Expanded refinery

WJ Piel. Expanding refinery technology leads to new ether potential. Fuel Reform. 34-40, November/December 1992. 

The motor-generator ean either produee or absorb power. In some FCC units, the expander horsepower exeeeds the power needed to drive the air blower. In this ease, the exeess power is transmitted to the refinery power grid. If the expander generates less power than required by the blower, the motor-generator provides the power to hold the entire train at the desired speed. 

The problem of eeonomie justifieation for the required investment is a matter that depends on the individual refinery situation. However, it is almost eertain that more refiners will be installing sueh equipment in the future. The ability of the equipment to operate satisfaetorily has been amply demonstrated and this will inerease the refiner s desire to eonsider and use flue gas expanders for FCC installations (Figure 4-55). For typieal sizes, refer to Figure 4-56. 

In support of the power recovery expander market for fluid catalytic cracking units in refineries, some turboexpander manufacturers have an ongoing program to improve the solid particle erosion characteristics of the machine. Improved erosion characteristics will result in longer blade life, less downtime, and consequently greater profits for the users. 

Load sharing or selective load shedding is of interest to many users of hot gas expanders. A particularly successful European FCC application is illustrated in Figure 6-43. The addition of an expander-generator set to the FCC unit at a major refinery presented a challenge because a trip of the expander could upset the process. The company that is the subject of this application case study, GHH Borsig, solved this problem with the installation of a computerized control system and through computer simulation of trips. 

It would be an understatement to say that the gas expander turbine forms a major part of the power train. Evaluating off-design performance for the expander installed in the Sinopec Jinan Oil Refinery is presented as an example of an appropriate evaluation method. It should be noted that calculations are based on actual field measurements and plant experience. 

On January 4, 1966, at Feyzin refinery in France, a leak from a propane storage sphere ignited. The fire burned around the vessel and led to boiling liquid expanding vapor explosions. The accident caused eighteen deaths and eighty-one injuries. 

The industry has developed higher compression tanks to expand the range, and more fast-fill stations are becoming available, yet the prospects of the majority of service stations adding compressed natural gas refueling anytime in the near future are bleak. The oil companies, which control most of the service stations and over 60 percent of America s natural gas reserves, are not eager to make the massive infrastructure investment to cannibalize the billions of dollars they have tied up in refineries, pipelines, and service sta-... 

Reconcentration of sulphuric acid A very large amount of tantalum heater surface has been installed in plants for the reconcentration of diluted sulphuric acid arising from metal pickling, oil refinery operations and from petrochemical processes producing alcohols and ketones. Since reconcentration provides a means of overcoming a waste of disposal problem, the use of such plants is expanding ... 

Production of chemicals became increasingly important. The recovery of oxygenates from the Fischer-Tropsch aqueous product was expanded to include niche chemicals, such as 1-propanol.45 Ethylene and propylene extraction was increased and even supplemented by the addition of a high-temperature catalytic cracker.46 Linear a-olefin extraction units for the recovery of 1-pentene, 1-hexene, and 1-octene were added to the refinery,45-47 and a new facility for the extraction of 1-heptene and its... 

During World War II, the Japanese cut ofFU.S. access to sources of natural rubber, giving the Americans a strategic imperative to develop and expand the manufacture of synthetic rubber. The C4 streams in refineries were a direct source of butadiene, the primary synthetic rubber feedstock. As a coincidence, the availability of this stream was growing rapidly with the expansion of catalytic cracking to meet wartime gasoline needs. Additional butadiene was manufactured by dehydrogenation of butane and butylene also. 

Anonymous. Effluent recycling plant expands to provide boiler feedwater to Chevron refinery. Civil Eng. 2000, 70(7), 14. 

Figure 7.14 Storage tanks for crude oil can be huge. These handle 750,000 barrels, about the size of one oil tanker and perhaps two days supply for the oil refinery. A floating, expandable top enables minimal pressure variation with temperature. (Courtesy of BP Amoco, Texas City, TX)...

Achieving optimal integration between refineries and the petrochemical industry was, until recently, a far-fetched target. Now many refiners are engaging in feasibility studies to include and expand their share in the petrochemical market. 

Feed stock for the first sulfuric acid alkylation units consisted mainly of butylenes and isobutane obtained originally from thermal cracking and later from catalytic cracking processes. Isobutane was derived from refinery sources and from natural gasoline processing. Isomerization of normal butane to make isobutane was also quite prevalent. Later the olefinic part of the feed stock was expanded to include propylene and amylenes in some cases. When ethylene was required in large quantities for the production of ethylbenzene, propane and butanes were cracked, and later naphtha and gas oils were cracked. This was especially practiced in European countries where the cracking of propane has not been economic. 

Commercial alkylation operations in petroleum refineries were originally limited almost entirely to the alkylation of isobutane with propylene, butylenes, and amylenes for the production of aviation gasoline. It has expanded greatly since that time to include the production of motor gasoline and numerous petrochemicals. 

Light hydrocarbons from nitrogen or hydrogen Reactor purge gas, petrochemical process streams, refinery waste gas Application is expanding rapidly... 

The process was first demonstrated at Cities Service s Lake Charles refinery with the construction of a 2500 BPD unit. The unit was later expanded to 6000 BPD with no increase in the size of the catalytic reactors. Maximum sulfur removal from delayed coker feedstock was achieved by this expansion. 

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