PETROLEUM REFINING
ENGINEERING
PRODUCT BLENDING
Objective of Product Blending
Depend on product demand, naphtha can be
blended into either gasoline or jet fuel.
http://www.ogj.com/articles/print/volume-109/issue-27/processing/petcoke-methanol-
2-conclusion-how-blending.html
How it works?
• Computer-controlled in-line blending for blending gasoline and other high
volume products.
• Parameters involved: inventories of blending stocks, cost and physical
property data
• Given volume and quality product is specified – computer uses linear
programming models to optimize the blending operations, in order to select
the blending components to produce the required volume of the specified
product at the lowest cost.
Measured Parameters
• To ensure that the blended streams meet the desired spec. , stream analyzers,
measuring of boiling point, specific gravity, RVP, research and motor octane
… all installed to provide feedback control of additives and blending
streams.
• Advanced process control generally requires near real-time stream quality
information. The analyzers technology ensures accuracy and repeatability of
data.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6540797.html
http://www.process-nmr.com/fox-app/prdct_blndng.htm
Calculation of Blending Components
• Forpurposes of preliminary cost evaluation studies, calculations
generally are not made on the percent distilled spec. at intermediate
percentages.
• The allowable blending stocks are those with boiling ranges within
the product spec. and the control criteria are to meet Reid Vapor
Pressure (RVP) and octane requirements.
• Gasolineas the largest volume refinery product will be used as a
example of calculation.
Reid Vapor Pressure
• Reid vapor pressure (RVP) is a way to measure how quickly fuels evaporate.
• It's often used in determining gasoline and other petroleum product blends.
• The higher a fuel's RVP, the more quickly it evaporates. The more quickly a
fuel evaporates, the more it contributes to the ozone layer.
• RVP represents the fuel's evaporation at 100 oF(37.8 oC), and is measured in
pounds per square inch, or PSIs. The property that RVP measures often is
referred to as the gasoline's volatility.
• TheRVP for gasoline should always be below 14.7 PSI, which is normal
atmospheric pressure.
• If
the RVP is higher than 14.7 PSI, excess pressure will build up, and the fuel
might boil and evaporate while in the car's gas tank.
Reid Vapor Pressure
• The desired RVP of a gasoline is obtained by blending n-butane with naphtha
C5, required amount of n-butane to give the needed RVP is calculated by:
n
M t ( RVP )t M i ( RVP )i
i 1
Reid Vapor
Blending Index
Numbers for
Gasoline and
Turbine Fuels
BLENDING
PROPERTY
DATA
Blending
Component
Values
For Gasoline
Blending
Streams
Calculation Methods for Blending to Desired RVP
method – estimating the average molecular weight of a refinery
• Theoretical
stream from boiling point, gravity and characterization factor.
• Empiricalmethod – based on Vapor Pressure Blending Indices (VPBI) that
developed by Chevron Research Company. (more convenient way)
Empirical Method
• Reid vapor pressure of the blend is closely approximated by the sum
of all the products of the volume fraction (vi) times the VPBI for
each component,
RVPblend v (VPBI )
i i
In the case where the volume of the butane to be blended for a given RVP is desired:
A(VPBI)a + B(VPBI)b + ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ + W(VPBI)w = (Y + W)(VPBI)m
where
A = bbl of component a, etc.
W = bbl of n-butane (w)
Y = A + B + C+ ⋅ ⋅ ⋅ (all components except n-butane)
(VPBI)m = VPBI corresponding to the desired RVP of the mixture
w = subscript indicating n-butane
Base Stock Example
BPD lb/hr MW
*BPD = Barrels per calendar day, average flow rates based on operating 365 days per
year.
Molecular weight for n-butane : 58 lb/mol
Analyze the n-butane required in moles and total 10 psi RVP gasoline in barrels per day to
give the needed blend for a 10 psi RVP using:
where
Mt = total moles blended product
(RVP)t = specification RVP for product, psi
Mi =moles of component i
(RVP)i = RVP of component i, psi or kPa
Average molecular weight estimation Method:
Vapor pressure blending indices method: