Overview of Petroleum Refining

Dept. of Petroleum Engineering &

Petrochemical Engineering

Presented by
Prof. K. V. Rao
Programme Director
Petroleum Courses
JNTUK
III Year, I Sem., B. Tech. Petrochemical Engineering
Petroleum Refinery Engineering
University College of Engineering (A) Kakinada
Agenda

Introduction
What is the Purpose of an Oil Refinery?
What Goes In/Out of the Refinery
How Do You Get from Crude Oil to
Products?
Separations
Chemical Reactions cont...
Agenda - Cont.
How Do You Get from Crude Oil to
Products?
Separations
Chemical Reactions
Major Equipment
Minimizing Pollution
What do The Petrochemical/Chemical
Engineers Do?
Overview
THE PURPOSE OF AN OIL REFINERY
IS TO TRANSFORM RELATIVELY
LOW VALUE CRUDE OIL INTO
HIGH VALUE PRODUCTS AS
EFFICIENTLY, PROFITABLY AND
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
WAY AS POSSIBLE
Overview - Cont.
The price and quality of crudes is constantly
changing. The price and specifications of the
products is constantly changing. Government
regulations add additional constraints. There is
not much differential between the price of crude
and products.
HOW DO I KEEP IN BUSINESS?
How Do I Keep In Business ?
I need to design and revamp the plant utilizing the
latest technology to be more efficient
I need to make the plant more flexible and
responsive
I need to operate (control) the plant in the most
efficient manner possible
I need to keep the equipment running all the time
I NEED PETROCHEMICAL/CHEMICAL
ENGINEERS!
OK, But...

WHAT GOES ON IN AN OIL
REFINERY?
Very Simplified
Petroleum and
Petrochemical
Flowchart
Oil
Well
Crude
Oil
Separations
C
o
n
v
e
r
s
i
o
n
s
S
e
p
a
r
a
t
i
o
n
s
a
n
d
P
u
r
i
f
i
c
a
t
i
o
n
s
Natural
Gas
Propane &
Butane
Naphtha
(C
5
- C
10
)
Gas Stove
Fuel
Gasoline
Jet Fuel
Fuel
R
X
Ethylene Polyethylene (Glad Bags)
R
X
R
X
Polymers (7 UP Bottles)
(Barbeque Grills)
R
X
R
X
Organic Chemicals
More Polymers
(Aspirin, Hair Spray)
(Football Helmet, Astro
Turf, Nylon)
Home Heating
Oil, Lubricating
Oil, Wax
Diesel Fuels
Kerosene &
Gas Oils (C
10
+)
Coke
(Carbon Material Similar to Coal)
Steel Making
Asphalt
Roads Pot Holes
Purifications remove sulfur and heavy metals
R
X
= Chemical Reactions
Graphite Fibers
(Tennis Racquets)
THE REFI NERY
Methane
Ethane
What Is Crude Oil?
Crude Oil is a liquid mixture of thousands
of organic chemicals found underground. It
is the result of organic matter decaying over
thousands of years; hence the name fossil
fuel
Crude oil is found all over the world and
varies tremendously in its density,
aromatics, sulfur, and metals content
Major Refinery Products
LPG (Propane/Butane)
GASOLINE (hundreds of blends)
KEROSENE
JET FUELS
DIESEL FUELS
HEATING OILS
GREASES
ASPHALTS
COKE (not the kind you drink )
Gasoline Specifications
Gasoline must meet many criteria which change with
the time of year and geographic location. Some
critical specifications are:
Vapor Pressure
Octane
Aromatics / Benzene Content
Sulfur Content
Gasolines are always a blend of a number of streams
in the refinery
Other Specifications
Other refinery products must meet other
specifications such as:
Cetane number
Density
Pour Point
Flash Point
Viscosity
So, How Do You Make Good
Stuff Out Of That Gooey Crude?
So, How Do You Make Good
Stuff Out Of That Gooey Crude?
So, How Do You Make Good
Stuff Out Of That Gooey Crude?
REACTIONS
&
SEPARATIONS
So, How Do You Make Good
Stuff Out Of That Gooey Crude?
Separate crude into fractions
Convert low octane components to higher octane
components
Convert the very heavy stuff to heavy oils
Convert heavy oils to gasoline,diesel,jet fuel
Remove sulfur/nitrogen through reaction
Blend intermediate streams together to meet
product specifications
SEPARATIONS
SEPARATIONS -
CRUDE FRACTIONATION
HUGE DISTILLATION COLUMNS
ATMOSPHERIC DISTILLATION
VACUUM DISTILLATION
TYPICAL SIZE: 150,000 BARRELS/DAY
750 DEGREES F
OTHER SEPARATIONS
FLASH
DISTILLATION
ABSORPTION
ADSORPTION
SETTLING (WATER/OIL)
REACTIONS
REACTIONS
Almost all the reactions in the refinery use
special catalysts that increase the rate and
selectivity of the reaction. This improves
efficiency and reduces unwanted
byproducts.
Reactions to Make Higher Octane
ISOMERIZATION
C-C-C-C-C-C --> C C
nC6 C-C-C-C iC6
REFORMING
C-C-C-C-C-C-C --> C
nC7 C C-CH3
C C toluene
C

