Refinery and Petrochemical Processing

Distillation

Dr. Philip Holmes

Department for Chemical and Process Engineering
University of Surrey
Distillation of Crude Oil

Source: BP, 2006

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 Typical Compositions of Distillation Fractions

Source: BP, 2006

Source: Exxon, 1995

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 Selection of Crude Oil

• Crude oils used (crude slate) is refinery dependant.

• Objective is to select crudes that give largest Net Cash Margin for the refinery.

• Selection depends upon:

- Economics i.e. value of products and cost of crude.
- Configuration and capacities of process units that comprise the refinery.
- Desired products and their specifications.
- Politics.
- Availability.

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 Large Differences in Crude Oil Properties

Crude Oil Assays (BP, 2009) provide physical and chemical analyses:
• See Thunder Horse Crude – examine.
• Compare different crudes - discuss.

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 Atmospheric Distillation

Source: Jones, 1995

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 Features of Atmospheric Distillation
• Crude oil is preheated and desalted at 90 to 150 °C with 3 to 10 % water. Mixer
valve forms emulsion and high voltage electric field promotes coalescence of
water droplets.

• Heat exchange with hot products and pumparounds is maximised to minimise

duty of preheat furnace giving coil outlet temperature of 350 to 400 °C.

• Crude enters pipestill flash zone at temperature hot enough that its components,
including about 20 % of atmospheric residue portion, are vaporised i.e. 20 %
overflash to assist fractionation.

• Sieve holes, valves or bubble cap trays used to provide efficient vapour/liquid
contacting. Heat removed and fractionation improved by reflux from condensed
top product and liquid pumparounds. Steam injected to reduce hydrocarbon
partial pressure and lower vaporisation temperature.

• Steam strippers remove light material from side stream and bottom products.
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 Light Ends

Source: Jones, 1995

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 Features of Light Ends

• Overhead product from atmospheric distillation is typically C1, C2, C3, C4 and
naphtha that passes through condensers and compression before being fed to
the Light Ends.

• First column is debutaniser that separates C4 minus (top product) from naphtha
(bottom product).

• Naphtha is then fractionated into a light cut (light virgin naphtha) and a heavy
cut (feed for catalytic reforming) at the naphtha splitter.

• C4 minus is fed to the depropaniser that separates C4s (bottom product) for
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from C3 minus (top product).

• C3 minus is fed to the de-ethaniser that separates C3 (bottom product) for LPG
from C2 minus (top product) for refinery fuel gas.

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 Vacuum Distillation

Source: Jones, 1995

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 Features of Vacuum Distillation

• The bottoms product (atmospheric residue) from atmospheric distillation contains

useful heavy oils for additional processing. Since these can be thermally cracked
to undesirable coke and gas, the distillation is performed under vacuum at 25 to
40 mm Hg and 350 to 400 °C.

• Vacuum distillation columns tend to be of large diameter and fitted with internal
grid packing for low pressure drop. Steam ejectors provide the vacuum. Steam
stripping of the side stream products is not practiced in order to minimise the
vapour load and since presence of light material is minimal.

• Typically, light and heavy vacuum gas oils (VGOs) are produced as side streams
for feeding to catalytic cracking or lubes units. The bottoms product (vacuum
residue) has high density and viscosity, and contains much sulphur and metals. It
can be used as a heavy fuel oil component, for making bitumen/asphalt or
upgraded by additional processes.

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 Distillation of Crude Oil - 1

See the BP assay for Thunder Horse crude oil from the Gulf of Mexico

Source: Derived from BP, 2009

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 Distillation of Crude Oil - 2

• Cut point: A temperature on the continuous smooth distillation (true boiling point -
TBP) curve that represents the limits of a fraction to be produced.

• Fraction: The generic name given to a distillation product described by two cut
points, e.g. the 149-232 °C fraction that is used to make kerosene.

• Yield: The mass or volume amount of a fraction as a percentage of the total

crude, e.g. the kerosene yield is 13.8 wt % from Thunder Horse crude.

• End points: The initial or final boiling points (IBP and FBP respectively) of a
fraction from a commercial distillation. Since the separation is not perfect, the
FBP of a preceding fraction is higher than the cut point and considerably higher
than the IBP of the following fraction.

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 Distillation of Crude Oil - 3

• Design (number and type of trays, packing etc.) and operation (pumparound rates
and temperatures) of the atmospheric and vacuum distillation columns strives to
maximise product quality i.e. minimise tail ends on fractions.

• Cut points can be adjusted:

- For different yields of fractions i.e. more/less naphtha by increasing/decreasing cut
point of naphtha and kerosene.
- To adjust product qualities of fractions e.g. increasing naphtha end point increases SG
of naphtha (more heavy kerosene present) and of kerosene (less light material
present). (But other properties also affected e.g. sulphur content also increased).

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 UK Refineries’ Distillation Capacities

Source: Koottungal, 2006

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 Example of Simple Crude Selection Economics

Thus, for 200 kbd refinery running Forties Blend:

Gross Refining Margin is $4.24/bbl i.e. $310 M/year…..
but operating costs, taxes, etc. need to be deducted to give actual profit.
Incentive of $0.91 to 1.41/bbl to run Dalia or Thunder Horse vs. Forties Blend…..
but possible supply, logistical and operating issues etc.

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 Example of Simple Distillation Cut Point Economics

Thus, for 200 kbd refinery:

Gross Refining Margin is increased by $0.04/bbl i.e. $8 k/day or $2.92 M/year…..
but…..?

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 References
BP, 2006: Teacher’s Notes: Oil Products. BP Educational Service. Available at website.
BP, 2009: Various crude oil assays, BP Crude Marketing. Available at website.
Jones, D.S.J., 1995: Elements of Petroleum Processing. John Wiley and Sons, Chicester, England.
Exxon, 1998: Tables of Useful Information. Exxon Company USA, Houston, Texas, USA.
Koottungal, L., 2006: 2006 Worldwide Refining Survey. Oil and Gas Journal December 18, 2006.

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