1

SUMMER TRAINING REPORT 2014

(16
th
MAY-28
th
JULY)
INDIAN OIL CORPORATION LIMITED

MATHURA REFINERY












The Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit


SUBMITTED BY

ASHISH MISHRA
Roll no. 11001005008,4
th
year
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
DEEN BANDHU CHOTURAM UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY, MURTHAL (SONIPAT), HARYANA-131039




2

ABSTRACT
This report is prepared at Indian Oil Ltd, Mathura as a part of the industrial training and
contains a brief description of the refining process employed in the Indian Oil Ltd. It mainly
focuses on the process description of the Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) and the
Unsaturated Gas Separation Unit. The details of the project undertaken in the same unit as a
part of practical training along with the methodology and the procedure adopted are also
included in this report.


Project guide,
Mr. Vinod Kumar
CPNM















3
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
It has been an immense pleasure and truly enriching experience doing my vocational
training at Indian Oil Limited, Mathura.
I take this opportunity to thank all those people who have made this experience a
memorable one. I am heartily thankful to Mr. Vinod Kumar (CPNM), Mr. A.K Asthana
(DPNM) for their co-operation and proper guidance during my training.
I would like to thank my guide Mr. Aakash(SPNE) (FCCU) who has been the guiding
force behind the completion of this project. I am sincerely thankful to the entire team of the
FCC unit for their valuable help and guidance in the completion of my training.
I am also thankful to Mr. J .N.Bhilwaray, SO(T&D) for giving me an opportunity to
work with Indian Oil Limited.
Finally, I am grateful for the joint support from the Indian Oil as a whole for the
opportunity and assistance they provided me to do my training here.

Thanking You.
Ashish Mishra














4
PREFACE
Any amount of theoretical knowledge is incomplete without exposure to industrial practice.
Practical knowledge means visualization and application of knowledge which we read in
books. Theoretical studies cannot be perfect without practical training. Hence, in-plant
training is of great importance for an engineering student. Teaching gives theoretical aspect
of technology, but practical training gives knowledge of industrial activities.
My aim for this industrial training was to study the Fluidized Catalytic Cracking unit.. By
applying mass and energy balance I have deduced many important parameters in fluidized
catalytic cracking unit like regenerator efficiency, regenerator cyclone velocity, reactor
cyclone velocity, air to coke ratio, catalyst circulation rate, steam consumed in reactor many
other.
This project report presents a detailed summary of my enriching industrial experience at the
Mathura refinery.

















5
Table of Contents
Mathura Refinery
Basics of Refining
Crude Oil
Refinery Plant Overview
Safety
Cracking Process
Chemistry of the Fluid Catalytic Cracking Process
Fluidized Catalytic Cracking unit
Capacity & feedstock
Yield Pattern & Product Routing
Process Description















6
MATHURA REFINERY
Mathura Refinery, the sixth refinery of IndianOil was commissioned in 1982 with a capacity
of 6.0 MMTPA to meet the demand of petroleum products in north western region of the
country, which includes National Capital Region. Refinery is located along the Delhi-Agra
National Highway about 154 KM away from Delhi. The major secondary processing units
provided were Fluidised Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU), Vis-breaker Unit (VBU) and
Bitumen Blowing Unit (BBU). The original technology for these units was sourced from
erstwhile USSR, UOP etc. Soaker drum technology of EIL was implemented in VBU in the
year 1993. For production of unleaded Gasoline, Continuous Catalytic Reforming Unit
(CCRU) was commissioned in 1998 with technology from Axens, France. A Diesel Hydro
Desulphurisation Unit (DHDS) licensed from Axens, France was commissioned in 1999 for
production of HSD with low Sulphur content of 0.25% wt (max). With the commissioning
of Once Through Hydrocracker Unit (licensed from Chevron, USA) in July 2000, capacity
of Mathura Refinery was increased to 8.0 MMTPA.

Diesel Hydro-treating unit (DHDT) & MS Quality Up-gradation Unit (MSQU) was installed
with world class technology from Axens and UOP respectively in 2005 for production of
Euro-III grade HSD & MS w.e.f. 1st April 2005 as per Auto Fuel Policy of Govt. of India.
Project for FCC Gasoline Desulphurization (FCCGDS) and Selective Hydrogenation Unit
(SHU), the Prime-G technology of Axens, France was commissioned in February 2010 and
supply of Euro-IV grade MS and HSD started on continuous basis from February 2010.


Mathura Refinery is having its own captive power plant, which was augmented with the
commissioning of three Gas Turbines (GT) and Heat Recovery Steam Generator (HRSG) in
phases from 1997 to 2005 using Natural Gas( NG) as fuel to take care of environment.

For upgrading environmental standards, old Sulphur Recovery Units (SRU) were replaced
with new Sulphur Recovery Units with 99.9 % recovery in the year 1999. Additional
Sulphur Recovery Unit is under implementation as a hot standby. Mathura Refinery had also
set up four nos. of continuous Ambient Air Monitoring Stations far beyond the working area
before commissioning of the Refinery in 1982 as a mark of its concern towards the
environment and archaeological sites. Its close proximity to the magnificent wonder Taj
Mahal adds extra responsibility towards maintaining a cleaner environment.

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Mathura Refinery has planted 1,67,000 trees in surrounding areas including refinery &
township and 1,15,000 trees in Agra region around Taj Mahal. The Ecological Park which is
spread across 4.45 acres, is a thriving green oasis in the heart of sprawling Refinery.

At Mathura Refinery, technology & ecology go hand in hand with continuous endeavour for
Product Quality up-gradation, Energy Conservation and Environment Protection. Mathura
Refinery is the first in Asia and third in the world to receive the coveted ISO-14001
certification for Environment Management System in 1996. It is also the first in the World
to get OHSMS certification for Safety Management in 1998.Updated on September 16,
2010
Refining end-products
The primary end-products produced in petroleum refining may be grouped into four
categories: light distillates, middle distillates, heavy distillates and others.
Light distillates
Liquid petroleum gas (LPG)
Gasoline (also known as petrol)
Heavy Naphtha
Light Naphtha
Middle distillates
Kerosene
Automotive and rail-road diesel fuels
Residential heating fuel
Other light fuel oils
Heavy distillates
Heavy fuel oils
Bunker fuel oil and other residual fuel oils


Mission
To create enduring value for customers and stakeholders in core manufacturing and service
businesses, through world class operating standards, state-of-the-art technology and the
positive attitude of our people.




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BASICS OF REFINING

Refining: The process of separating the components of crude oil, progressively altering and
re-blending them to produce fuels like LPG, Motor Gasoline, Kerosene, Diesel, Fuel Oils ,
Residual Fuel Oils and Lubricants with maximum yields profitably with removal of
impurities.
Basic overview of a refinery:
The basic processes that take place in a refinery are,
Separation of components by distillation, e.g.:
Atmospheric
Vacuum
Hydro treating (usage of excess hydrogen)
Decomposition of molecules to make lighter fractions from heavier products, e.g.:
Catalytic cracking
Hydro cracking
Unification of smaller molecules to a larger fraction, e.g.:
Alkylation
Polymerization
Alteration (Rearranging) of molecules,e.g:
Isomerization
Catalytic Reforming







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CRUDE OIL
Crude : Is a mixture of hydrocarbons and impurities of inorganic salts and metals.It is a
complex mixture of Hydrocarbons.
It is brownish black in color and colloidal in nature with impurities like sulfur,
nitrogen and metals.
Physically crude oils can vary from light, mobile, strain colored liquids containing
large proportion of easily distillable material to highly viscous, semi solid black
substances with very little material that can be recovered by distillation
Crude constitutes of:
Petroleum fractions designated by boiling ranges :
Light gases (C3, C4 .)
Naphtha
Distillates (Kerosene, diesel)
Gas Oils
Residual Oils
Ordinary contaminants:
Salt, Water & Sediment.
Sulphur
Nitrogen
Iron, Nickel, Vanadium
Asphaltenes
Infrequent contaminants:
Acids
Hydrogen sulphide
Mercaptan sulphur



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Crude composition:
Paraffinic: Saturated aliphatic normal Chain compounds constituting homologues
series of general formula CnH2n+2 .
Naphthenic: Saturated compounds appear as a ring structures and also known as
close chain or cyclic saturated compounds.
Aromatic: Unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbons. General formula (CnH2n-6) & (C2nH2n-
12).

Crude Oil assays are used to perform the above classification
Contents of Crude Assay:
1. Whole Crude data.
2 .Light Ends analysis.
3. Properties of straight run Naphthas (IBP-190 Deg C).
4. Hydrocarbon component analysis (IBP-150 Deg C cut).
5. Hydrocarbon type analysis (100 - 160 Deg C cut)
Properties of: Kerosene & Jet fuels
Middle distillates
Gas oils
Lube distillates
Residue
Asphalts
6. TBP distillation curve with API and Sulphur








1. TBP curve
Mid percent curves:
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Gasoline : Octane no., sulphur %, RVP
Naphtha : Octane no., API, sulphur %.
Kerosene : Smoke point, freeze point,
API, Aniline point, sulphur%
Middle distillates/gas oils
: Cloud, Pour, cetane number
Refractive Index, CCR,
Sulphur %, nitrogen, Viscosity
Residue : API, Sulphur, Pour,
Viscosity
Asphalt : Softening point, Penetration

Distinguishing features of crude oil:
Crude Oils are defined in terms of API(American Petroleum Institute) gravity.
A high API implies lighter cruse, characteristic of the C-n fraction (low n).
Crude oils with low carbon, high hydrogen anf a high API gravity are usually rich in
paraffins and tend to yield greater proportions of gasoline and light petroleum
products.
The other class of crude oil, with high carbon, low hydrogen and low API gravities
are rich in aromatics.
A Crude oil/oil feed with an appreciable amount of hydrogen sulfide or reactive
sulfur compounds is termed as a sour feed and that with less sulfur content is
called sweet or to be precise,
o Sweet-Sulfur<0.5%
o Sour- Sulfur~0.5-2%
o Tough-Sulfur>2%
Exceptions to the above rule:
Arabian High Sulphur crudes are despite a high sulfur content , not considered sour,
as the sulfur compounds are very reactive.
West Texas Crude are considered sour regardless of the H2S/sulfur content.
Types of crude:
Marlim Light
Cossack Blend
Ras Gharib
Deodorized Field Condensate
Arab Extra Lt

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REFINERY PLANT OVERVIEW
A refinery comprises of the following segments:
OSBL Outside Battery Limits
o Utilities
o Off sites
o ETP
o Interconnecting Lines
o
o Other facilities
COT Crude Oil Tankage
ISBL Inside Battery Limits
o Includes all Process units.
Refining Processes carried out, can be classified into two main types, namely:
Primary Processes
Secondary Processes
Primary Processes:
Crude Distillation
Primary unit to separate different boiling point fractions such as LPG,
Naphtha, Kerosene, HSD, RCO etc.
Distillation conducted at slightly higher than atmospheric pressure.
Unit design for specific crude with flexibility to process a few other crudes.
Vacuum Distillation
Sub atmospheric distillation of atmospheric column bottoms for production
of fuels or lube stocks.
Fuels production: Metal content, CCR, Final boiling point etc. critical.
Lubes Production : More stringent fractionation requirements

Secondary Processes:
Further conversion of Vacuum Gas oils and residue required to maximize production
of more useful products
Such processes are called secondary or bottoms upgradation processes
Major classifications:
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Catalytic hydro processes (hydro cracking)
Catalytic Cracking (FCC)
Thermal processes (Visbreaking, Coking)
Others (Partial Oxidation, Solvent de-asphalting etc)
Hydro cracking
Catalytic cracking of vacuum gas oils in presence of hydrogen
High pressure and temperature
Can produce Fuels/Lubes
No further treatment required for Fuel products
Catalytic cracking(Fcc)
Catalytic cracking of vacuum gas oils or residues at high temperature
Fluidized catalytic bed with continuous regeneration of catalyst
Cracked products contain unsaturates and hence need further treatment
Visbreaking (Thermal)
Thermal cracking of vacuum residue at high temperature
Provide residence time in coil (coil type) or outside in separate vessel (soaker
type)
Gas oil, naphtha are products.
Delayed Coking
Coking occurs in the Reactor Drum
Coke removed by water jetting
Coke Drum operation in batches
Naphtha, gasoil are other products
Solvent de-asphalting
Extraction of useful oil from Vacuum residue
Propane - Butane mixture used as solvent
Useful oil can be cracked further in FCC or Hydrocracker or can be
converted into Bright Stock (Lubes)
Asphalt byproduct can be converted into Bitumen
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Partial Oxidation
Partial oxidation of vacuum residue or asphalt
Produces Synthesis Gas or Hydrogen
Synthesis gas can be converted into power
Hydrogen consumed in refinery
Miscellaneous Processes:
Catalytic reforming unit
Increases octane number of gasoline
Produces hydrogen
Semi regenerative (regeneration during shut downs) or
Continuous type
Treating Units
MERICHEM / MEROX-Removes H2S, Mercaptans from LPG,
Gasoline, and Kerosene/ATF.
DESULPHURISATION-
Catalytic Desulphurization of Naphtha, Diesel.
Also improves Cetane number of Diesel.
Lube Processing Units
Aromatics Extraction
De waxing
Hydro treating
Catalytic Processes
Processes To Meet Environmental Regulations
Sulphur Recovery
Water Treatment
Flue Gas Desulphurization

Auxillary Operations and facilities Includes:
Steam And Power Generation
Flares and relief systems
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Process and fire water systems
Furnaces and heaters, pumps and valves
Supply of steam,air,nitrogen and other plant gases
Alarms and sensors; noise and pollution control
Sampling, testing and inspecting;laboratory,control room, maintenance and administrative
facilities


Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) at MATHURA consists of various
units. Among them major once are:

1. Atmospheric and Vacuum Distillation Unit(AVU)
2. Continuous Catalytic Reformer Unit(CCRU)
3. Visbreaking Unit(VBU)
4. Hydrogen Generation Unit(HGU1&2)
5. Fluidized Catalytic Cracking Unit(FCCU)
6. Once Through Hydrocracker Unit(OHCU)
7. Diesel Hydro Desulphurisation Unit(DHDS)
8. Diesel hydrotreater unit(DHDT)
9. Amine Regeneration Unit(ARU)
10. Sour Water Stripper Unit(SWSU)
11. Bitumen Blowing Unit(BBU)
12. Sulphur Recovery Unit(SRU)
13. MS Quality up gradation unit(MSQ)














16
PLANT BLOCK DIAGRAM








17
SAFETY
Some of the common hazards that workers, visitors and the process in itself are prone to in
the refinery are cited below:
Physical Hazards:
High Pressure/Temperature Steam
Oil/Gas-Fired Furnaces
Acoustic
High Voltage (4160V, 480V, 13.2 kV)
Falling Hazards
Confined Space Hazards
Cranes/Lifting Hazards
Hot Work Hazards
Acid Exposure
Toxic Vapors
Radiation
Flammability Hazards
Process Hazards:
Emergency Flare
Atmospheric Pressure Relief
High Temperature (up to 2000
o
F)
Low Temperature (e.g., Brittle Fracture)
High Pressure (up to 3000 psig)
Low Pressure (e.g., vacuum)

Safety Practices: It is a compulsory practice that during plant visit, the trainee be wearing
safety shoes, safety helmet, a pair of gloves, full sleeved cotton outfit, ear plugs to avoid
being affected by the afore mentioned hazards.

18
CRACKING PROCESS
Cracking is a phenomena by which large oil molecules are decomposed into smaller boiling
molecules.
Types Of Cracking:
Thermal Cracking:
Dissociation of high molecular weight hydrocarbons in to smaller fragments through heat
agency alone is termed as Thermal Cracking or Pyrolysis.
Catalytic cracking:
Cracking can also be carried out in the presence of a catalyst, known as Catalytic cracking.
In thermal cracking, the product selectivity is low and lighter component production
(<C3) will be high.
In catalytic cracking, high yield is obtained, more stable products are formed, its less
severe, there is lesser gas production and High Octane gasoline is produced.
Now catalytic cracking has almost superseded thermal cracking because of its
inherent advantage of low temperature and pressure operation.

Also the catalytic cracking is rapid, being 1000 times as faster than thermal cracking
in the case of naphthenes at 500
o
C.
Thermal Cracking Operations:
Temperature of cracking (
o
C) Nature Of Operation Products
425-460 Visbreaking Fuel Oil
460-520 Thermal Cracking Gas,Gasoline,Tar oils,
Circulating oils
520-600 Low temperature coking Gas,Gasoline,Soft coke
600-800 Gas Production Gas and Unsaturates
800-1000 High Temperature coking Gas, Heavy aromatics, Pitch
or Coke
Above 1000 Decomposition H2 gas, Carbon black



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CHEMISTRY OF THE FLUID CATALYTIC CRACKING PROCESS:
The theory of catalytic cracking is based on Carbonium ion formation and subsequent H2
transfer reaction. From the basic organic chemistry it could be envisaged that whenever a
molecule breaks into two, two bonds become free. In absence of free hydrogen atoms in the
vicinity, one of the new born molecules has to develop a double bond. Alternately, coke is
generated in the cracking reaction to maintain Hydrogen balance. To control this coke
formation or formation of very small molecules, the industrial cracking of heavy petroleum
molecules are aided by catalysts.

