PETROLEUM REFINING

OPERATIONS
NAME : CHUDERSEN NANA SEAKARAN
ID NO. : 1103161001
COURSE : CHEMICAL PROCESS INDUSTRIES
LECTURER : PROF. DR. SOUNDARAJAN
INTRODUCTION:
HOW IS PETROLUEM (CRUDE OIL) FORMED?

• Formed from the remains of prehistoric plants and animals settled

into seas with sand, slit and rocks.

• Over time, increasing pressure and temperature changed the mud,

sand and silt into rock and slowly “cooked” the organic matter into
petroleum.

• The oil and gas that formed in the source rock deep within the
Earth moved upward through tiny, connected pore spaces in the
rocks.

• Some seeped out at the Earth’s surface, but most of the

petroleum hydrocarbons were trapped by nonporous rocks or other
barriers.
COMPOSITION OF PETROLEUM

The actual overall properties of

Compound Percentage (%) petroleum are defined by four main
Carbon 83 - 87 hydrocarbons:
Hydrogen 10 - 14
Nitrogen 0.1 - 2 • paraffins (15% - 60%)
Oxygen 0.05 - 1.5 • naphthalenes (30% - 60%)
Sulphur 0.05 - 6 • aromatics (3% to 30%)
Metals <0.1 • asphaltics making up the remainder.
REFINERY CRUDE PETROLEUM
CLASSIFICATION

• Petroleum is classified based on the predominance of

hydrocarbons:
predominantly open chain compounds,
furnish low grade gasoline and waxy lube
Paraffin base
oils.

cyclic predominance, lube oils must be

Naphthene base solvent refined, asphalt present.

large quantities of both paraffinic and

naphthenic compounds, produces both wax
Intermediate base
and asphalt.
CRUDE OIL CHARACTERISTICS

1.American Petroleum Institute (API) gravity

• 20 degrees or less : HEAVY
• 20.1 – 40 degrees : INTERMEDIATE
• 40.1 degrees or greater : LIGHT

2.Sulphur content
• Typically less than 0.5% sulphur content : SWEET
• Typically greater than 1.5% sulphur content : SOUR
THE EXPLORATION & PRODUCTION (E&P)
PROCESS OF PETROLEUM
 EXPLORATION (METHODS)
SURFACE GEOLOGICAL
METHODS
• Presence of volatile hydrocarbons near
the surface is an indication of oil
formation at some distance beneath.
• How to detect :
• Sensitive gas chromatography used to
detect as low as 1×10-4 vol % conc.
• Microbiological flora of the
hydrocarbon oxidizing type in water
wells is usually evidence of hydrocarbon
deposits.
• Radioactive isotopic exchange of carbon
with rock deposits gives lower C-14
assay where gaseous hydrocarbons are
seeping (leaking).
GEOPHYSICAL METHODS
Extensive :
• Seismic survey measures shock wave
patterns and characterizes strata.
• Air surveys from 250-300kph low flying
planes with magnetometer for magnetic
survey and scintillation counter for
radioactivity survey.
Intensive :
• Sonic and ultrasonic probing during core
sampling to measure porosity
• Neutron reflecting measurements with
scintillation detector which increase in the
vicinity of hydrocarbons
 PRODUCTION (METHODS)
DRILLING
• Making holes in rock faster and
cheaper, together with optimum spacing
of holes for release of oil from a
reservoir, is the constant goal of
production research.
• Holes as deep as 5 miles are often
required.
• Vertical drilling or horizontal drilling.
YIELDS
Conservation and use of reservoir energy are
the keys to good yields which have increased
from as low as 10% to over 80% of the
available reservoir hydrocarbons.
Methods used now:
• Slower rates of oil withdrawal so water
can seep in to maintain pressure.
• Recycling and repressurization with natural
gas.
• Water, air or steam flooding to rework old
wells.
• Enlargement of drainage channels in
limestone-bearing rock by HCl.
REFINERIES
 OVERVIEW OF REFINERY PROCESSES

• Petroleum refining refers to the process of converting crude oil

into useful products.

• Crude oil is composed of hundreds of different hydrocarbon

molecules, which are separated through the process of
refining.

