-
HS-FCC for propylene: concept to commercial operation
The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process has undergone a long
evolution of hardware
and catalyst changes, from bed cracking with amorphous catalyst
to short contact time riser cracking with sophisticated zeolite
catalyst systems. Improvements to the process have provided a wide
degree of flexibility to selectively target the production of
distillates or gasoline, or propylene from VGO and residue feeds,
thereby making FCC the most widely used conversion process.
More generally, the objective of the process is to produce high
valued products, and increasingly this includes fuels and
petrochemi-cals, such as light olefins and aromatics. At present,
over 30% of the worldwide propylene supply comes from FCC-related
processes (FCC, RFCC, DCC). Fluctuating product demand and price
have caused most new project develop-ers to demand product
flexibility for long-term profitability and process integration
with petro-chemical facilities for added synergy and cost
savings.
In order to respond to these market demands, a new high
sever-ity down flow FCC (HS-FCC) process has been developed by an
alliance of Saudi Aramco, JX Nippon Oil & Energy (JX) and King
Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM), culminating in a
3000 b/d semi-commercial unit in operation since 2011 in Japan (see
Figure 1). The process provides a high light olefin yield from a
wide variety of feedstocks utilising high severity reaction
conditions, a novel down flow reaction system and
A FCC process provides a high light olefin yield from a wide
variety of feedstocks utilising high severity reaction conditions
and a novel down flow reaction system
NiColAs lAmberT Axens iWAo ogAsAWArA JX Nippon Oil & Energy
ibrAhim AbbA Saudi Aramco hAlim redhWi King Fahd University of
Petroleum & MineralsChris sANTNer Technip Stone & Webster
Process Technology
proprietary catalyst. HS-FCC is now available for licence from a
Global Alliance by Axens and Technip Stone & Webster Process
Technology.
Features of hs-FCCFCC utilises acidic zeolite catalysts to crack
heavy hydrocarbons into lighter fuels such as gasoline and
distillate and, under more severe conditions, into lighter olefins
such as propylene and butylene (and, to a lesser extent, ethylene).
Complex secondary reactions that can
degrade the primary products to less valuable components should
be limited to retain product selectivity and refinery
profitability. For HS-FCC, the objective is to not only improve the
selectivity for normal fuels production, but also to maximise the
potential of light olefin and petrochemical produc-tion at high
severity. HS-FCC provides a total system to maximise product
selectivity and, in particu-lar, propylene yield. Three key
elements are required to attain this objective:
www.eptq.com PTQ Q1 2014 39
Figure 1 HS-FCC semi-commercial unit
axens.indd 1 12/12/2013 10:58
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40 PTQ Q1 2014 www.eptq.com
products and parallel bi-molecular hydrogen transfer reactions
leading to paraffin formation and aromisa-tion of naphthenes.
Managing the acid site density of the catalyst can suppress
hydrogen transfer and isomerisation reactions to maximise olefins
production. When coupled with ZSM-5 pentasil cracking cata-lyst
additives, the increased olefins in the gasoline cut can be
selec-tively cracked to further increase the propylene yield.
The HS-FCC catalyst uses a high USY zeolite content system with
very low acid site density, formu-lated to minimise hydrogen
transfer reactions for high olefin selectivity, and low coke and
gas selectivity. This catalyst has been shown to be more effective
for propylene production when coupled with ZSM-5 additives (see
Figure 2). Commercial catalysts and HS-FCC catalyst exhibited a
similar trend in gasoline and propylene yield as a function of
conversion (severity), but the customised HS-FCC catalyst was much
more effective in feed-ing the ZSM-5 additive with more olefins,
and more accessible linear olefins, to produce more propylene.1
Optimised reaction conditionsWhen targeting maximum
petro-chemicals production, HS-FCC operates under more severe
condi-tions than conventional FCC. The main reaction conditions
applied and the advantages and challenges presented are shown in
Table 1.
High reaction temperature coupled with short contact time
increases the primary reactions towards olefins, while limiting the
unwanted secondary reactions of hydrogen transfer and thermal
degradation. A consequence of the increased severity and short time
is the need for higher catalyst circula-tion (catalyst-to-oil mass
ratio, or
Highly selective catalyst and additive system Optimised reaction
conditions Down flow, short contact time reaction system with rapid
catalyst separation.
The balance of these elements
and realisation at commercial scale is the key to success.
Catalyst systemThe catalytic cracking reaction pathways are
complex, with the primary formation of olefinic
75 80 85 90
Conversion, mass%
75 80 85 90
Conversion, mass%
15
25
20
10
5
Pro
pyl
ene y
ield
, m
ass
%
0
Commercial FCC catalyst (octane catalyst)Commercial FCC catalyst
(activity catalyst)
+10% ZSM-5 additive+10% ZSM-5 additive
+10% ZSM-5 additive
HS-FCC catalyst
40
60
50
30
20
Gaso
line y
ield
, m
ass
%
10
A
B
Figure 2 Proprietary catalyst boosts ZSM-5 effectiveness for
more propylene
Advantages ChallengesHigh temperature High conversion and
olefins selectivity Increased thermal cracking, product
degradation
Short contact time Reduced secondary reactions and Reduced
conversion, rapid mixing thermal cracking and separation
required
High catalyst/oil Increased catalytic cracking Very high
catalyst circulation, uniform flow, mixing and separation
Reaction conditions and advantages of HS-FCC in petrochemicals
production
Table 1
FCC HS-FCCReaction T,C 500-550 550650Contact time, s 25
0.51.0Catalyst/oil, wt/wt 5-8 2040Reactor flow Up flow Down
flow
Typical operating conditions for FCC and HS-FCC
Table 2
axens.indd 2 11/12/2013 12:17
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www.eptq.com PTQ Q1 2014 41
C/O) to provide the required heat to the reactor and sufficient
catalyst activity to achieve high conversion at short contact time.
The range of operating conditions for a conven-tional FCC and
HS-FCC are summarised in Table 2.
Down flow reaction (DFR) system The specific reaction conditions
with very high C/O result in certain challenges in a
conventional
up flow FCC riser reactor system, where the catalyst required
for the reaction is lifted up the reactor pipe or riser by the
vaporised and cracked hydrocarbon feed. In up flow fluid-solid
systems, the solids or catalyst are conveyed upwards against the
force of gravity by drag forces from the rising gases
(hydro-carbons). As a result, all riser reactor systems have
varying degrees of catalyst back-mixing and
FCC up flow riser
Reactor residence time
Low conversion
HS-FCC down flow
Over cracking
Back mixing
Feed + catalyst
Plug flow
Feed + catalyst
Figure 3 Up flow vs down flow residence time profiles
70 75 80 85 90
Conversion, wt%
60
50
40
Gas
olin
e,
mas
s%
30
A
0 10 20 30 40
C2-C4 olefins, mass%
60
40
20
50
30
10
Gas
olin
e,
mas
s%
0
B
RiserDown flow
RiserDown flow
Figure 4 Selectivity benefits of a down flow reaction
system4
Table 2
scan points representing one as-built pipe. Evidently, that is
only one clash, but some systems will register it as thousands of
clashes, making it dif cult to identify the real clash and to
resolve it effectively.
Ensuring that an accurately designed pipe spool actually ts
correctly on site requires accurate fabrication. Leading 3D design
solutions such as our PDMS or AVEVA Everything3D can not only
generate fully detailed fabrication drawings automatically, they
can also perform manufacturability checks at the design stage to
help maximise fabrication quality. It is also now possible to scan
a completed fabrication and compare it against the design model, to
quickly verify its accuracy and resolve any errors early.
Owner-operators considering placing revamp projects should
review a contractors capabilities in these areas. The most capable
typi-cally achieve less than 1% design-related rework costs, even
on complex projects. Our vision of plant design for lean
construction goes further than this; our goal is to use laser
scanning, among other tools, to completely eliminate rework in
construction. This vision is discussed further in a business
paper.2
Plan the installationScheduling the revamp installation involves
similar considerations to planning the original survey. EPCs and
owner-operators must collabo-rate closely to achieve a
well-executed installation. Here, the power of 3D design can add
considerable value.
