CrudeDistillation

Chapter4
JohnJechura jjechura@mines.edu
Updated:June29,2014

Gases
Polymerization

Sulfur
Plant

Gas

Butanes
Alkyl
Feed
Gas
Separation &
Stabilizer

Fuel Gas
LPG

Alkylation

Polymerization
Naphtha

Isomerization

Light Naphtha

Alkylate

Isomerate

Aviation
Gasoline
Automotive
Gasoline

Reformate
Naphtha
Hydrotreating

Heavy
Naphtha

Sulfur

LPG

Sat Gas
Plant

Naphtha
Reforming

Solvents

Naphtha

Atmospheric
Distillation

Crude
Oil

Jet Fuels

Kerosene

Kerosene

Desalter

Distillate

Hydrocracking

AGO

LVGO
Vacuum
Distillation

Gas Oil
Hydrotreating

Fluidized
Catalytic
Cracking

Cat
Naphtha

Solvents
Distillate
Hydrotreating

Cat
Distillates

Treating &
Blending

Heating Oils
Diesel

Fuel Oil

HVGO

Cycle Oils

Residual
Fuel Oils

DAO
Solvent
Deasphalting

Visbreaking

Vacuum
Residuum

Coker
Naphtha

Heavy
Coker
Gas
Oil

SDA
Bottoms

Asphalts

Naphtha

Distillates
Fuel Oil
Bottoms
Lube Oil

Lubricant
Greases

Solvent
Dewaxing

Waxes
Waxes
Coking

Light Coker
Gas Oil

Coke

20LargestAtmosphericComplexesinU.S.

EIA,Jan.1,2014database,publishedJune2014
http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/refinerycapacity/

Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing

Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions

Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn

AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F

ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails

Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing

Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions

Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn

AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F

ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails

Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing

Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions

Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn

AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F

ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails

Atmospheric&VacuumTowerComplex

Atmospheric&VacuumTowerComplex

KochGlitsch BulletinKGSS1,Rev.32010,
http://www.kochglitsch.com/Document%20Library/KGSS.pdf

AtmosphericColumnw/oPreflash

Basedonfigurefrom
RefiningOverview PetroleumProcesses&Products,
byFreemanSelf,EdEkholm,&KeithBowers,AIChE CDROM,2000
9

FeedPreheatTrain&Desalter
FeedPreheatTrain
Initialheatexchangewithstreamsfrom
withinthetower
Heatrecoveryimportanttodistillation
economics!
o
o

Firstabsorbpartoftheoverhead
condensationload
Exchangewithoneormoreofthe
liquidsidesstreams,beginningwith
thetop(coldest)sidestream

Requireflexibility
o
o
o

Changesincrudeslate
Temperatureatdesalter
Limitsontwophaseflowthrough
network

Finalheatinginadirectfiredheater
Heatenoughtovaporizelightportions
ofthecrudebuttemperaturekeptlow
tominimizethermalcracking
o
o

Inlettypically550F
Outlet600to750F.
Heaviercrudescannotbeheated
tothehighertemperatures

Desalter
Temperaturecarefullyselected donotlet
watervaporize
Lightercrudes(>40API)@250F
Heaviercrudes(<30API)@300F

Allcrudescontainsalts(NaCl,MgCl,)
Saltpresentintheemulsifiedwater
Treatedinthefieldwithheat&chemicalsto
breakoilwateremulsions.
Saltcancausedamagetoequipment
o
o
o

Scaleinheatexchangers
HCl formationcanleadtocorrosion
Metalscanpoisonrefinerycatalysts

Removesalts&dissolvedmetals&dirt
Oilmixedwithfreshwashwater&demulsifiers.