Step I Formation of carbonium ion from the feed stock.
Carbonium ion is readily formed from the olefins which take place on the acid site of
Catalyst.Once the carbonium ion is formed by the catalyst it may proceed further as follows:

Crack to form small olefin plus another carbonium ion
React with another olefin to form a different carbonium ion
Isomerise carbonium ion to a different form
Stopping the chain reaction by donating the proton back.
Step II Hydrogen transfer reaction
Hydrogen transfer reaction converts an olefin to paraffin. The source of the hydrogen is
another olefinic hydrocarbon on the catalyst which will progressively become more
hydrogen deficient. This hydrogen deficient molecule will get adsorbed very strongly to
the catalyst & form the coke on the catalyst during reaction
Reactions:

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(Chain breaking step)
Reactions a, b, c are indefinite
Dealkylation of the aromatics occur in the similar manner
Overall Reaction flow diagram


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FCC CATALYST
FCC catalyst history:
Brief: The concept of FCC was developed during 1940s with powdered fluidized catalyst.
A significant change came about when Y type Zeolites were being used instead of the high
alumina amorphous catalyst, which was used in 1950s.The reactor configuration was
changed because of the high active and lower coke forming tendency of Zeolite catalysts.In
the mid 1960s USY based catalysts were introduced of high hydro thermal stability
produce less coke and also increase the octane number of the gasoline.During 1980s large
number of additives such as nickel and vanadium passivators, CO combustion promoters
and SOX emission controllers and special additives for attrition resistance, octane
improvement were developed, to optimize the reaction.
Timeline:
Natural Clay Till 1930S
Synthetic amorphous silica-alumina catalyst till 1960S. Introduced in 1946,first
synthetic catalyst, 12%alumina- 88%silica was more active and caused less erosion
than clay catalyst.
Zeolite Catalyst Introduced in 1964,crystalline alumina silica with regular cavities, X
-zeolite Si/Al ratio = 1to1.3 Y - zeolite Si/Al ratio = 2to2.6 most active of all
catalyst, Good conversion and low recycle of heavy oil from MF, high activity led to
short contact time and all riser cracking concept.
Cat Additives like Ni passivator.
Fluidized catalyst_definiton:
Fluid catalytic cracking catalyst is a fine porous powder composed of oxides of
silicones and aluminum. Other elements like sodium, calcium, magnesium and
members of rare earth family such as lanthanide and cerium are present in very small
amount.
The source of the catalytic activity is on the acid site which is either Bronsted or
Lewis acid sites. The acid sites initiate and accelerate carbonium reaction that causes
molecular size reduction at FCCU reactor conditions.
When aerated with gas, the powder attains a fluid like property that allows it to
behave like a liquid. This property permits the catalyst to be circulated between
Reactor and Regenerator, hence the name fluid cracking catalyst.

Cracking catalyst: There are three types of catalysts primarily:
Acid treated natural alumino silicates.
Amorphous synthetic silica-alumino combinations.
Crystalline synthetic silica-alumina catalysts called zeolites.
Zeolite catalyst:
Zeolites are molecular sieves that are incorporated into the catalyst. The chemical
composition basically the same as the earlier type of catalyst, but the structure is radically
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different. The main components are Zeolite, Clay Matrix (Silica or Alumina gel) and binder.
A Zeolite is a crystalline alumina-silica compound with a frame work structure. This regular
structure differentiates the Zeolite from the previous catalysts, which were amorphous
having sponge- like structure. The Zeolite has regular cavities which can be occupied by
large ions or water. These ions may be exchanged for others as long as electrical neutrality
is maintained.

Advantages:
The first commercial catalyst was made with 8 - 10 % zeolites and showed an activity 1.5 -2
times the amorphous catalyst. This higher activity proved to be an advantage for gasoline
oriented operations but for middle distillate operations, the amorphous type catalyst is still
used. To utilize this higher activity, then came the concept of short contact time in the riser.
This short contact time minimizes undesirable over cracking, while good conversion was
maintained because of high catalyst activity. Because of this the recycle quantity of the
heavy oil from MF has got reduced. This in-turn has allowed to increase the fresh feed rate.


Comparison of Amorphous and Zeolite catalyst:

Property Amorphous Zeolite
Coke wt5 4 4
Conversion vol% 55 65
C-5 gasoline, vol% 1.38 51
C3-gas,wt% 7 6
C4,vol% 17 16




Catalyst for the processing of resids in specially designed FCCU has to be designed with a
range of pore size distribution to handle the large molecules(>30A
o
) present and also
smaller pores to give higher activities.Large liquid catching pores (>100A
o
) with large
activity to control coke and gas make
Meso pores(30-100 A
o
)
Small pores(_20 A
o
)


Ultra Stable Y catalyst:
The catalyst used is of low active rare earth stabilized ultra stable Y catalyst (USReHY).

The presence of rare earth will increase the hydro thermal stability and increase H2
Transfer activity.
Gasoline RON & MON reduces with increase in unit cell size.
Activity of Unit cell increases with Unit cell size but selectivity of C3 will reduce.
Research Octane number (RON):
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RON & MON:

Octane Number.
A measurement of gasoline quality, the octane number is an indication of the gasoline
tendency to pre ignite or pring under compression. The reported octane no. is actually
the percentage of isooctane in isooctane/normal heptanes blend that has the same
tendency to ping as the gasoline tested .the tests are conducted in special engine. The Octane
Number of iso-octane equals to 100 and of the n-Heptane equals to zero by definition.

RON: The Research Octane Number of octane number determination correlates with full-
scale spark-ignited engine antiknock performance at low speed -600 RPM.
The test method utilizes a single cylinder, four stroke and adjustable cylinder height engine
and requires critical adjustment of fuel / air ratio and compression ratio to produce a
standard knock intensity condition. RON correlates the commercial automotive spare
ignition engine antiknock performance under mild condition of the operation

MON: The Motor Octane Number correlates with full scale spark ignited engine antiknock
performance at higher speed 900 RPM with mixture heater temperature and variable spark
angle. It provides a means of defining the quality of motor gasoline for use in vehicles on
the road. MON correlates the commercial automotive spare ignition engine antiknock
performance under severe condition of the operation.

The difference in the methods is as follows:

Property Research Motor
Rpm 600 900
Spark advance 13
o
btdc Variable
Mixture heating No Yes





Catalyst-Physical Properties:

Property Characteristic
Appearance White powder and free flowing
Main Component Silica/Alumina
Quartz content Below detection
Bulk Density 700-800 g/l
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Flash Point Not flammable
Solubility Insoluble
Respirability 0.1-0.2 wt%
Problem Dust formation and water absorption











Catalyst features:











Binder is the material used in the FCC catalyst to bind the matrix and zeolite
components into a single homogeneous particle.
Matrix is a substitute in which the zeolite is imbedded in the cracking catalyst used as a
term for active, non-zeolitic component of the FCC catalyst
Zeolite is a synthetic Alumina-Silicate material used in the manufacturing of FCC
Catalyst .
Hydrogen transfer is the secondary reaction that converts olefins (predominantly iso-
olefins)
into paraffins while extracting hydrogen from larger molecules.

The presence of Zeolite in the catalyst will
25
1. Increase conversion
2. Increase delta coke formation
3. Reduce the gasoline selectivity and increase LPG selectivity
4. Increase RON, MON of gasoline
The presence of Rare earth in the catalyst will
1. Increase conversion
2. Increase delta coke formation
3. Increase the gasoline selectivity
4. Decrease RON and increase / decrease MON of gasoline
The presence of Matrix activity in the catalyst will
1. Increase / Decrease conversion
2. Increase delta coke formation
3. Increase the gasoline selectivity
4. Increase RON and MON of gasoline











Important characteristics of Catalyst
Activity
Activity is the conversion produced by a catalyst when tested on a specified feed at
Specified conditions. This is normally done in a bench scale test unit.

Conversion
Conversion = Gas + LPG + Gasoline + Coke in vol % or wt %.
Selectivity
H - Factor: Measure of metal activity for the H2 transfer.
Coke factor: Measure of E-cat contribution to the delta coke including metal activity

Surface Area
It is a measure of catalyst activity when comparing with the same type of catalyst.
26
It is determined by N2 adsorption, assuming a complete mono-molecular layer of Nitrogen
on the surface.


Density of FCC catalyst:

Skeletal Density (SD) = 2.1 * SiO2 + 3.4 * Al2O3 /100
Particle Density (PD): 1/PD = 1/SD + PV
PV = Pore Volume: The volume of pores or voids in the catalyst particles
(Mainly used for cyclone design purpose)
Compacted Bulk density (CBD): a / CBD = 1/SD + PV, where a = Packing factor
(For dense packing)
Apparent Bulk Density (ABD) -Density of a catalyst sample that has been allowed to settle
undisturbed.
: b/ABD = 1/SD + PV b = Packing factor
(For Hopper inventory)
APS (Average particle size).-The weight average particle size of a catalyst sample. In
many cases however the reported average particle size is in fact the medium particle
diameter.
NOTE: SD > PD > CBD > ABD.