Reverse engineering objects that are to be removed enables the
crea-tion of accurate demolition drawings and the determination of
weight and centre of gravity, which informs the correct use of
handling equipment. Model animation enables planners to evaluate
proposed task sequences and to check that, for example, items can
be moved safely in the available space constraints. Design review
is arguably even more important for revamps than for new-build
www.eptq.com Revamps 2013 31
projects; revamps take place on plants that may contain
hazardous chemicals, temperatures or pressures. Evidently, these
consid-erations imply the need for well-speci ed, specialist plant
design software.
Business processThe introduction to this article referred to the
need for ef cient business processes. That is hardly a great
insight, but, in the engineer-ing industry, business processes are
inextricably linked with the engi-neering and design technologies
that generate project information. Best practice is therefore to
select solutions that can share informa-tion ef ciently and
reliably. An ef cient revamp project work ow can thus be achieved
using 3D design technology that integrates both with laser scan
data sources and with engineering data sources, so that engineering
and design information can be kept synchro-nised as the project
progresses. From this, new design can automat-ically generate
accurate materials requirements that feed into an enterprise
resource management (ERM) system.
Such engineering, design and information management
technolo-gies now exist and are in use on a wide variety of
new-build projects. Their ability to support ef cient business
processes becomes even more important on revamp projects with their
need for on-time, right- rst-time, low-risk installation.
References1 Lighting the Way, www.aveva.com/publications2 Plant
Design for Lean Construction: Innovation for a new era in plant
design, www.aveva.com/publications
Gary Farrow is Vice President 3D Data Capture with AVEVA in
Cambridge, UK. He works with customers in the use of 3D data
capture technology to increase productivity and to advance the
performance of AVEVAs LFM software. A mechanical engineer, he has
been involved in 3D laser scanning from its inception in the late
1990s, initially undertaking projects delivering data and 3D
models, including a huge scanning project for Fluor/TCO in
Kazakhstan.
I think Ive got liquid carryover.what can I do about it?
Read more on this topic atwww.amacs.com
It happens in petrochemicalplants, refineries, and anywhereelse
that the gas approaching a compressor is wet. Traces ofaqueous or
organic liquid escapethe inlet knockout drum, oftenintermittently,
and silently damag-ing the compressor. Telltale signsinclude
pitting corrosion, saltdeposits, and diluted lubricants.
Phone:+1-713-434-0934 Fax: [email protected]
AMACSCompressor suction drums:
Knockoutdrums
Stage 2Stage 1
Cooler
Typical 1980s mist eliminator technology
Instead of trying to repairsymptoms, look for the root
cause,which usually involves the misteliminator in the knockout
drum.Problems may include impropermist eliminator
specifications,overloading, uneven velocity, waxydeposits, liquid
slugs, foaming,incorrect installation, and severalother
possibilities. New, high-capacity, high-efficiency mist eliminator
technologies pay off thefirst time you avoid shutdown.
rev aveva.indd 3 10/09/2013 11:20axens.indd 3 11/12/2013
20:06
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42 PTQ Q1 2014 www.eptq.com
maximum gasoline yield is about 5 wt% higher in the down flow
system. When olefins are of inter-est, the more selective down flow
reaction environment can produce substantially more light olefins
(C2-C4) at the same gasoline yield compared to a conventional up
flow system (see Figure 4b).
Although the idea of a controlled high severity, short contact
time down flow reaction has been considered for some time,
achieving this successfully on a commercial scale has been elusive.
Extensive
plug flow reaction conditions, as summarised by Cheng.2 When
plug flow conditions are achieved, more selective primary cracking
results in greater selectivity. FCC pilot work demonstrating the
effects of short contact time and down flow have been reported by
Del Poso3 and Abul-Hamayel4 (see Figures 4a and 4b). The general
trend is that of greater gasoline selectivity at short contact time
down flow, with a maximum yield achieved at a higher conversion
level. This effect is seen in Figure 4a, where the
reflux along the walls, particularly in the feed injection or
catalyst pick-up zone at the bottom of the riser reactor. At very
high C/O, significant back-mixing is unavoid-able. This problem is
overcome in a down flow reactor (DFR), where both the catalyst and
feed flow downwards together (see Figure 3).
