Crude Oil Refining Processes
Iranian Oil,Gas and Petrochemical
Products Exporters' Union
Article — Research
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Introduction
During the last 60 years, several correlations have been proposed for
determining pressure-volume-temperature (PVT) [Link] most widely
used correlations treat the oil and gas phases as a two-component system. Only
the pressure, temperature, specific gravity and relative amount of each
component are used to characterize the oil’s PVT [Link] oil systems
from various oil-producing regions of the world were checked in the
development of the [Link] crude oils can exhibit regional trends in
chemical composition,placing them into one of the following groups:
Paraffinic
Napthenic
Aromatic
Because of the differences in composition, correlations developed from regional
samples, predominantly of one chemical base, may not provide satisfactory
results when applied to crude oil's of other regions.
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Classification of hydrocarbons regarding their structure
Hydrocarbons are classified according to the structure of the molecule. Paraffin
hydrocarbons are characterized by open or straight chains joined by single
bonds. Examples are:
Methane
Ethane
Propane
Decane
Isomers of these compounds,which contain branched chains,are also included as
[Link] first four components of the series are gaseous at room
temperature and [Link] ranging from Pentane (C5H12) through
Heptadecane (C17H36) are liquids,while the heavier components are colorless,
wax-like [Link] hydrocarbons,which consist of Olefins,Diolefins,
and Acetylenes,have double and triple bonds in the [Link] compounds
are highly reactive and are not normally present to any great extent in
[Link] hydrocarbons are ringed molecules and are also called
[Link] compounds,like the Paraffins,are saturated and very
[Link] make up a second primary constituent of crude [Link]
Hydrocarbons are also cyclic,but are derivatives of [Link] rings are
characterized by alternating double bonds and in contrast to Olefins,are quite
stable,though not as stable as [Link] oils are complex mixtures of these
[Link] containing primarily Paraffin hydrocarbons are called
Paraffin-Based or [Link] examples are Pennsylvania grade crude
oils. Naphthenic-Based crudes contain a large percentage of Cycloparaffins in
the heavy [Link] of this type of crude come from the US mid
continental [Link] aromatic crudes are less common but are still found
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around the world. Crude oils tend to be a mixture of Paraffins-Naphthenes-
Aromatics, with Paraffins and Naphthenes the predominant species.
Major Products
Petroleum products are usually grouped into three categories:
1_ Light distillates (LPG, Gasoline, Naphtha)
2_ Middle distillates (Kerosene, Diesel)
3_ Heavy distillates and residuum (Heavy Fuel Oil, Lubricating Oils, Wax,
Asphalt).
This classification is based on the way Crude Oil is distilled and separated into
fractions (called distillates and residuum) as in the below drawing.
Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG)
Gasoline (also known as Petrol)
Naphtha
Diesel Fuel
Fuel Oils
Lubricating Oils
Paraffin Wax
Asphalt and Tar
Petroleum Coke
Sulfur
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Oil refineries also produce various intermediate products such as Hydrogen,
Light Hydrocarbons, Reformate and Pyrolysis Gasoline. These are not usually
transported but instead are blended or processed further on-site. Chemical plants
are thus often adjacent to oil [Link] example, light hydrocarbons are
steam-cracked inan Ethylene plant, and the produced ethylene is polymerized to
produce Polyethylene.
Common Processing Units Found in a Refinery
Desalterring Unit: washes out salt from the crude oil before it enters the
atmospheric distillation unit.
Atmospheric Distillation Unit: distills crude oil into fractions.
Vacuum Distillation Unit: further distills residual bottoms after atmospheric
distillation.
Naphtha Hydrotreater Unit: uses hydrogen to desulfurize naphtha from
atmospheric distillation. Must hydrotreat the naphtha before sending to a
catalytic reformer unit.
Catalytic Reformer Unit: used to convert the Naphtha-Boiling range
molecules into higher octane reformate (reformer product).The reformate
has higher content of aromatics and cyclic [Link] important by
product of a reformer is Hydrogen released during the catalystic
[Link] Hydrogen is used either in the Hydrotreaters or the
Hydrocracker.
Distillate Hydrotreater: desulfurizes distillates (such as Diesel) after
atmospheric distillation.
Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) Unit: upgrades heavier fractions into lighter,
more valuable products.
Hydrocracker Unit: uses ydrogen to upgrade heavier fractions into lighter,
more valuable products.
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Merox Unit: treats LPG, kerosene or Jet Fuel by oxidizing mercaptans to
organic disulfides.
Alternative processes for removing Mercaptans are known, e.g. Doctor
sweetening process and caustic washing.
Coking Units (delayed coking, fluid coker): process very heavy residual oils
into Gasoline and Diesel Fuel, leaving petroleum coke as a residual product.
Alkylation Unit: uses Sulfuric acid or Hydrofluoric acid to produce high-
octane components for Gasoline blending.
Dimerization Unit: converts Olefins into higher-octane Gasoline blending
components. For example, Butenes can be dimerized into Isooctene which
may subsequently be hydrogenated to form Isooctane. There are also other
uses for dimerization. Gasoline produced through dimerization is highly
unsaturated and very reactive. It tends spontaneously to form gums. For this
reason the effluent from the dimerization need to be blended into the
finished Gasoline pool immediately or hydrogenated.
Isomerization Unit: converts linear molecules to higher-octane branched
molecules for blending into gasoline or feed to alkylation units.
Steam Reforming Unit: produces hydrogen for the hydrotreaters or
hydrocracker.
Liquified Gas Storage Vessels: store propane and similar gaseous fuels at
pressure sufficient to maintain them in liquid form. These are usually
spherical vessels or "bullets" (i.e. horizontal vessels with rounded ends).
Storage Tanks Store: crude oil and finished products, usually cylindrical,
with some sort of vapor emission control and surrounded by an
earthen berm to contain spills.
Amine Gas Treater, Claus Unit and Tail Gas Treatment: convert hydrogen
sulfide from hydro desulfurization into elemental sulfur.
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Utility Units: such as cooling towers circulate cooling water, boiler plants
generates steam and instrument air systems include pneumatically operated
control valves and an electrical substation.
Wastewater Collection and Treating System: consist of API(American
Petroleum Institute) separators, dissolved air flotation (DAF) units and
further treatment units such as an activated sludge biotreater to make water
suitable for reusing or for disposal.
Solvent Refining Units: use solvent such as Furfural to remove unwanted,
mainly aromatics from lubricating oil stock or diesel stock.
Solvent Dewaxing Units: remove the heavy waxy constituents petrolatum
from vacuum distillation products.
Flow Diagram of Typical Refinery
The image on the following page is a schematic flow diagram of a typical oil
refinery that depicts the various unit processes and the flow of intermediate
product streams that occurs between the inlet crude oil feedstock and the final
end products. The diagram depicts only one of the literally hundreds of different
oil refinery configurations. The diagram also does not include any of the usual
refinery facilities providing utilities such as steam, cooling water, and electric
power as well as storage tanks for crude oil feedstock and for intermediate
products and end products.
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