Effect/Increase
Of
Conversion Activity Coke
formation
Make up at
constant
conversion
Losses
Nickel Decreases -- Increases Increases --
Sodium +
Vanadium
Decreases Decreases Increases Increases --
Attrition index Increases Increases -- Increases Increases
ABD -- -- -- -- Decreases
APS Decreases Decreases -- Increases Decreases


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Fluidized Catalytic Cracking (FCC) Unit:











28

INTRODUCTION TO FLUIDIZED CATALYTIC CRACKING UNIT
(FCC):

Objective:
To upgrade Gas oil of the refinery
To maximize LPG yield
Process Technologists:
Process licensor/design of FCC and UGS units carried out by M/s-Stone &Webster
(Mauritius) Limited.
Process detailed Engineering by M/s.ABB Lummus Crest (Mauritius`) limited.
Process used at Indian Oil:
Stone & WEBSTER process for Fluidized Catalytic cracking
Other processes used for FCC:
Universal Oil product (UOP) process

Advantages of FCC:
The high octane number which has become an important factor for gasoline quality
can only be achieved by FCC. Though investment cost of FCC unit is high, the increased
yield of high quality products from FCC unit justifies for the installation of FCC unit.

Selection of the process:
The process used at IndianOil, Mathura is provided by SWEML(Stone & WEBSTER
Engineering(Mauritius) Limited) as:
It incorporates a 2-staged regenerator system; a unique fed injection system and a
proprietary catalyst disengager.

Advantages of the 2-staged FCCU regenerator:
Earlier in FCC, it was only a single stage catalyst regeneration system and later this
has been changed to two stage regeneration system for reducing the catalyst
deactivation rate and effective catalyst regeneration.
In single stage regenerators catalyst will get deactivated very fast due to higher
regenerator temperatures and presence of water vapour.
In two stage regeneration system approximately 60 - 70 % of the coke is burnt at
mild conditions in the first stage regenerator and the second stage regenerator
completes the coke removal in an oxygen rich, higher temperature environment.
Most of the hydrogen-in-coke is removed in the first stage itself at mild (low
temperature) conditions.
29
Also the single stage regenerator is limited in regard to cracking residues because of
metallurgical limits within the regenerator vessel.

FCC unit can be subdivided into :
FCCU-Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit
UGSU-Unsaturated Gas Separation Unit
FDS-Flue Gas Desulphurization Unit.
Objective of the FCC units:
FCCU (unit No.3400): It has a main objective of maximizing LPG production by
catalytically cracking the feed mixture of vacuum gas oils from the Vacuum and Visbreaker
units.
UGSU (Unit No.3500): The UGS unit has an objective of separating the distillate and LPG
from the overhead outlet of FCC.The ultimatum is to maximize the recovery of C3s and
C4s from the unsaturated gas (Minimum 95%).
FGD-Flue Gas Desulphurization(Unit No.4500): The FGD unit has an objective of
removing sulphur and catalyst fine dust particles from the flue gas outlets of the FCCU
regenerator section through the usage of caustic alkali solution.
Sulphur removal: A spray tower column is used for the absorption of SO2 into a
scrubbing liquid via intensive liquid/gas contacting. The purge liquid of the spray
tower unit is sent to A Purge treatment Unit (PTU) to be treated before its release to
the environment. The spray tower also removes the main catalyst dust particles. The
fine particles are however removed using filtering modules.
Purge Treatment Unit(PTU): The purge liquor is treated to neutralize the PH,
remove suspended particles (catalyst) and reduce the Chemical Oxygen Demand
(COD).





Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit has the following systems:
Main Air blower (MAB) system
Reactor/regenerator system
Regenerator air heaters and Feed heater System
Flue Gas Handling and energy recovery system
Catalyst handling system
30
Main fractionators System
Wet Gas compressor System.
Stripper/Absorber system
Debutanizer system
Gasoline splitter System.
LPG liquid contactor system
Absorber gas Contactor system
Capacity and Feed Stock:
The FCC unit is designed for processing 2.93 MMTPA of feed obtained from
processing of 70/30 Arab light/Arab heavy crude oil mix in 8000 hours of operation .
FCC and UGS sections are designed for a turn down of 50% of design case1.

Unit Capacity:
Present operating case is Phase 1 Case 3:

S.No Case
3 1 2
1 Processing
Objective
13.68 WT%
C3/ C4 LPG
14.05 %C3/ C4
LPG
14.02% C3/ C4
LPG
2 Phase Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3
3 Capacity 2.93 MMTPA Maximum
attainable
without
changing
Maximum
attainable with
case 1
4 Crude Source 70/30 Arab
light/Arab
Heavy
50/50 Arab
light/Arab
Heavy
50/50 Arab
Light/Arab
Heavy
5 CCR in feed
stock
1.3 WT% CCR 1.1 WT% CCR 4 WT% CCR
Table.1
Characteristic Properties:
API Gravity.
An expanded density scale based on specific gravity. API gravity is expressed in
API and is calculated by the following formula:

31
API= (141.5/specific Gravity)-131.5.
Conradson Carbon (Concarbon):The residue left behind following pyrolysis of
the oil sample under specified testing condition. This measurement is used to
estimate the fraction of FCC feed that cannot be vaporized.
Flash Point: is the lowest temperature at which application of the test flame causes
the vapor above the sample to ignite. Important in terms of storage and handling.
Pour Point :It is the lowest temperature expressed in multiples of 3
o
C at which the
oil ceases to flow when cooled and examined under prescribed condition.
TBP cut :It is the true boiling point cut temperature of a fluid.

Reid Vapour Pressure:It is an indication of volatility and significant for materials

whose boiling points are low, that they cannot be distilled at atmospheric conditions
without serious losses. The test is important with respect to safety in transport, vapor
lock in gasoline feed systems, types of storage tank and starting characteristics of
motor fuels. RVP is recorded in terms of KPa or Kg/cm
2.

Feed stock properties:
The feed is Crude Source Arab Light/Arab Heavy(70/30) ratio.

Component LVGO HVGO HHVGO VGO(VBU) Composite
Feed
TBP cut (
o
C) 380-425 425-565 565-580 350-490 ---
Specific Gravity 0.9074 0.9377 0.9866 0.9368 0.932
API Gravity 24.44 19.4 11.92 19.55 20.32
Watson k factor 11.81 11.90 11.82 11.44 11.84
Sulphur % 2.48 2.94 3.03 4.33 2.92
Nitrogen ppm wt 400 1100 1500 1500 968
Nickel ppm wt 0 0.5 13.0 5.0 1.3
Vanadium ppm wt 0 1.4 32 15 3.5
Conradson carbon
wt %
0.1 1.2 7.0 2.0 1.3
Viscosity 50
o
C cst 17 71 348 45 50
Flow Rate MT/SD 2265 5480 443 610 8798
Table.2
32


Feed for unit:
S.No Feed
Component
% of Total Flow Rate
Case 3
Phase 1
Case 3
Phase 1
Case 3
Phase 1
1 LVGO(VDU) 25.75 25.24 17.05
2 HVGO(VDU) 62.29 61.87 43.06
3 HHVGO(VDU) 5.03 ---- ----
4 VGO(VBU) 6.93 5.26 4.28
5 DAO(VBU) ---- 7.63 35.61
6 Total Feed 100 100 100
Table.3




Yield Pattern and Product Routing:

Feed Stock: 25.75% LVGO, 62.29 % HVGO, 5.03 % HHVGO and 6.93 % VVGO
mixture from 70 / 30 AL / AH crude mix
Product Yield
Wt% Vol% API
H2s 1.46
Off-gas 3.49
Cracked LPG 13.68 22.63
Gasoline(C5-125oc) 23.08 30.61 69.9
33
TCO(125oc-380oc) 42.17 44.03 27
Decant
Oil(380oc+TBP)
10/74 9.22 -1.2
Coke 5.38
125oc TBP conversion 47.09 46.75
Table.4
Product routing:
Description Routed to
Unsaturated LPG UMU
Light Gasoline GMU/NHT
Medium gasoline GMU/NHT
Heavy Gasoline DHDS
LCO DHDS
Slurry oil DCU
Off-gas FG Header
Table.5

Product characteristics:
Following are the products obtained from FCC & UGS:
1. Unsaturated LPG
2. Cracked Gasoline (Light + Medium), Heavy Gasoline
3. Light Cycle Oil
4. Slurry Oil
5. Coke
6. Off Gas
Total cycle oil (TCO) is a mixture of Heavy Gasoline & Light Cycle Oil
Unsaturated LPG
Vapour pressure @ 65
o
C 16.87 kg/cm
2
g
H2S content wt ppm 15(max)
34
Evaporation temperature for 95 vol % at
760 mm Hg.
2
o
C (max)
Table.6
Total Gasoline (Light + Medium) and also for heavy gasoline
TBP cut point,(
o
C) C5 -- 125
C4 content wt % 0.5(max)
API gravity 70
Sulphur wt % 0.15
RONC 92.0 min
Reid Vapour Pressure kg/cm
2
g 0.7 max
Table.7
Light Cycle Oil
TBP cut point,(
o
C) 183-380
API gravity 25.6
Sulphur wt % 1.44
Cetane index 28.7
Flash point (Abel)
o
C 60 (min)
Table.8
Total Cycle Oil (Heavy Gasoline + Light Cycle oil)
TBP cut point,(
o
C) 125-380
ASTM d86 90% 360(max)
Gasoline/TCO 5-95%GAP
o
C 0 min
Pour point,
o
C 6 (max)
Water content, vol % 0.005%
Flash point (Abel)
o
C 38 (min)
Table.9
Slurry Oil
35
TBP cut point,(
o
C) 380+
LCO/slurry 5-95% overlap,
o
C 10 max
Sulphur wt % 4.29
BSW wt % 0.05(max)
Flash point,
o
C 66(min)
Table.10