Separationinelectrostaticsettlingdrum
Washwaterupto10%ofcrudecharge
~90%ofthewatercanberecovered

Effluentwatertreatedforbenzene
10

CrudeElectrostaticDesalting

DrawingbyMiltonBeychok
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/File:Desalter_Diagram.png

BFDsfrom:
RefiningOverview PetroleumProcesses&Products,
byFreemanSelf,EdEkholm,&KeithBowers,AIChE CDROM,2000
11

ExampleCrudePreheatTrains

Ref:Debottleneckcrudeunitpreheatexchangernetworkinefficiencies
Bright,Roy&AlZahrani,HydrocarbonProcessing,February2012

12

DirectFiredHeater

Ref:Usefultipsforfiredheateroptimisation
Bishop&Hamilton,PetroleumTechnologyQuarterly,Q22012

13

AtmosphericDistillationSummary
Condenser
PartialcondenserifnoStabilizer
Column.
TotalcondenserifStabilizerColumnto
removelightends.

butnoreboiler.
Feedpreheatexchangertrain
Alloftheheattodrivethecolumn
comesfromthehotfeed.
Asmuchas50%oftheincoming
crudemaybeflashed.
Overflash
o

Extraamountofmaterialvaporizedto
ensurerefluxbetweenflashzone&
lowestsidedraw

Typically2vol%offeed

Pumparounds
Movecoolingdowncolumn.
Liquidreturnedabovedrawtray

Sidedraws
Sidestrippers
Cleanupsideproducts

Strippingsteam
Reducehydrocarbonpartialpressure
Condensed&removedasasecond
liquidphase.
Conditionssetsoitdoesnt
condensewithinthecolumn can
leadtofoaming
Mustbetreatedassourwater

14

AtmosphericDistillationSummary
WashZone

SideDraws&Strippers

Coupletraysbetweenflashzone&gasoil
draw.

Sidestrippersremovelightcomponenttail
&returntomaincolumn

Refluxtowashresins&otherheavymaterials
thatmaycontaminatetheproducts.

Steamstripperstraditional

Condenser
Typically0.5to20psig.
Balancingact
Lowpressuresreducecompressionon
overheadsystem
Highpressuresdecreasevaporizationbut
increaseflashzonetemperatures&furnace
duty;affectsyields

Pumparounds
Reducesoverheadcondenserload&achieves
moreuniformtowerloadings
Providesliquidrefluxbelowliquiddraws

Reboiled strippersreduceassociatedsour
water&mayreducesteamusage

Trays&PressureProfile
Typically32traysintower
0.1psipertrayfordesign&targetfor
operation
Mayfindashighas0.2psipertray,but
probablyflooding!
Condenser&accumulator
3to10psiacrosscondenser
Liquidstaticheadinaccumulator

Typically6to16psiacrossentirecolumn.

15

VacuumDistillation

RefiningOverview PetroleumProcesses&Products,
byFreemanSelf,EdEkholm,&KeithBowers,AIChE CDROM,2000

Considerpracticalconditionsforvacuumunitmodeling
R.Yahyaabadi,HydrocarbonProcessing,March2009

16

VacuumDistillationSummary
ColumnConfiguration

Feed

Vacuumconditionstokeepoperating
temperatureslow

Atmosphericresiduum

Largediametercolumn

Allvaporcomesfromtheheatedfeed

Verylowdensitygases

Undervacuum(0.4psi)

Condenseronlyforwatervapor

Separatehigherboilingmaterialsatlower
temperatures

Liquidrefluxfrompumparounds

Noreboiler
Strippingsteammaybeused
Neededfordeepcuts(1100F)

Commonproblem cokinginfired
heater&washzone
Firedheater highlinearvelocitiesto
minimizecokeformation
Washzone sufficientwashoilflowto
keepthemiddleofthepackedbedwet

Minimizethermalcracking

Products
Mayhavemultiplegasoils
UsuallyrecombineddownstreamtoFCCU
afterhydrotreating

Vacuumresid
Blended asphalt,heavyfueloil
Furtherprocessing thermal,solvent
o

Choicedependsonproducts&typesof
crude
17

VacuumDistillationSummary
DrySystem
1050F+cuttemperature&nostripping
steam
Smallertowerdiameters
Reducedsourwaterproduction
Pressureprofile
Flashzone:2025mmHgabs&750to
770F.
Topoftower:10mmHgabs