Down flow fluid-solid reaction systems have been of increasing
interest in recent years to achieve
Figure 5 HS-FCC demonstration unit
60
100
90
80
70
50
40
30
20
10
Yie
ld,
mass
%
0
Dry gas
LPG
Gasoline
LCO+
Coke
Bench scale (0.1 bpd) Demo plant (30 bpd)
Propylene 10.5%
Propylene 10.6%
RON 98
RON 99
Figure 6 Bench scale vs demonstration scale results on low
sulphur VGO at high severity without ZSM-5
Lift air
Main air
Air outlet
Catalyst circuit
Air outlet
Catalytic circulation hopper
Catalytic circulation hopper
Injector
Separator
Total height: 35m (115ft)
Catalyst inventory: 20T
Max. catalyst circulation: 1.0T/min
Figure 7 500 b/d equivalent cold flow testing to scale up and
optimise the reaction system
axens.indd 4 11/12/2013 12:17
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www.eptq.com PTQ Q1 2014 43
obtained along with a very high octane gasoline.
Work immediately began on scale-up to a commercial unit.
Important lessons were learned concerning equipment design, and
larger-scale cold ow work was undertaken by JX in Japan at the 500
b/d equivalent scale to opti-mise the feed injection zone and
separator design (see Figure 7). This work was coupled with CFD
simulations to assist in larger-scale equipment design.6
Semi-commercial unitWith the successful demonstration of HS-FCC
technology at the 30
catalyst circulation loop and reactor-separator equipment to
validate the design of the demon-stration unit.
The demonstration unit (see Figure 5) was operated from
2003-2004 at the Aramco Ras Tanura re nery. Results from the
demon-stration unit validated the HS-FCC concept, with good
agreement between 0.1 b/d pilot results and 30 b/d demonstration
(see Figure 6).5, 6
A low sulphur VGO was cracked at high severity in both the pilot
and demonstration units using only the new HS-FCC catalyst without
ZSM-5 additive. A very high propylene yield, over 10%, was
pilot work at the 0.1 b/d scale demonstrated the principle,
catalyst system and operating conditions, but did not address how
rapid mixing, reaction and ef cient cata-lyst/gas separation can be
achieved at a large scale with a target resi-dence time on the
order of 0.5 seconds. On a commercial scale, equipment design for
very short contact time with the mechanical integrity to withstand
high-velocity catalyst circulation in a coking envi-ronment
requires extensive research, development and demonstration.
R&D historyThe challenges of developing this new technology
required a systematic research program under-taken by JX, KFUPM
& Saudi Aramco with the support of Japan Cooperation Center,
Petroleum (JCCP). Early pilot work by both JX and KFUPM in
1996-2000 demon-strated the bene ts of high severity operation at
controlled short contact time in down ow mode. Aramco became an
active partici-pant in the scale-up effort to design a 30 b/d
demonstration unit. JX conducted large-scale, 30 b/d equivalent,
cold ow testing of the
VGO + HDT VGO + VGO+ HC Btm VGO DAO ARFeed SG 0.845 0.879 0.891
0.915Reactor T, C 575 595 580 600Conv, w% 93.2 83.7 83.0 82.4Light
olefi ns, wt% 39 34 31 31C
2= 4 4 3 3
C3= 19 17 15 15
C4= 16 13 13 12
C5-220 gasoline, wt% 35 34 34 34
RON 98.5 98.1 98.1 98.4
Semi-commercial unit performance
Table 3
Feed Feed
Product
Quench
Catalyst
Catalyst
Injectors
Separator
CFD simulation
Combined kinetic and hydrodynamic model
27 lump kinetic model
DFR (down flow
reactor)
Assembly of a large number of small reactors
Product
Feed Catalyst
Product
15
25
30
20
10
5
Pro
pyl
en
e e
stim
atio
n,
mas
s%
00 5 10 15 20 25 30
Experimental data, mass%
Feed BFeed A
Feed CFeed D
Figure 8 Combined kinetic and hydrodynamic modelling assists
design and scale-up
axens.indd 5 11/12/2013 12:17
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44 PTQ Q1 2014 www.eptq.com
produced becomes a signi cant boost to the economics. The
gaso-line also has value beyond fuels, with an octane of 98-99, ole
n content of 25-40 wt% and 35-50 wt% aromatics.