Coke
Sulphur wt % 4.96
H2 wt % 7
Table.11
Off-gas
H2S volume ppm 100 (max)
Table.12




Process Description
The FCCU consists of the following sections:
Fresh Feed System
Convertor Section
Flue Gas Energy Recovery
Main Fractionation Section

Fresh Feed System
36
Three hot feed streams (LVGO, HVGO and HHVGO) from VDU, one hot stream
VVGO from VBU and one cold feed from storage are brought in from battery limits
and fed to the Feed Surge Drum. The combined hot feed and the cold feed are
controlled by the Feed Surge Drum level controller. Hot feed level controls are located
in the Vacuum Unit while cold feed flow control is located in the UGSS. A water boot
on the drum allows for draining of any water which may accumulate during start-up
or upset conditions. The feed drum pressure is maintained by fuel gas through a
pressure controller. A vent line is provided to release drum vapor to the flare in case
of high pressure.
Fresh feed is pumped on flow control from the Feed Surge Drum to the feed preheat
exchangers to recover heat from the process. The fresh feed is heated against heavy
gasoline, LCO pump around, LCO product, and slurry pump around. A feed heater is
provided for further heating the feed to the required temperature. Since the operation
uses a feed heater, the temperature control remains at the Slurry/Feed Exchangers.
Some shells of the Slurry/Feed Exchangers may have to be bypassed during this
special operation.
Oil feed to the riser is preheated to 279.4 deg C before entering the reaction system.
This preheat temperature along with regenerated catalyst temperature is controlled to
result in the required catalyst to oil ratio. Injection of a metal passivator through
package into the fresh feed just before the feed injectors inhibits the undesirable effects
of nickel present in the feed. Nickel will deposit on the cracking catalyst and acts as
dehydrogenating catalyst. Metal passivation is to be considered when the nickel
content of the equilibrium catalyst is greater than 1000 ppm. Pressure on each feed
injector should be monitored as a verification of flow and an indication of nozzle
condition. Dispersion steam is supplied to each fresh feed injector to promote fresh
feed atomization and vaporization. The total dispersion steam is flow controlled with
flow to each injector adjusted by hand controlled globe valves. Steam flow is required
in the idle injectors to keep them clear.


37

P
S
P
P
P
45
o
8
7
5

I
D

L
i
n
i
n
g
1
1
2
5

I
D

S
h
e
l
l
EL. 2900
EL. 6250
Stab. Steam
(3 Nozzles)
Gasoline Recycle
(1 Nozzles)
Fresh Feed
(6 Nozzles)
EL. 7850
950 ID Lining
1200 ID Shell
1150 ID Lining
1400 ID Shell
1300 ID Lining
1500 ID Shell
Slurry Back flush
(1 Nozzle)
EL. 20100
Slurry Recycle
(2 Nozzles)
EL. 13500
N
Reactor Riser (34V-101)
Legends:
P = Purging with Steam
N = Purging with Nitrogen
S = Sample point
All Dimensions are in mm
TI
TI
TI



Convertor Section
The converter section of the S&W Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCCU) described
here consists of the following major equipment:
Riser Reactor & Catalyst Stripper
First Stage Regenerator
Second Stage Regenerator
Air Blower
The function of the unit is catalytic cracking of mixtures of vacuum tower gas oils,
vacuum tower bottoms, hydrocracker bottoms and visbreaker gas oils. These
38
feedstocks crack into lower boiling, high value products, primarily light cycle oil, C3-
C4 LPG, and gasoline. The unit also produces fuel gas and slurry oil.
FCCU Process Flow and Operation
The FCCU utilizes a riser/reactor, catalyst stripper, a first stage regenetion vessel, a
second stage regeneration vessel, a catalyst withdrawal well, and catalyst transfer
lines.
Riser/ Reactor System
The riser is designed to rapidly and intimately mix the hot regenerated catalyst with
liquid feed stocks. Fine atomization of the fresh feed is accomplished by six S&W oil
injectors utilizing medium pressure steam for dispersion. Two additional S&W oil
injectors are installed further up the riser to allow the unit to recycle oil as necessary
to maximize distillate product. In addition to these oil injectors, steam injectors are
provided at various locations along the riser to ensure a stable and homogeneous
catalyst circulation.
The reactor design begins at the base of the riser or the reverse seal section. The bottom
wye section causes turbulence and potentially uneven catalyst flow patterns.
Therefore, a high density zone is provided to absorb shocks and stabilize the catalyst
flow. For proper travel of the catalysts, eight (8) fluidization steam nozzles are
provided at 3 different locations of the wye section. Three down-flow stabilization
steam injectors promote smooth and homogeneous catalyst flow as the catalyst moves
upward toward the fresh feed injectors. These steam injectors are located midway
between the riser bottom and the fresh feed injectors. Fluidization steam in the 45
degree wye section and the stabilization steam in the reverse seal section ensure even
catalyst flow as the catalyst reaches the feed injection section. The minimum steam
flow is 50 kg/hr when catalyst is circulating and the design flow is 941 kg/hr. The
steam flow should provide a velocity within reverse seal at 1.5 m/sec.
This straight vertical section below the fresh feed injectors also serves as a reverse
seal providing protection against oil flow reversal.
At the same elevation as the stabilization steam injectors, an injector has been located
to provide for recycling medium gasoline to the riser at the clients option. In order to
increase the gasoline octane, the medium gasoline fraction may be recycled
intermittently. The Heat and Material Balances do not include this recycle stream.
Fresh feed is finely atomized, mixed with dispersion steam, and injected into the riser
through the S&W patented feed injectors. A total of six fresh feed injectors are
specified in this design. The Design oil flow rate per feed injector is 61097 kg/hr and
dispersion steam flow rate per injector is 2138 kg/hr. The small droplets of feed
contact the freshly regenerated hot catalyst and instantaneously vaporize. The oil
molecules intimately mix with the catalyst particles and crack to lighter more valuable
products: LPG, distillate, and gasoline. Additional byproducts produced from the
39
FCCU are slurry oil, fuel gas, and coke. Since the cracking reaction involves the
breaking of large molecule into smaller molecules, there is a molar expansion and thus
an increase in the volume of gas over the riser length. In order to maintain the design
velocity across the riser length, diameter needs to be increased. Here we have 1.15 m
at the bottom and 1.3 m at the riser top excluding the refractory lining. The outlet
velocity of the vapor-catalysts mixture is 21 m/sec. The specially designed feed
injection system ensures maximum conversion of the oil to lighter products while
minimizing delta coke on the catalyst below a maximum of 1.2 wt%. Commercial
cracking reactions appear to be second order thus most of the reaction takes place in
the lower section of the riser. A generally used rule of thumb is the one-third / two
thirds rule. This states that two-thirds of the conversion will take place in the first one-
third of the riser volume. The regenerated catalyst slide valve controls the riser outlet
temperature by regulating the amount of hot regenerated catalyst entering the riser.
Riser residence time for the design case is approximately 1.6 seconds.
Injection of a metal passivator into the fresh feed reduces hydrogen production and
improves yields of the valuable products when processing vacuum tower bottoms.
Nickel, typically present in residual feedstocks, will deposit on the cracking catalyst
and acts as a dehydrogenating catalyst. Metal passivation should be considered when
the nickel content on the equilibrium catalyst is greater than 1000 ppmw. Optionally,
catalyst with built-in nickel traps should be considered as another method of
controlling feed metals.
The recycle oil injection nozzles are located approximately 5.6 meters above the fresh
feed injectors. These S&W patented recycle oil injectors are designed to maximize
distillate production. Two recycle oil injectors are required in this design. Also,
another injector located 1.6 meters below the feed injectors is provided for recycling
medium gasoline. As this project basis focuses on LPG production, the recycle
injectors will normally not be in use.
Placed further up along the riser approximately 12.2 meters above the fresh feed
injectors is the slurry filtration backwash injector. This injector is designed for
handling an oil/catalyst mixture. This injector serves to return catalyst filtered out of
the slurry product stream.
Inertial Separator
After the reaction mixture travels up the riser, the catalyst, steam, and hydrocarbon
product mixture passes through an inertial separator. This separator or riser
termination device (RTD) quickly disengages the catalyst from the vapor mixture to
minimize over cracking of valuable products. At the top of the riser, the catalyst and
vapor mixture divides into two parallel streams. Each stream begins a circular rotation
around a center tube which is outfitted with a vapor outlet slot. Inertial effects force
the catalyst particles to the cylinder wall where the catalyst exits downward into the
inertial separators dipleg. The cracked hydrocarbon and steam vapor with entrained
catalyst leave the separator through the center tube where ducting directs flow up near
40
the cyclone inlets. The gas outlet ducts are open-ended and direct the vapor/catalyst
mixture upward toward the reactor cyclone inlet windows. This rapid separation and
ducting minimizes the vapor residence time thereby reducing secondary thermal
reactions in the disengaging vessel. The vapors and entrained catalyst pass through
four single stage high efficiency cyclones. The cyclone diplegs have partially
shrouded trickle cheek valves to ensure a positive seal and terminate in the dilute phase
at the same elevation as the RTD diplegs. Reactor cyclones further separate the
product vapors from the entrained catalyst, returning the catalyst to the stripper.
Reactor products, inerts, steam, and a minute amount of catalyst flows from the reactor
overhead into the base of the main fractionator. The primary concerns in riser
operations are:
(1) The choke velocity of the riser
(2) The riser pressure drop
(3) The catalyst hold up in the riser
The minimum velocity below which the catalyst / vapor mixture in the riser will not
remain in dilute phase transport but drops into a dense phase is called the Choke
Velocity.