SteamEjectors&VacuumPumps

Vacuummaintainedontoweroverhead
Steamsystemsconsideredmorereliable
Wastesteamissour&mustbetreated
Combinationssystems Laststeam
stagereplacedwithavacuumpump

DeepCutSystem
1100F+cuttemperature&stripping
steam
Steamreduceshydrocarbonpartial
pressures
Pressureprofile
Flashzone:30mmHgabs
HCpartialpressure1015mmHgabs
Topoftower:15mmHgabs
Drawingfromhttp://www.enotes.com/topic/Injector

18

CrudeDistillationUnitCosts

Atmosphericcolumnincludes

Vacuumcolumnincludes

Sidecutswithstrippers

Facilitiesforsinglevacuumgasoil

Allbatterylimitsprocessfacilities

3stagevacuumjetsystemat30 40mmHg

Heatexchangetocoolproductstoambienttemperature

HeatexchangetocoolVGOtoambienttemperature

Centralcontrolsystem
19

Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing

Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions

Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn

AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F

ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails

20

TypicalCutPointDefinitions
Cut

TBPIBP(F)

TBPEP(F)

LightNaphtha
(LSRGasoline)

80to90

180to220

HeavyNaphtha

180to220

330to380

MiddleDistillate
(Kerosene)

330to380

420to520

AGO
(AtmGasOil)

420to520

650

LVGO
(LightVacGasOil)

650

800

HVGO
(HeavyVacGasOil)

800

950to1100

VacuumResid

950to1100

21

ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails
Industrialdistillationcolumnsdonotprovideperfectlysharpseparations
Initialcalculationsusingcrudeoilassaysassumethatallmaterialsatacertainboilingpoint
goestooneproductoranother
Imperfectseparationsresultinlightends&heavyendstailsinadjacentproducts
Presenceoftailscomplicatethedefinitionofcutpoint

Analysis
Scaledistillationcurvestorepresentthevolumeremoved
CutpointtemperaturerepresentsthefeedsTBPcorrespondingthecumulativevolume
removed
Tailrepresentsthelightfractionsamountabovethecutpoint&theheavyfractions
amountbelowthecutpoint
Overlaprepresentstherangebetweenlightfractionsendpoint&theheavyfractionsinitial
point
Endpointmayberepresentedby99%
Initialpointmayberepresentedby1%

22

Example AtmosphericTowerProducts

23

ScaletoFractionofCrudeCharge

24

CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails

Ref:R.N.Watkins,PetroleumRefineryDistillation,2nd ed.,1979

25

CutPoints&OverlapsforExample

26

BoilingPointRangesforExample

27

Summary
Reportedrefinerycapacitytiedtochargetocrudedistillationcomplex
IncreasecapacitywithPreflashcolumn

Complexcolumnconfigurations
Noreboilers,heatfromfeedfurnaces
Reuseheatviaheatexchangebetweenfeed&internalcolumnstreams
Sidedraws,pumparounds,sidestrippers
Pumparounds required toensureliquidrefluxwithinthecolumn
Strippingsteam
3phasecondensers
Condensedwaterwillhavehydrocarbons&dissolvedacidgases

Preheattrainrecyclesheat
Products&internalstreamsheatthefeed
Feedcoolstheinternalstreams&products

Vacuumcolumntoincreasetheeffectivecutpoints
Vacuumcolumnslargediametertokeepvaporvelocitieslow
Vacuumgasoilsrecombined onlyseparatedforoperatingconsiderations

Pressuredropsareimportant,especially inthevacuumcolumn
Steamstrippingaidsinseparationwithoutcracking
Metalsareundesirable.Canremovesome metalsviadesalters.
28

Topics
CrudeStills
Historicallytheoldestrefiningprocess
Onlythefirststepincrudeoilprocessing

Purpose
Torecoverlightmaterials
Fractionateintosharplightfractions

Configuration Maybeasmanyasthreecolumnsinseries
CrudeStabilizer/Preflash Column
ReducetrafficintheAtmosphericColumn

AtmosphericColumn
VacuumColumn
Reducedpressuretokeeptemperaturesbelow650F

ProductYieldCurves CutPoint,Overlap,&Tails

29

SupplementalSlides
Phillips66capacities
Crudedistillationtechnologyproviders
Typicaldistillationcolumnconfiguration
Fractionationcolumns&trays
Fractionationtraytypes
Trays&packing
Typicaltrayefficiencies

30

Phillips66DistillationComplexes

U.S.informationfromEIA,Jan.1,2014database,publishedJune2014
http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/refinerycapacity/

31

CrudeDistillationTechnologies
Provider
Foster Wheeler
Shell Global Solutions
TECHNIP
Uhde GmbH

Features
Complex of atmospheric & vacuum distilation for
initial separation of crude oil. May include preflash
column.
Vaccum distillation

32

TypicalDistillationColumn
Topofcolumn condensertoremoveheat
Providesliquidrefluxthroughtopofcolumn
Partialcondensermayhavevaporbutnoliquiddistallate product

Coldesttemperature coolingmediamustbeevencolder
Lowestpressure
Topsectionstripsheavycomponentsfromtherisingvapors

Feed
Vapor,liquid,orintermediatequality
Introducedinvaporspacebetweentrays

Internals
Traystocontactrisingvaporswithfallingliquids
Pressuredropacrosstrays overcomestaticheadofliquidontray,

Bottomofcolumn reboiler toaddheat

Providesvaportrafficinbottomofcolumn
Highesttemperature heatingmediamustbeevenhotter
Highestpressure
Bottomsectionstripslightcomponentsfromthefallingliquid
DrawingbyHenryPadleckas &modifed byMiltonBeychok:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Continuous_Binary_Fractional_Distillation.PNG
33

FractionationColumns&Trays

DrawingsbyHenryPadleckas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fractionating_column

34

FractionationTrayTypes

http://www.termoconsult.com/empresas/acs/fractionation_trays.htm

35

Trays&Packing

http://www.ec21.com/product-details/Tower-Internals--3942077.html

36

TypicalOverallEfficiencies
ColumnService
SimpleAbsorber/Stripper
SteamSideStripper
ReboiledSideStripper
ReboiledAbsorber
Deethanizer
Depropanizer
Debutanizer
AlkyDeiC4(reflux)
AlkyDeiC4(noreflux)
NaphthaSplitter
C2Splitter
C3Splitter
C4Splitter
AmineContactor
AmineStripper
CrudeDistillation
StrippingZone
st

FlashZone1 draw

TypicalNo.of
ActualTrays
2030
57
710
2040
2535
3540
3845
7590
5570
2535
110130
200250
7080
2024
2024
3550
57

Typical TypicalNo.of
Theoretical
Overall
Trays
Efficiency
2030
2
34
4050
6575
7080
8590
8590
5565
7075
95100
95100
8590
45
4555
912
5060
2030
30
2

37

30

1 Draw2 Draw

710

4550

35

2ndDraw3rdDraw
TopDrawReflux
VacuumColumn(G.O.Operation)
Stripping
FlashZoneHGODraw
HGOSection
LGOSection
FCCMainFractionator
QuenchZone
QuenchHGODraw
HGOLCGO
LCGOTop

710
1012

5055
6070

35
68

5060

1
12
2
2
1317
2
23
35
57

st

nd

24
23
35
35
2435
57
35
68
710

Viscosity

Maxwell

cP

AveViscosityof
liquidonplates

0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70
0.80
0.90
1.00
1.50
1.70

104
86
76
63
56
50
46
43
40
38
36
30
28

Drickamer&
Bradfordin
Ludwig
MolalAve
Viscosityof
Feed
98
79
70
60
50
42
36
31
27
23
19
17
7
5

RulesofThumbforChemicalEngineers,4thed.
CarlBranan,GulfProfessionalPublishing,2005

EngineeringDataBook,12thed.
GasProcessorsAssociation,2004

12

RefineryProcessModeling
GeraldKaes,AthensPrintingCompany,2000,pg.32

37