend crude_oil_zafiro_blend_assay.pdf (exxonmobil.com)

Table 1 shows the crude oil assays of various crude oils. The assay provides critical
information on the suitability of crude oil for a particular refinery and estimates the
desired product yields and quality. Crude oil assay is necessary to determine the value
and processability of crude oil. This analysis is the first stage before processing crude
oil in the refinery. As a process design engineer, you have been assigned to write a short
report on the preliminary design of the separation stage for one crude oil. Listed are the
items to be included in the short report.

1. According to the given crude oil assay, compile four (4) chemical and four (4)
physical properties of crude oil with an explanation in an appropriate table.
2. Develop a process flow diagram of a complete separation stage in a crude oil
refinery based on crude oil characteristics in item 1.

3. Propose with appropriate justification a preliminary design of a crude distillation

unit (CDU) to separate your crude oil. Your preliminary design must include (a) the
type of column, (b) the column's internal, (c) the operating pressure, and (d) the
degree of separation.

4. Describe four (4) safety and health considerations of the CDU unit based on your
preliminary design in item 3.

Instruction
1. This assignment is an individual assignment.
2. You need to write a short report for only one crude oil as listed below:

Crude name Group, No. in name list (CPE656 20242 - Google Sheets)
Tapis EH2438A, from 1 to 8
Oseberg blend EH2438B, from 1 to 7
Brent blend EH2438A, from 9 to 17
Gorgon EH2438B, from 8 to 14
Zafiro blend EH2438B, from 15 to 20

3. The short report must include a title page, table of contents, references list and
marking rubric.
4. The short report should not exceed 800 words (not including the list of references).
5. This assignment is to be submitted as a hard copy.
6. The submission deadline is 26 April 2024 (week 5).
Marking Rubric

Needs
Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor
Criteria Improvement
(9-10) (7-8) (5-6) (0-2)
(3-4)

Question 1 (10 marks): Compilation of Crude Oil Properties

Accurately
Compiled and
compiled and Compiled and Incomplete
explained some Major
explained all four explained most compilation of
chemical inaccuracies or
Chemical chemical chemical chemical
properties, but lack of
Properties properties with properties properties with
relevance to compilation of
(5 marks) clear relevance relevant to crude little relevance to
refining chemical
to crude oil oil refining refining
processes is properties.
refining processes. processes.
unclear.
processes.
Accurately
Compiled and
compiled and Compiled and Incomplete
explained some Major
explained all four explained most compilation of
physical inaccuracies or
Physical physical physical physical
properties, but lack of
Properties properties with properties properties with
relevance to compilation of
(5 marks) clear relevance relevant to crude little relevance to
refining physical
to crude oil oil refining refining
processes is properties.
refining processes. processes.
unclear.
processes.

Question 2 (10 marks): Development of Process Flow Diagram

Comprehensive Mostly Incomplete

Some stages of
and accurately comprehensive, depiction of the Major omissions
the separation
depicts all stages depicting most separation or inaccuracies in
Completeness process are
of the separation stages of the process, missing depicting the
(6 marks) depicted but lack
process with separation key stages or separation
detail or
detailed process with lacking process.
annotations.
annotations. annotations. annotations.
Clear and well- Diagram lacks
Clear diagram Diagram is
organized clarity and Diagram is
with logical flow, somewhat
Clarity and diagram with organization, confusing or
but annotations cluttered or
Organization logical flow and making it hard to unreadable due
may be slightly disorganized,
(4 marks) easily understand the to clutter or
confusing or making it difficult
understandable flow of the disorganization.
unclear. to follow the flow.
annotations. process.
 Needs
Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor
Criteria Improvement
(9-10) (7-8) (5-6) (0-2)
(3-4)

Question 3 (10 marks): Proposal of Preliminary CDU Design

Thorough and
well-justified
selection of CDU Good justification Some justification Limited or
Lack of
type, internals, for the selection is provided, but it unclear
justification or
operating of CDU lacks depth or justification for
Justification logical reasoning
pressure, and components clarity in CDU component
(5 marks) for CDU
degree of based on crude reasoning for selection based
component
separation, oil component on crude oil
selection.
considering characteristics. selection. characteristics.
crude oil
characteristics.
Some
Components Components
Components components
selected are selected are not Inappropriate
selected are selected may be
appropriate for well-suited to selection of
highly less optimal for
crude oil crude oil components that
appropriate for crude oil
Appropriateness characteristics, characteristics, severely
the crude oil characteristics,
(3 marks) contributing to leading to compromises
characteristics, potentially
efficient inefficient separation
ensuring efficient impacting
separation with separation and efficiency and
separation with separation
satisfactory suboptimal yields.
optimal yields. efficiency and
yields. yields.
yields.
Comprehensive
Sufficient
references and
References and references and Adequate Incomplete
citations with No references or
Citations citations with references and references or
additional citations
(2 marks) additional citations citations
relevant and
relevant sources
reliable sources

Question 4 (10 marks): Description of Safety and Health Considerations

Thoroughly
Describes safety
describes four Describes some Describes limited
and health
safety and health safety and health safety and health Major omissions
Safety and considerations
considerations considerations, considerations or inaccuracies in
Health with clear
with detailed but explanations with unclear describing safety
Considerations explanations and
explanations and may lack depth explanations or and health
(8 marks) relevance to the
relevance to the or relevance to relevance to the considerations.
preliminary CDU
preliminary CDU the CDU design. CDU design.
design.
design.
Comprehensive
Sufficient
references and
References and references and Adequate Incomplete
citations with No references or
Citations citations with references and references or
additional citations
(2 marks) additional citations citations
relevant and
relevant sources
reliable sources

Total (40 marks)