The testing programme will continue, with 100% residue crack-ing
trials to begin soon. With a controlled short contact time, high
C/O and p lug ow reaction system, HS-FCC is well adapted to be
highly selective for both light and residue feed conversion to
petrochemicals.
Throughout the programme, equipment evaluation, inspection and
reliability data continue to be gathered to guide further
develop-ment and scale-up to a fully commercial scale of at least
30 000 b/d. In parallel to this work, CFD simulation of the DFR and
separator hydrodynamics are being combined with a kinetic model to
analyse the results, validate the kinetic models, and enable
accurate predictions at commercial scale for future feeds and
reactor con gurations.
HS-FCC in the family of catalyticcracking processesThe HS-FCC
process expands the operating window of catalytic crack-ing to
encompass heavier feeds and greater propylene potential. Commercial
processes for high propylene production from light distillate feeds
and residue feeds include DCC,8 high-propylene FCC (HP FCC) and
resid to propylene (R2P). More severe conditions for residue feeds
to attain a higher propylene yield have proven chal-lenging in the
past due to undesired secondary reactions. High severity, combined
with an optimised cata-lyst system and a controlled short contact
time DFR reaction system, allows the new HS-FCC technology to
provide selective conversion with lower fuel gas production and a
greater ole n and petrochemicals yield even with heavy residue
feeds. Indeed, the selectivity of the system presents opportunities
to crack a wide range of conventional and unconventional
feedstocks.
The technology mapping by severity and feedstock is shown in
Figure 9.
evaluate yields and product proper-ties for widely different
feeds and to demonstrate equipment reliabil-ity. Preliminary
results showing yields for several blends of VGO, hydrocracker (HC)
bottoms, DAO and atmospheric residue are shown in Table 3. Combined
light ole n (C2-C4) yields of 30-40 wt% have been demonstrated with
15-19 wt% propylene and 4 wt% ethylene. The yield of butenes is
similar to propyl-ene and offers opportunities for greater
petrochemical integration, including oligomerisation and the
FlexEne con guration for even higher propylene production.7 These
results are without the use of post-separator quench injection,
which will improve ole n selectiv-ity further. The catalyst system
continues to be optimised for the various feeds.
When viewed from a petrochemi-cals perspective, the ethylene
b/d scale completed, it was time to look forward to scaling up
to a full-sized commercial unit and to plan for future licensing of
the technol-ogy. Several FCC licensors were interviewed and
evaluated before Axens and Technip Stone & Webster Process
Technology were selected to assist in the design of a 3000 b/d
semi-commercial unit, plan for a larger commercial unit, and serve
as exclusive licensor for the HS-FCC technology, relying on its
extensive knowledge in FCC and RFCC design.
A complete 3000 b/d HS-FCC unit with main fractionator, gas
plant and ue gas treatment was designed for the JX Mizushima re
nery. Chiyoda Engineering performed the detailed engineering and
construction of the plant (see Figure 1), which was put on stream
in early 2011.
Performance trials are on-going to
21
25
23
19
17
15
13
11
Pro
pyl
en
e y
ield
, w
t%
9Heavy residuals Light residuals VGO H1-H2 VGO
DCC
HS-FCC
R2P
HP-FCC
Figure 9 Family of high-propylene catalytic cracking
processes
HS-FCCOligomerisation
Polynaphtha
PRU
Steam cracker
VGO resid.
Aromatics complex Paramax
C2
Mixed C3
HCN
Mixed C3 LCN
Oligomers recycle
Paraffinic raffinate
Polymer grade ethylene
Polymer grade propylene
Bz + PX + OX
Fuels
HS-FCC unit Petrochemicals
Figure 10 Integrated refi nery-petrochemical complex
axens.indd 6 11/12/2013 12:18
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www.eptq.com PTQ Q1 2014 45
8 Dharia D, Increase light olefins production, Hydrocarbon
Processing, April 2004.9 Roux R, Upgrading of heavy cuts into max
olefins through HS-FCC, JPI Petroleum Refining Conference, Tokyo,
2012 and www.axens.net.
