Processing crude oil

Natural gas and crude oils are the main sources for hydrocarbon intermediates or secondary raw materials for the production of petrochemicals. From natural gas, ethane and LPG are recovered for use as intermediates in the production of olefins and diolefms. Important chemicals such as methanol and ammonia are also based on methane via synthesis gas. On the other hand, refinery gases from different crude oil processing schemes are important sources for olefins and LPG. Crude oil distillates and residues are precursors for olefins and aromatics via cracking and reforming processes. This chapter reviews the properties of the different hydrocarbon intermediates—paraffins, olefins, diolefms, and aromatics. Petroleum fractions and residues as mixtures of different hydrocarbon classes and hydrocarbon derivatives are discussed separately at the end of the chapter. 

Crude Oil Processing and Production of Hydrocarbon Intermediates 57 Delayed Coking... 

Crude oil processing is mainly aimed towards the production of fuels, so only a small fraction of the products is used for the synthesis of olefins and aromatics. In Chapter 3, the different crude oil processes are reviewed with special emphasis on those conversion techniques employed for the dual purpose of obtaining fuels as well as olefmic and aromatic base stocks. Included also in this chapter, are the steam cracking processes geared specially for producing olefins and diolefms. 

It is expected that the hydrogen demand for crude-oil processing will increase further, the reason for this being twofold on the one hand, through an increasing... 

The development of nylon by DuPont in 1938 generated the initial big commercial interest in cyclohexane as they settled on its use as their preferred raw material. In the period right after World War II, the manufacture of nylon grew for a while at 100% annually, quickly overwhelming the availability of cyclohexane naturally available in crude oil. The typical crude oil processed in U.S. refineries at the time had less than 1% content of cyclohexane. Ironically, since cyclohexane leaves the crude oil distillation operation in the naphtha, it was usually fed to a cat reformer, where it was converted to henzene. As it turned out, with so many other precursors also being converted to benzene in the cat reformer, benzene became a good source for cyclohexane manufacture. 

Catalyst fines, metals, rust, sand, and other material can be contained in residual fuel. These compounds arise from the crude oil, processing catalysts, water contamination, transportation, and storage of the fuel. If the total ash content is >0.20 wt%, deposits can form in burner systems and corrosion in high-temperature burners can occur. 

The modern industrialized world would be inconceivable without catalysts. Catalysis is a multidisciplinary area of chemistry, particularly industrial chemistry where around 85% of all products pass through at least one catalytic stage. Anyone who is involved with chemical reactions will eventually have something to do with catalysts. For example, the contact process for the production of sulfuric acid was introduced as early as 1880. After World War II, some catalysts for crude oil processing appeared on the US and European markets and, from an environmental standpoint, they became crucial from 1970 onwards because of their contribution to the protection of the environment and thus to a generally higher standard of living. 

Storage costs (based on 50 bbl of storage per BPCD crude oil processed. Assume 21 days storage provided for n-butane n-butane 7890 bpd x 21 days = 165,690) ... 

One report stated the heavy crude oil processing unit was in normal operation and had not been undergoing repairs. A spokesman indicated the fire produced a visible plume of black smoke and a bucketful of debris was blown into the community. The company offered to wash cars to remove any airborne soot from the fire. [22]... 

---