Reactions To Make Higher Octane
ALKYLATION

C C
C=C-C + C-C-C --> C-C-C-C-C
C
propylene isobutane isoheptane (2,2,dmp)
Reactions To Convert Heavy Oils
HYDROCRACKING
H
2
+ heavy oil --> gasoline + diesel
550 F 300 F 450 F
use boiling point to describe oils
CAT CRACKING
heavy oil --> gasoline + propylene, butane,
other light ends
550 F 300 F


Reactions To Convert Resid
Resid is the bottom of the barrel - the
material that is left in the bottom of the
crude/vacuum distillation towers

COKING
resid + heat --> coke + heavy oil
> 900 F solid 550 F
Reactions To Remove Sulfur
HYDRODESULFURIZATION
2 R-SH + H
2
--> 2 R + 2 H
2
S
mercaptan hydrocarbon

SULFUR RECOVERY
convert H
2
S to elemental sulfur:
2 H
2
S + 2 O
2
--> SO
2
+ S + 2 H
2
O
2 H
2
S + SO
2
--> 3S + 2 H
2
O


MAJOR REFINERY EQUIPMENT
Vessels-Reactors, Separators, Storage Tanks
Pumps & Compressors
Furnaces
Heat Exchangers
Instruments (measure flow, temperature,
pressure, composition)
Control Systems
MINIMIZING POLLUTION
Operate Furnaces Efficiently
Waste Material Goes To The Flare Stack
Avoid Spills & Accidental Releases
Special Treatment of Sewer Water
Lots of Paper Work!
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE
BAD STUFF IN THE CRUDE?
Sulfur
converted to elemental sulfur
in high sulfur fuel oil
in coke
Heavy Metals (nickel, vanadium)
in high sulfur fuel oil and coke
Nitrogen (organic nitrogen)
most is converted to ammonia and neutralized
in high sulfur fuel oil and coke
WHAT ROLE DO
ENGINEERS PLAY IN THE
REFINERY?
What Role Do Petrochemical Engineers Play?
Operations Engineer
Maintenance Engineer
Control Systems Engineer
Design Engineer
Health/Safety/Environmental Engineer
Planning / Scheduling Engineer
Reliability Engineer
Plant Manager
Other Ways Petrochemical
Engineers Support The Refining
Industry
Research & Development Engineers
Technical Sales Engineers
Engineering & Construction Engineers
Governmental Regulators
University Professors
Other Engineering Disciplines In
The Refinery
Mechanical Engineers - design &
maintenance of compressors, vessels
Electrical Engineers - electrical,
instrumentation, controls
Computer Scientists - main plant control &
information systems
Summary
Refineries are very complicated chemical
processing plants that use reactions and
separations to convert crude oil into
gasoline and other valuable products
Petrochemical/Chemical engineers play an
important role in keeping these plants
running safely and efficiently