Stripper section
The stripper portion of this vessel utilizes five disk and do-nut baffle stages. These
baffles are angled downward at 45 degrees. Two steam rings are present in the stripper:
Main steam ring and Fluffing steam ring. The main steam ring fluidizes the catalyst
bed, displaces the entrained hydrocarbons, and strips the adsorbed hydrocarbons from
the catalyst before it enters the regeneration system. The steam fluffing ring, located
in the bottom head of the stripper, keeps the catalyst properly fluidized and ensures
smooth catalyst flow into the spent catalyst transfer line.
Total stripping steam requirement: For gas oil, 3 kg/Ton of catalysts circulation and
for residue 5 kg/Ton of catalysts. The design flow of steam through this ring is 7800
kg/hr with 50 % turndown. 55 nozzles are provided in the ring. The nozzle ID is 21
mm and the RO ID is 13 mm. The ring radius is 1.49 m.

41

Stripper
Baffles
3550 ID Lining
3750 ID Steel
EL. 26670
Main Steam Ring
EL. 23850
Fluffing Steam Ring
Reactor Riser
Spent Catalyst
Stand Pipe



Spent Catalyst Transfer
Stripped catalyst leaves the stripper through the 45 degree slanted withdrawal nozzle
and then enters a vertical standpipe. The spent catalyst flows down through this
standpipe and into a second 45 degree lateral section that extends into the first stage
regenerator. The spent catalyst slide valve is located near the bottom of the vertical
section of the standpipe and controls the catalyst bed level in the stripper. Allowable
pressure drop for the spent catalyst slide valve (SCSV) is 0.38 kg/cm2. Catalyst flow
rate through SCSV is 509 kg/sec and catalysts density is 670 kg/m3. The max port
opening area is 145 mm2. Careful aeration of the catalyst standpipe ensures proper
head buildup and smooth catalyst flow. The flow rates from the aeration taps are
adjustable to maintain a stable standpipe density for different catalyst circulation rates
or different catalyst types. The catalyst, containing roughly 1.0 -1.5 wt % coke, enters
the first stage regenerator through a catalyst distributor which disperses the catalyst
onto the bed surface.

Reactor Details:
Riser Length (m) 38.9
42
Riser Operating Conditions Wye Section Riser
Line
Temperature (NOR/MAX),
o
C 707/735
491/519
Pressure (NOR/MAX), kg/cm2 g 2.63/4.04 2.63/4.04
Riser Design Conditions Wye Section Riser
Line
Temperature (Metal/Int.),
o
C 343/816 343/566
Pressure, kg/cm2 g 6.8 6.8
Reactor / Cyclone MOC CS (SA516 Gr. 70)
Reactor Diameter (Steel/Lining), m 6.6 / 6.4
Reactor Length, m 2.50
Reactor Operating Conditions
Temperature (NOR/MAX),
o
C 491/519
Pressure (NOR/MAX), kg/cm2 g 2.10/3.52
Reactor Design Conditions
Temperature (Metal/Int.),
o
C 343/566
Pressure, kg/cm2 g 5


First Stage Regenerator





43
The operational severity of the first stage regeneration is intentionally mild due to the
partial combustion operational mode. Essentially all the hydrogen on the coke is
burned off the coke in the low temperature first stage regenerator. This mild
temperature along with partial combustion minimizes hydrothermal deactivation of
the catalyst and controls the conversion of CO to CO2. As a result, catalyst surface
area and activity levels are maintained higher than single stage regeneration units.
Approximately 66 percent of the coke is burned off the catalyst in the first stage
regenerator. Typical residual operations require burning of 60 to 70 percent of the
coke in the first stage regenerator. This ability to vary the coke burn split between
regenerators provides the FCCU with operating flexibility for different feedstocks.
First stage regenerator temperature is limited up to 678
o
C.
The reactions, which take place in the regenerator, are:

C + 1/2O2 CO H = + 2200 Kcal/kg
o
C
CO + 1/2O2 CO2 H = + 5600 Kcal/kg
o
C
C + O2 CO2 H = + 7820 Kcal/kg
o
C
H2 + 1/2O2 H2O H = + 28900 Kcal/kg
o
C
S + xO SOX H = + 2209 Kcal/kg
o
C
N + xO NOX
C + CO2 2CO

The diameter of the first stage regenerator vessel is carefully determined on the basis
of superficial gas velocity. Coke on the catalyst is burned in the regenerators lower
dense phase zone where higher superficial velocity aids catalyst mixing. However, the
vessel superficial velocity is optimized at a low enough value to inhibit catalyst
entrainment to the cyclones in the upper dilute phase.
Combustion air is split between two rings in the first stage regenerator. These rings
provide even air distribution across the catalyst bed resulting in proper fluidization
and combustion. The rings are designed to split the flow approximately 70 percent and
30 percent to the outer ring and inner ring, respectively. The carbon monoxide rich
flue gases pass through four sets of two-stage cyclones before leaving the regenerator.
The catalyst level in the 1
st
stage is controlled by the hollow stemmed plug valve at
the bottom of the lift line. The normal bed level of the catalyst in the 1
st
stage is 3600
mm above the tangent line. The max. bed level is 900 mm above the normal bed level.
The minimum bed level maintains a seal of 300 mm on the secondary cyclone dip leg.
Four set of two stage cyclones are mounted internally to the regenerator to separate
the catalysts from the flue gas. The design gas flow rate through these cyclones is
15714 kg/hr and superficial velocity of 0.65 m/sec. The cyclone inlet pressure is 2.68
kg/cm
2
g and temperature is 628
o
C. Max. inlet velocity for both cyclones is 20 m/sec.
The secondary cyclones are provided with partially shrouded Trickle valve.
44
Plug Valve
Partially regenerated catalyst flows downward in the first stage regeneration vessel to
the lift line entrance. Careful fluidization with a fluffing air ring in this area allows the
catalyst to pass smoothly into the lift line. The air flows into the lift line through the
hollow stem plug valve. This air pneumatically lifts the catalyst in dilute phase to the
second stage regeneration vessel. The minimum air velocity for acceptable lift is 7.5
m/sec based on lift line operating conditions. The velocity should not exceed 21 m/sec
to avoid erosion problems. Combustion air used to raise the catalyst can vary between
30 and 40 percent of the total air to the second stage regenerator. For the design case,
30 percent of the combustion air is used. The plug valve controls the bed level in the
first stage regenerator.
Second Stage Regenerator
As the catalyst enters the second stage regeneration vessel, below the combustion air
ring, the mushroom grid distributes the catalyst evenly across the bottom head. This
grid distributor on the top of the lift line ensures uniform distribution of air and
catalyst. In the second stage regenerator, the remaining carbon, less than .05%, on the
catalyst is completely burned with excess oxygen, resulting in a higher temperature
compared to the first stage regenerator. One air ring in this regenerator distributes a
portion of the combustion air, while the lift air provides the remainder of the air. With
most of the hydrogen burned in the first stage, moisture content of the second stage
regenerator flue gases is minimized. This allows higher temperatures in the second
stage regenerator without causing hydrothermal catalyst deactivation. Regenerator
temperatures are not directly controlled. Regenerator temperatures are directly
dependent on the coke burning process.
The second stage regenerator design includes two zones that have different superficial
gas velocities. Coke remaining on the catalyst is burned in the regenerators lower
dense phase zone where the higher superficial velocity aids catalyst mixing. The larger
diameter upper dilute phase zone reduces entrainment to the cyclones. This vessel has
minimum internals which helps eliminate temperature limitations under any current
or possible future operating condition. The catalysts bed level in the 2
nd
stage is not
directly controlled but depends on the catalyst inventory. Periodic withdrawals are
made from the 2
nd
stage to maintain the level in normal operating range. The
withdrawal nozzle location is such that it always ensures minimum level in the
regenerator. Max bed level is 1850 mm above the min. level and set to provide approx.
3 min. residence time for the catalysts.
Flue gas leaving the regenerator passes through three sets of two-stage external,
refractory-lined cyclones for catalyst removal. The cyclone inlet pressure is 1.65
kg/cm
2
g and temperature is 707
o
C. Max. inlet for primary cyclones is 20 m/sec and
for secondary cyclones is 24 m/sec. The secondary cyclones are provided with
partially shrouded Trickle valve.
45
There are three nos. of torch oil nozzles provided in the regenerator for initializing the
combustion reactions during the start up. The nozzles are designed for an oil flow rate
of 1949 kg/hr each and oil inlet temperature of 140
o
C. Dispersion steam of 59
kg/hr/nozzle is used for atomizing the torch oil.
Located at the bottom of the regenerated catalyst standpipe, Regenerated catalyst slide
valve (RCSV) controls the flow of hot catalyst to reactor-riser, based on reactor outlet
temperature set point. Allowable pressure drop for the RCSV is 0.37 kg/cm
2
. Catalyst
flow rate through RCSV is 509 kg/sec and catalysts density is 600 kg/m
3
. The max
port opening area is 155 mm
2
. Nitrogen purging is provided at stem and guide.
The recovered catalyst is returned to the regenerator via diplegs and the flue gas flows
to the energy recovery section.


Withdrawal Well
The hot, regenerated catalyst flows into a withdrawal well from the second stage
regenerator. The withdrawal well allows the catalyst to properly deaerate to standpipe
density before entering the vertical regenerated catalyst standpipe. This design ensures
smooth and even catalyst flow down the standpipe. Aeration taps, located stepwise
down the standpipe, serve to reaerate the catalyst and replaces gas volume lost due to
compression. Each aeration tap has adjustable flow rates to maintain desirable
standpipe density as catalyst circulation rates and/or catalyst types vary. The catalyst
passes through the regenerated catalyst slide valve, designed for high temperature
catalyst. Catalyst continues flowing down the 45 degree slanted wye section to the
riser base where the catalyst begins an upward flow toward the fresh feed injectors.
Fluidization steam is used in the wye section to ensure stable catalyst flow in the 45
degree lateral transfer.
46














47

Regenerator Details
Regen. 2 Regen. 1
Regenerator Diameter (Shell/Lining), mm 7700 / 7500 8000 /
7800
Regenerator Operating Conditions:
Temperature (NOR/MAX),
o
C 707 / 735 628/678
Pressure (NOR/MAX), kg/cm
2
g 1.62 / 3.88 2.65/3.88
Regenerator Design Conditions:
Temperature (Metal/Internal),
o
C 343 / 816 343/760
Pressure, kg/cm
2
g 5.90 5.90


Air Blower and Air Heater
Two air heaters provide hot air to each the first and second stage regenerators during
start-up. The downstream side of the air heaters will operate around 650 C during
start-up operations. Total combustion air to the first stage regenerator splits upstream
of the air heater. Since the inner ring flow is a small fraction of the total flow, the air
heater only heats the air to the outer ring, All flow elements and control valves in the
air piping is placed upstream of the air heaters. One air blower driven by a condensing
steam turbine provides combustion air for both regenerators and for the catalyst lift
line.
Flue Gas Energy Recovery
The carbon monoxide rich flue gas from the first stage regenerator exits the orifice
chamber and enters the CO Incinerator to convert the CO to CO2 for complying with
the environmental requirements. This CO Incinerator burns auxiliary fuel oil or fuel
gas required to heat the incoming CO rich flue gas. At this temperature the CO reacts
with the oxygen in the auxiliary air and converts to CO2. Pressure on the first stage
regenerator is modulated by controlling the flue gas slide valve at the upstream of
Orifice chamber. By controlling the flue gas slide valve, the differential pressure
between the first and second stage regenerators is adjusted.

The flue gas from second stage regenerator combines with the first stage regenerator
flue gas coming from CO-Oxidizer and passes through a heat recovery system
consisting of HP steam, MP steam Super heaters and a Boiler feed water pre-heater.
The flue gas gets cooled but the actual temperature should not be less than sulphur
dew point temperature and also should be more than the Boiler feed water temperature.
Boiler feed water injection facility is provided at the outlet of CO-Oxidizer for taking
care of very high temperature.

Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD):
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The flue gases are finally routed to The Flue Gas Desulphurization Unit, where the
sulphur in the flue gas is brought down to environmentally acceptable limits before
venting to atmosphere through stack. Particulate matter in the flue gas is also brought
down to acceptable levels in FGD.

Main Fractionation Section
The function of a gas recovery process is to separate and recover the light hydrocarbon
vapors and hydrocarbon liquid stream produced by the cracking reactions in fluid
catalytic cracking reactions in a FCC reactor. These products are:
Absorber gas
LPG (liquid C3/C4 product)
Light gasoline
Medium gasoline
Heavy gasoline
Light cycle oil(LCO)
Heavy cycle oil(HCO)
Slurry oil
Heavy gasoline and LCO are combined to produce a Total Cycle Oil (TCO) product.
MAIN FRACTIONATOR:
The fractionator consists of 30 valve trays, 3 chimney trays and 8 rows of shed decks.
The reactor effluent, comprised of cracked hydrocarbon vapors, steam and inert gas,
enters the fractionators at the bottom of the quench section. In this section of the
fractionator the superheated cracked vapors and inerts are cooled and the bottom
product is condensed.
The small amount of entrained catalyst in the cracked vapors is scrubbed out and drops
to the bottom with the condensed product. The slurry pumparound, slurry oil product
and the slurry recycle, if present, are withdrawn from the bottom of the fractionator
and pumped through the fresh feed preheat exchangers, slurry MP steam generators
and the boiler feed water preheaters. In addition,a portion of the slurry from the slurry
pumparound pumps bypasses all of the slurry pumparound exchanger and returns to
the top of the shed decks together with the slurry pumparound return flow. This
bypassed flow rate is controlled such that the total slurry rate returning to the MF shed
decks is equal to 120% of the FCCU fresh feed rate. The additional slurry recycle flow
to the shed decks provides extra liquid to keep the decks wet and minimize coking
problems on decks.
Depending on the fresh feed preheat requirement, the duties of these exchangers will
vary. One shell of the slurry/feed exchangers or one shells of the slurry/MP steam
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generators can actually be shut down during different operating cases. Slurry
pupmaround return temperature control on the water bypass.
The cooled slurry pumparound stream is returned on flow control to the top of the
shed decks in the quench section. The slurry oil product is drawn from the returning
slurry pumparound stream on flow control reset by fractionator bottoms level control.
Entrained catalyst is removed from the slurry oil product and slurry recycle in the
slurry oil filter on flow control back to the FCC unit reactor riser. The slurry oil
product is cooled by the Slurry Air Cooler to the required battery limit temperature
before being sent from the unit. Backwash from the slurry oil filters carries catalyst
fines removed from the slurry oil and slurry recycle back to the reactor riser.
The MF bottom liquid has a tendency for coking. Coking is promoted by high
temperature and long residence time. To maintain the fractionators bottoms
temperature at 360 C, a cold quench stream from the slurry pumparound system is
directly mixed, under temperature control at the slurry pump discharge, with the
fractionator bottom liquid. Also, steam is injected into the bottom liquid to counteract
coke formation and to maintain catalyst and coke particles in suspension. The fluffing
steam rate is manually regulated by a globe valve.
Heavy Cycle Oil pumparound (HCO PA), recycle and reflux are withdrawn from a
total draw chimney tray. The reflux is pumped back to the wash trays below the HCO
chimney trayon flow control reset by the chimney tray level controller. The HCO
pumparound is utilised to reboil the LCO stripper, reboil the gasoline splitter, preheat
the fresh feed and preheat the boiler feed water before beinf returned three trays above
its drawoff chimney tray on flow control. The pumparound return temperature is
controlled by bypassing fresh feed around the HCO PA/ feed exchanger. In the
fractionator, the HCO PA is used to further cool the cracked vapors from the slurry
section, condense the HCO recycle and control the internal reflux above the HCO
section.
The HCO recycle flows to the HCO stripper on stripper level control where it is
stripped of light components by the use of steam. The stripped HCo recycle is on flow
control and cooled in the HCO recycle/MP strem generator. The HCO recycle
temperature to the riser is controlled by manually bypassing HCO recycle around the
exchanger. The cooled HCO is sent to the riser.
The LCO PA and product are withdrawn from a partial drawoff chimney tray. The
LCO PA is returned back to the MF by providing the heat input to the stripper reboiler,
preheating the fresh feed. The LCO product flows to the LCO stripper where it is
stripped of lighter components and LCO water by LCO stripper reboiler. The stripped
LCO is first cooled in the medium Gasoline splitter. Reboiler. The LCO stream is then
cooled against fresh feed, BW and air. The LCO is then sent for Hydrotreating unit or
storage.
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Sponge absorber lean oil is drawn off the MF from a partial draw off chimney tray
and is used in Lean oil sponge absorber. The rich oil from the bottom of the sponge
absorber is returned to the MF to recover the light ends absorbed in sponge absorber.
The total overhead MF vapors consist of gasoline components and lighter
hydrocarbons together with steam and inert gas from the reactor plus MF top reflux.
The net HC liquid plus the top reflux and most of the steam is condensed in the
fractionators overhead condensers and separated from the non condensed vapors in
the overhead receiver. The condensed steam with impurities is also separated from
liquid HC in this receiver. The vapors from the receiver flow to the Wet Gas
Compressor. Knock out Drum in the recovery section. The net HC is pumped to the
recovery section.

Product recovery section:
The wet gas from the MF overhead receiver is compressed to approx. 16.9 kg/cm2 by
a two stage centrifugal compressor. The hot gases discharged from the first stage mix
with wash water from the HP separator and are then partially condensed against
cooling water before entering compressor interstage drum. The uncondensed vapors,
the medium pressure distillate, and the sour water are separated in this drum. The
uncondensed vapors are compressed by a second stage compressor. This stream is then
mixed with rich oil from absorber and the top vapors from the stripper before being
further condensed. The uncondensed vapors are routed to the absorber and the top
vapors from the stripper before being further condensed against cooling water and
entering HPS.
The absorber is a 30 tray (plus 1 chimney tray) tower designed to recover 95% of the
C3/C4 LPG in the reactor effluent. The lean oil is taken from MF. The low pressure
distillate from the MF overhead receiver is delivered to the top tray of the absorber.
The unabsorbed vapors and supplemented lean oil are separated in a Absorber Reflux
Drum. The unabsorbed vapors are routed to sponge absorber. The rich oil is is sent to
HP separator.
Sponge absorber is a 20 tray tower where essentially all the C4 and C5 entrained in
the absorber gas from the low pressure distillate are recovered. The lean oil used for
absorption is heavy naptha from MF. The rich sponge oil leaves from the bottom and
is sent back to MF. The offgas flows to the Acid Gas Removal system.
The Stripper is a 30 tray (plus 1 chimney tray) tower designed to remove the inerts,
C2s and lighter hydrocarbons from the liquefied C3+ hydrocarbon stream to control
the vapor pressure of the LPG product recovered downstream. The Stripper is reboiled
on temperature control by using LCO pumparound as the heating medium.
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The Stripper overhead vapors leave the tower at the top and are recontacted with the
Wet Gas Compressor second stage effluent, the compressor interstage condensate, and
the rich oil from the Absorber. Any water that may be carried over from the High
Pressure Separator as a result of operational upset, can be withdrawn from the chimney
tray below tray 3 of the Stripper. The water is collected in an outside water separator
drum and routed back to the Wet Gas Compressor first stage discharge.
The Stripper bottoms stream flows by differential pressure on flow control reset by
Stripper bottoms level to the Debutanizer tower. This stream is heated against
Debutanizer bottoms before entering the Debutanizer partially vaporl2ed.
The Debutanizer is a 41 tray tower designed to produce a totally condensed overhead
mixed, IC LPG product and a bottoms C 5+ product. The Debutanizer is reboiled on
temperature control that resets the saturated high pressure steam flow controller.
The Debutanizer overhead product is totally condensed by an air condenser and a
cooling water condenser. A hot vapor bypass around the condensers provides a
balance line which equalizes the pressures of the tower and the reflux drum. The tower
pressure is controlled by varying the condensing rate of the overhead vapor. The water
condenser outlet control valve is used to adjust the flooding condition in the water
condenser thus regulating the vapor condensing rate. Reflux from the drum is pumped
on flow control to the top tray of the Debutanizer. LPG product is pumped by a product
pump to amine treating on flow control reset by reflux drum level control after being
cooled against cooling water.
The total Debutanizer bottoms stream, comprised of the net naphtha product and
supplemental lean oil recycle, is cooled by exchanging heat against the Debutanizer
feed. The cooled naphtha stream is then split into the net naphtha product and the
supplemental lean oil recycle. The naphtha product is fed to the Gasoline Splitter by
pressure differential on flow control reset by Debutanizer bottoms level control. A
booster pump is used to increase the supplemental lean oil pressure to the Absorber-
Stripper pressure level before being further cooled against air and combined with the
Absorber overhead vapors on flow control. The supplemental lean oil can also be
routed to the MF Overhead Condenser for C3 /C absorption.
The Debutanizer bottoms product flashes before entering the Gasoline Splitter tower.
This is a 27 tray tower designed to separate the net naphtha product in the total feed
into a light gasoline product recovered overhead, a medium gasoline product as a
middle draw product and a heavy gasoline product. The heavy gasoline product leaves
the splitter bottom and is pumped on flow control reset by splitter bottom level control
after being cooled against fresh feed. The heavy gasoline product is cooled against
cooling water before being sent to battery limits. The LCO product from the Main
Fractionator area can also combine with the heavy gasoline product upstream of the
cooling water exchanger to produce a net TCO product before being sent to battery
limits.
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HCO pumparound is utilized as the heating medium in the Gasoline Splitter reboiler.
The HCO PA stream is on flow control reset by tower temperature. To maintain the
total HCO PA flow requirement, flow is bypassed around the reboiler on differential
pressure control.
The light gasoline overhead product is totally condensed against air and fed to the
reflux drum where pressure is maintained by a split range pressure controller. Nitrogen
is used as blanketing gas for the reflux drum. Reflux is pumped on flow control reset
by tower overhead temperature to the top tray of the splitter. Light gasoline product is
cooled against cooling water and sent to the Gasoline Treating Unit on flow control
reset by reflux drum level control. In addition, a flow controlled light gasoline stream
is sent to the Naphtha Hydrotreater Unit after blending with the medium gasoline
product.
A side draw from tray 7 of the Gasoline Splitter feeds the Medium Gasoline Stripper
on stripper bottom level control. LCO product is used in the reboiler as the heating
medium with a manual bypass around the reboiler to control the reboiler stripping
duty. Vapor from the stripper overhead returns to the Gasoline Splitter while the
bottom medium gasoline product is pumped to the Naphtha Hydrotreater Unit after
being cooled against cooling water and combined with the light gasoline product. The
controller of this combined light/medium gasoline stream is located outside the battery
limits. Part of the medium gasoline is also sent on flow control to the Gasoline
Treating Unit. A separate line is provided to recycle a portion of the medium gasoline
product on flow control to the reactor riser when needed.
Acid Gas Removal System
The C3/C 4 LPG overhead product from the Debutanizer contains hydrogen sulfide
(H 2S) and mercaptans which need to be removed before it is treated in the LPG
Treating Unit.
The absorber gas from the Sponge Absorber contains the majority of the hydrogen
sulfide (H $) resulting from the cracking reaction plus all the carbon dioxide (CO 2)
entrained in the regenerated catalyst as inerts. These two acid gases are removed from
the absorber gas before it is sent to the refinery fuel gas pool.
The removal of the hydrogen sulfide from the LPG and the acid components from the
absorber gas is done by contacting each of these streams with a 40 wt % solution of
methyl-diethanol-amine (MDEA) in separate towers designed for the corresponding
service.
The LPG mix product enters the bottom of the LPG Liquid Contactor where it is
contacted counter currently through two packed beds of 1 1/2 pall rings with the
MDEA solution. The lean MDEA solution enters near the top of the contactor on flow
control. The treated LPG stream leaves the top of the contactor and process water is
injected into the stream for final amine washing. The washed LPG enters the LPG
Liquid Separator where any entrained MDEA and water settle out before being cooled
53
against cooling water and routed to battery limits. Amine solution is collected in the
separator boot where it is removed by boot level control to the Absorber Gas Contactor
bottom. The H rich amine is pumped to battery limits from the bottom of the contactor
on interface level control which is located near the top of the contactor.
The Sponge Absorber sour gas is further cooled against cooling water before entering
the Absorber Gas K.O. Drum to separate any entrained oil. Condensed/entrained
hydrocarbon liquid is routed back to the MF on drum level control. The sour gas then
flows into the Absorber Gas Contactor where it is contacted with the MDEA solution
to remove the H 2S and CO2 from the gas. The lean MDEA solution feeds to tray 3
of the contactor on flow control. A small amount of wash water is sent to the top tray
of the contactor to further remove any entrained amine solution in the treated gas. The
sweet gas leaves the top of the absorber, flows through the Absorber Gas Contactor
K.O. Drum and then is routed to battery limits on back pressure control. The operating
pressure of the Sponge Absorber and the Absorber/Stripper system is also controlled
by this pressure controller.
Condensed hydrocarbon liquid from the contactor K.O. drum is also routed to the
Absorber Gas Contactor bottom on drum level control. H 2S rich amine solution is
pumped to battery limits from the bottom of the contactor by bottom level control.
Boiler feed water is used as wash water for the two contactors. The hot BFW is first
cooled in a cooling water exchanger before being routed to the two contactors. A
pressure controller is used to reduce the pressure of the BFW to the LPG Liquid
Contactor operating pressure.