Nicolas Lambert is Technologist in Axens Middle Distillates
& Conversion Business Line, focusing on FCC technology. He is a
graduate of Arts & Mtiers ParisTech.Iwao Ogasawara is Facility
Planner of Technical & Engineering Service Department, Refining
Technology & Engineering Division, JX Nippon Oil & Energy
Corporation. He holds BS and MS degrees in chemical
engineering.Ibrahim A Abba is Chief Technologist of the Chemicals
Research Division of Saudi Aramco Research & Development
Center. He holds a PhD from the University of British
Columbia.Halim Redhwi is the CEO (A) of Dhahran Techno-Valley
Company and a Professor in the Chemical Engineering Department,
King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia. He
holds BS, MS, and PhD degrees in chemical engineering.Chris Santner
is Senior Director of Catalytic Cracking Refining Technology with
Technip Stone & Webster Process Technology. He holds BS and MS
degrees in chemical engineering from the University of Houston.
Technip Stone & Webster Process Technology are now offering
HS-FCC technology on behalf of the HS-FCC Global Alliance team.
FlexEne is a mark of Axens.
References1 Maghrabi A, HS-FCC process for maximized propylene
production, 10th Annual Saudi-Japanese Symposium on Catalysis in
Petroleum Refining and Petrochemicals, Dhahran, 2000.2 Cheng Y,
Downer reactor: from fundamental study to industrial application,
Powder Technology, 183, 2008.3 Del Poso M, Development of ultra
selective cracking technology, 2nd IFP and S&W FCC Forum, The
Woodlands, Texas, 1996. 4 Abul-Hamayel M A, Comparison of downer
and riser based fluid catalytic cracking process at high severity
conditions: a pilot plant study, Petroleum Science Technology, 22,
2004.5 Redhwi H, Meeting olefins demand in a novel FCC technology,
18th World Petroleum Congress, South Africa, 2005.6 Okazaki H, High
severity Fluidized Catalytic Cracking (HS-FCC) go for propylene!,
20th World Petroleum Congress, Doha, 2011.7 Ross J, (R)FCC product
flexibility with FlexEne, WRA Downstream Asia, Singapore, 2011 and
www.axens.net.
With the option to operate at conventional severity or high
sever-ity, the refiner will have the ability to select an operating
mode and feedstock best suited to the prevail-ing economic
conditions. A high severity product slate rich in olefins and
aromatics also makes integra-tion with petrochemicals plants more
attractive so that the natural synergy of shared intermediate
products and recovery schemes can be realised.9 An example of
HS-FCC integration with a petrochemical complex is shown in Figure
10.
Global Alliance for commercialisationThe HS-FCC technology is
the product of systematic process research, catalyst development,
pilot work, 30 b/d demonstration unit testing, and ongoing semi-
commercial operation and testing at the 3000 b/d scale. These
successful results and the modelling tools developed for further
scale-up make the technology ready for commercialisation. Axens
and
www.eptq.com PTQ Q4 2013 97
technology, as the worldwide industrial standard for clean
syngas production, it provides a clean hydrogen product and enables
economic carbon capture.Lurgi Rectisol, MPG, OxyClaus and Purisol
are marks of Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions (Lurgi GmbH).
Selexol is a mark of UOP, a Honeywell company.
Max-Michael Weiss is Director Innovation, Clean Conversion, with
Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions/Lurgi GmbH. He graduated as
Diplom Chemie Ingenieur (chemical engineering) from the Technical
University of Karlsruhe, Germany. Helmut Heurich is Director for
Refinery Applications in the HyCO Product Line in Global
Engineering & Construction Solutions of Air Liquide. He studied
process technology at the Technical University of
Braunschweig.Delphine Roma is the Global Marketing Manager in
charge of the refining industry within Air Liquide Global E&C
Solutions. She holds an MSc and engineering degree from the cole
des Ponts et Chausses in Paris.Stefan Walter is Head of Department,
Gasification Technologies, with Air Liquide Global E&C
Solutions/Lurgi GmbH. He graduated as Diplom Verfahrensingenieur
(process engineering) from the Technical University of Aachen,
Germany.
also integrated solutions for steam/energy generation and CO2
handling. Air Liquide can also provide an (over-the-fence) supply
of air gases, power and steam, CO2 compression/liquefaction and
transportation.
