Important properties of crude oil:

- Density (API gravity)

- Sulfur content
- Metals content

The method to determine the properties of crude oil is called as crude characterization.

Purpose of crude characterization:

- Whether process technology can handle a certain crude feed to produce desirable products
with acceptable quality
- Compatibility of different crudes being mixed together
- Develop operational guidelines for achieving predicted yields

ULSD (Ultra low sulfur diesel) is mainly produced in hydrocracking and diesel hydrotreating
processes.

Technical solutions for ULSD:

- Use highly active catalyst

- Increase operating severity
o High operating temperature
o Lower LHSV
o High hydrogen pressure
- Remove H2S from recycle gas
- Increase catalyst volume
o Use two stage reactor’
o Dense loading
- Reduce feedstock EBP
- Improve feed distribution with high efficiency vapor-liquid distribution trays

Single stage hydrocracking:

- Single catalyst type is employed or stacked arrangement of catalyst

- Single reactor or series / parallel combination of reactors
- All catalysts are exposed to high levels of H2S and NH3
- No interstage separation of H2S and NH3

Two stage hydrocracking:

- Interstage separation of H2S and NH3

- Second stage catalysts are exposed to lower H2S and NH3 levels

Hydrocracking:

Process to convert larger hydrocarbon molecules into smaller molecules under high hydrogen
pressure and elevated temperature.

It is used to upgrade heavier fractions of crude oils to produce high value transportation fuels.

In this process hydrogen is added to hydrocarbons. Impurities such as sulfur, nitrogen and metals
are removed. Aromatics are saturated.
Feed type depends on feed type, ccle length and desired product slate.

LHSV (hr-1) 0.5-2.0

Hydrogen circulation 5000 – 10000 SCFB
Hydrogen partial pressure 103-172 barg
SOR Temperature 288 – 399 deg C

Difference between FCC and Hydrocracking are as follows

FCC Hydrocracking
Principle Carbon rejection Hydrogen addition
Catalytic function Monofunctional Bifunctional
Operating pressure Near atmospheric High pressure (> 100 bar)
Hydrogen feed No Lot of hydrogen feed
LPG Highly olefinic Nearly no olefins
Naphtha product
Olefins (wt%) >20 Nil
Aromatics (wt%) >20 Low aromatics
Octane number High Low
Use Gasoline pool Reformer feed
Kerosene / Jet fuel product
Hydrogen 10-10.5 wt% 13.5-14 wt%
Sulfur >1000 ppm 10-20 ppm
Gasoline/diesel product
Hydrogen 9.5-10 wt% 13-13.5 wt%
Sulfur >5000 ppm 20-40 ppm
Cetane number <30 >50

Hydrocracker feed:

- LVGO, HVGO from atmospheric and vacuum distillation unit

- HCGO from coker unit