• The process is divided into three basic steps: separation,

conversion, and treatment.
 TYPES OF REFINERIES
1. Primary refineries
• Simplest refinery consisting only of a distillation unit to produce
residual asphalt and sell all of the overhead to another refinery.

2. Intermediate refineries
• Produces motor fuel, distillate fuels and residuals. Typical of
European refineries where petrol demand is low relative to
heating fuels.
 DESIGN OF REFINERY
1. Independent unit operation
• Until 1950, all refineries were built with holding capacities between
units so that any unit could be operated, shut down, and
reconditioned independently.
2. Integrated operation
• The integrated refinery can be built with 20-30% investment
savings; it is designed with little hold-up capacity between units
since refinery maintenance requirements can be reliably scheduled.
REFINERY PROCESSES
Separation

Conversion

Treatment

Formulating & Blending

Auxiliary Refining Operations

Refining Non-Process Operations

 REFINERY PROCESSES
1. Separation
• Molecules are separated through atmospheric distillation, according to their
molecular weight.
• The oil is heated at the bottom of a 60-meter distillation column at a
temperature of 350 to 400°C, causing it to vaporize. The vapours rise inside
the column while the heaviest molecules remain at the bottom.
• As the vapours rise, the molecules condense into liquids at different
temperatures in the column.
• The liquids, which become increasingly light the higher they are found in the
column, are collected on trays located at different heights of the column.
Each tray collects a different petroleum cut (fraction), with highly
viscous preservation (hydrocarbons) at the bottom and gases at the top.
 REFINERY PROCESSES
2. Conversion
• Conversion processes used to change the size and/or structure of hydrocarbon
molecules include:
a) decomposition (dividing) by hydro-, thermal and catalytic cracking
b) unification (combining) through alkylation and polymerization
c) alteration (rearranging) with isomerization and catalytic reforming

3. Treatment
• Treatment involves both chemical reactions and physical separation, such as
dissolving, absorption or precipitation, using a variety and combination of
processes.
• Sweetening compounds and acids are used to desulphurize crude oil before
processing, and to treat products during and after processing.
 REFINERY PROCESSES
4. Formulating and Blending
• The process of mixing and combining hydrocarbon fractions, additives and
other components to produce finished products with specific desired
performance properties.

5. Auxiliary Refining Operations

• Other refinery operations which are required to support hydrocarbon
processing include light ends recovery; sour water stripping; solid waste,
waste water and process water treatment and cooling; hydrogen production;
sulphur recovery; and acid and tail gas treatment.
FIGURE 1 : TYPICAL REFINERY PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM
 CRUDE DISTILLATION UNIT (CDU)
• The CDU is usually the first processing equipment through which crude oil is fed.
Once in the CDU, crude oil is distilled into various products, like kerosene, and
diesel, that then serve as feedstocks for all other processing units at the refinery.

• As oil is being fed into the CDU, the crude is heated to a temperature between
100 and 137°C. This allows harmful salts to be removed at the desalter. The now
desalted crude continues through the system into the heater where it is further
heated to a temperature of over 350°C.

• Next, it is fed into the atmospheric column where the vapours and liquids separate.
Residues are stripped out at the bottom of the column. The products (naphtha,
kerosene, diesel and gas oil) are taken from the side of the column and moved
through the refinery for further processing.
 CLOUD AND POUR POINTS
• Cloud point : The temperature at which the first cloudy appearance
of the petroleum product occurs when it is cooled.

• Pour point : The temperature at which the product will cease to

flow, upon further cooling. (Closely related to viscosity)

• Both pour and cloud points are important properties of the product
streams as far as heavier products are concerned.
 THERMAL CRACKER
• Thermal cracker involves a chemical cracking process followed by the
separation using physical principles (boiling point differences) to yield
the desired products.
• Thermal cracking yields naphtha + gas, gas oil and thermal cracked
residue.
• In some petroleum refinery configurations, thermal cracking process is
replaced with delayed coking process to yield coke as one of the
petroleum refinery products.
• Operating conditions : Temperature : 450 – 500°C
Pressure : 2-3 bar
 HYDROTREATING
• Hydrotreating is applied extensively in petroleum refinery to remove
sulphur as well as other undesirable compounds.

• Two basic processes are applied:

a) Liquid phase process for kerosene and heavier straight-run,
cracked distillates and vacuum gas oil
b) Vapour phase process for light straight-run and cracked fractions.

• Operating conditions : Temperature : 300 - 380 °C

Pressure : 10-20 bar for naphta
30-45 bar for gas oil
Catalyst : Cobalt, molybdenum and nickel
 SEPARATORS
• The gas fractions from various units need consolidated separation and require stage
wise separation.
• For instance, C4 separator separates the desulfurized naphtha from all saturated
light ends greater than or equal to C4s in composition.
• On the other hand, C3 separator separates butanes (both iso and n-butanes) from
the gas fraction.
• The butanes thus produced are of necessity in isomerization reactions, LPG and
gasoline product generation.
• Similarly, the C2 separator separates the saturated C3 fraction that is required for
LPG product generation and generates the fuel gas + H2S product as well.
• Operating conditions: Pressure : 20 – 1500 psi
 CATALYTIC CRACKING - AN OVERVIEW

• Feed enters the cracking reactor.

• Old generation refineries used moving bed reactors.

• Nowadays, fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) reactors are used.

• The cracked product from the reactor enters a main distillation

column that produces unstabilized naphtha, light gas oil, heavy
gas oil, slurry and gas.
 FLUIDIZED CATALYTIC CRACKER (FCC)

• The unit is one of the most important units of the modern refinery.

• The unit enables the successful transformation of desulfurized

HVGO to lighter products such as unsaturated light ends, light
cracked naphtha, heavy cracked naphtha, cycle oil and slurry.

• Thereby, the unit is useful to generate more lighter products from

a heavier lower value intermediate product stream.

• Conceptually, the unit can be regarded as a combination of chemical

and physical processes.
 NAPHTHA SPLITTER

• The naphtha splitter unit consisting of a series of distillation

columns enabling the successful separation of light naphtha and
heavy naphtha from the consolidated naphtha stream obtained from
several sub-units of the refinery complex.

• The naphtha splitter is regarded as a physical process for modelling

purposes.

• Operating conditions : Pressure : 1 - 4.5 kg/cm2

Temperature: 167 - 250°C
 REFORMER

• Heavy naphtha which does not have high octane number is subjected
to reforming in the reformer unit to obtain reformate product (with
high octane number), light ends and reformer gas (hydrogen).

• The unit produces high octane number product that is essential to

produce premium grade gasoline, one of the major refinery products.

• A reformer is regarded as a combination of chemical and physical

processes.

• Operating conditions : Pressure : 5 – 45 atm

Temperature : 495 – 520°C.
ENGINEERING PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED
 SAFETY ASPECT

• Extensive safety training of employees and contractors

• Frequent inspections, maintenance and repairs to equipment and

machinery

• Safe work practices

• Ongoing review of safety, operating and emergency procedures to

ensure maximum effectiveness
 HEALTH ASPECT

• Breathing petroleum vapours causes nervous system effects (such as

headache, nausea, and dizziness) and respiratory irritation.

• Liquid petroleum products which come in contact with the skin can
cause irritation and some can be absorbed through the skin.

• Exposure to very high concentrations of SO2 can result in painful

irritation of the eyes, nose, mouth and throat, difficulty in
breathing, nausea, vomiting, headaches and even death.

• Exposure to SO2 can provoke asthma attacks.

 ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECT

• Air pollution
Oil refineries cause smog and air pollution. Air is polluted by up to 100 pollutants
emitted from the stacks and leaking equipment at refineries.

• Land pollution
Land is polluted by the large amount of harmful waste from refineries which
needs to be dumped. SO2 mixes easily in water, including moisture in the air to
form an acid. Acid rain and early morning dew causes much damage to metals,
stones, and the environment.

• Water pollution
Water is polluted by the fallout from air pollution and by refineries discharging
chemical pollutants into waterways. Accidental oil spills also pollute the
groundwater and open waterways.