CRUDE OIL REFINERY
WHAT IS REFINERY ?
Takes crude oil and converts it into gasoline
Distils crude into light, medium, and heavy fractions;
• Lightest fractions – gasoline, liquid petroleum gas
• Medium fractions – kerosene and diesel oil
• Heavy fractions – gas oils and residuum
Distillation unit:
Process steps: – Preheat the crude feed utilizing recovered heat from the product streams– Desalt and dehydrate the crude using electrostatic enhanced liquid/liquid separation (Desalter) – Heat the crude to the desired temperature using fired heaters– Flash the crude in the atmospheric distillation columnUtilize pump around cooling loops to create internal liquid reflux
Atmospheric Distillation :
In the refining process is the separation of crude oil into various fractions or straight-run cuts by distillation in atmospheric and vacuum towers.
The main fractions or "cuts" obtained have specific boiling-point ranges and can be classified in order of decreasing volatility into gases, light distillates, middle distillates, gas oils, and residuum.
The desalted crude feedstock is preheated using recovered process heat. The feedstock then flows to a direct-fired crude charge heater then into the vertical distillation column just above the bottom, at pressures slightly above atmospheric and at temperatures ranging from 340-370°C (above these temperatures undesirable thermal cracking may occur). All but the heaviest fractions flash into vapor.
As the hot vapor rises in the tower, its temperature is reduced.
Heavy fuel oil or asphalt residue is taken from the bottom.
•At successively higher points on the tower, the various major products including lubricating oil, heating oil, kerosene, gasoline, and uncondensed gases (which condense at lower temperatures) are drawn off.
Vacuum Distillation Unit.
Process Objective:
– To recover valuable gas oils from reduced crude via vacuum distillation.
Primary Process Technique:
– Reduce the hydrocarbon partial pressure via vacuum and stripping steam.
Process steps:
– Heat the reduced crude to the desired temperature using fired heaters
– Flash the reduced crude in the vacuum distillation column
– Utilize pump around cooling loops to create internal liquid reflux
Crude oil product finishing;
-Light Ends –Fuel Gas
-Naphtha–Gasoline
Distillates–Kerosene, Jet Fuel, Diesel
Gas Oils–Pre-/Post-Hydrotreating Before Converting to Gasoline (FCCU) Or Diesel (Hydrocracking)