ConclusionIn the context of ever more stringent environmental
regulations for refin-ers, there is a trend to increase residue
conversion with hydrocrack-ers. Depending on the conversion rate of
the units, the heavy bottom yield will range from 10-20%. Using Air
Liquide Global E&C Solutions Lurgi MPG technology-based
hydrogen production allows a refiner to transform these residues
into an amount of hydrogen that balances the refinerys needs.
MPG is a proven and reliable technology for securing the
hydro-gen supply to a refinery. It further avoids the production of
petroleum coke, and helps to consume much less natural gas and
water. In combination with the Lurgi Rectisol
of most refinery off-gases, reduc-tion in natural gas and water
consumption, and the recovery of CO2 for EOR or sequestration.
With the configuration shown in Figure 7, the feedstock to the
MPG unit is normally reduced to that amount needed to satisfy the
demand of the complex. If syngas production exceeds the amount
needed to produce the required hydrogen (depending first of all on
the crude quality/origin), the surplus syngas can be used for power
generation with gas turbines or the production of chemicals/fuels.
Air Liquide Global E&C Solutions can provide the applica-ble
technologies (see Figure 7). Besides MPG technology, including air
separation, CO shift, syngas cleaning, Lurgi Rectisol, PSA and
methanation, the company also has technologies for sulphur recovery
(preferably OxyClaus, since oxygen is available), technologies for
chem-icals (such as methanol and propylene) and fuels production
(for instance, Fischer-Tropsch), but
www.eptq.com PTQ Q3 2013 99
cracking reactions over the strictly thermal coking reactions
that occur in the traditional delayed coker operation. During
development, it has been observed that OptiFuel Technology shifts
the delayed coker yields towards more valuable products, with
reduced amounts of dry gas and coke.
Pilot plant verification Albemarle and OFTG have conducted a
series of pilot plant runs at Penn State University (PSU). The
scope of these studies has been to quantify the benefits of the
tech-nology as a function of additive composition, feed properties
and operating conditions.
vessels needed for additive mixing and storage.
The yield improvements seen with this technology are
hypothesised to be the result of reactions in both the liquid and
vapour phases, which are directly influenced by the additive. The
active sites of the additive are intended to preferentially
catalyse
Albemarle has designed an addi-tion system to ensure proper
mixing of the solid and liquid portions and to avoid solids
settling. The supply consists of a liquid carrier and the additive
supplied to the refinery in bags or bulk shipments for mixing
on-site. The additive injection system design minimises the size
of
6
10
8
4
2
0
-2
4
Abso
lute
delt
as,
wt%
of
feed
6A1
4.32
8.83
4.51
4.01
8.77
4.76
3.38
6.52
3.14
4.43
3.00
1.42
1.44
0.44
0.99
1.57
0.67
2.25
2.28
0.43
1.85
1.49
0.30
1.79
Coke, %
C3 + liquid, %
Fuel gas, %
A2 A3 A4 B1 B2 B3 B4
Feed and formulation
Figure 3 Changes in pilot plant yields with application of
OptiFuel Technology: pilot plant runs at Penn State University
Base PredictedCoke 32.2% 28.5%Dry gas 5.6% 4.4%C
3+ liquid yields 62.2% 67.1%
Projected yields for commercial application of OptiFuel
Technology
Table 4
www.eptq.com PTQ Q2 2013 43
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Variante 4a
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burners and combustors for more than 20 years.
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Anton Alvarez-Majmutov is an NSERC Visiting Fellow at
CanmetENERGY working on bitumen upgrading process modelling and
simulation. He holds a PhD from Mexican Institute of Petroleum
(IMP).
Jinwen Chen is a Senior Research Scientist and Group Leader at
CanmetENERGY. He holds a PhD in chemical engineering from Tianjin
University.
Mugurel Munteanu is a Lead Process Engineer at CoSyn Technology,
a division of WorleyParsons, in Edmonton, Canada. He holds a PhD in
chemical engineering from Laval University, Canada.
canmet.indd 6 08/03/2013 13:04albemarle.indd 4 07/06/2013
20:04air liquide.indd 6 12/09/2013 16:47axens.indd 7 12/12/2013
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