Refineries processes

In crude oil processing, catal5dic processes are used to produce products such as gasoline, diesel, kerosene, heating oil, aromatic compoimds, and hquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in high yield and good quality. 

Benzene or butene to maleic anhydride V205/support 400 -450 °C, 1-2 bar 

Vinyl chloride from ethylene -t HCI/O2 CUCI2/AI2O3 200 - 240 °C, 2-5 bar 

Cumene from benzene and propene H3P04/Si02 300 °C, 40-60 bar 

Cracking of kerosene and residues of atmospheric crude oil distillation to produce gasoline Al203/Si02 zeolites 500-550 °C, 1-20 bar 

5 Corrosion rates of steel in a crude unit secondary tower overhead. 19 

7 Corrosion rate of steel vs temperature of atmospheric tower sour condensate water. 19 

8 Effect of pH on corrosion rate of iron in solution of the same hydrogen sulfide activity.19 

11 Average corrosion rates — high-temperature sulfur corrosion in hydrogen-free environment. 21 

12 Comparison of sulfur levels vs carbon steel corrosion rates.21 

Catalytic reformers. Catalytic reforming is an important step to improve the quality of gasoline. During the reforming process, naphthens are dehydrogenated to aromatics. As a representative example, hydrogen is produced by cyclohexane dehydrogenation to benzene as follows  

This reaction is endothermic and is favored by low pressure. In practice, however, the process is conducted at a pressure of 1-3 MPa (because of a concurrent hydrocracking reaction) and a temperature of 300-450°C using Pt-based catalysts [7]. The feedstock for the reforming process must be carefully purified from S- and N-compounds (below 1 ppm), which may use up a significant portion of hydrogen produced. The typical composition of the off-gas from the catalytic reforming of naphtha is as follows (vol%) H2—82, CH4—7, C2—5, C3—4, and C4—2 [7]. 

Acetylene production. Hydrogen is produced as a by-product in the production of acetylene by high-temperature thermal cracking in a plasma arc process. In a simplified form, 

Process group/name Method and purpose Feedstock(s) Main product(s) 

Fractionation processes Atmospheric distillation Thermal separation of fractions Desalted crude oil Gas, gasoline, middle distillates, residual 

Vacuum distillation Atmospheric tower residual Gas oil, lube stock, residual 

Fluid catalytic cracking (Section 6.7.2) Catalytic cracking of long-chain Vacuum gas oil Gasoline, petrochemical 

Hydrocracking Catalytic cracking/hydrogenation of long-chain hydrocarbons Vacuum gas oil Gasoline, jet fuel 

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Of course, some processes do not require a reactor, e.g., some oil refinery processes. Here, the design starts with the sepauration system and moves outward to the heat exchanger network and utilities. However, the basic hierarchy prevails. 

In Appendix 1, the reader will find the data required to calculate the properties of the most common hydrocarbons as well as those components that most frequently accompany them in refinery process streams. The data are grouped in seven categories ( ... 

Processing heavy oils and bitumens represents a challenge for the current refinery processes, because heavy oils and bitumens poison the metal catalysts used m the refineries. In our research at the Loker Institute, we found the use of superacid catalysts, which are less sensitive to heavy oils, an attractive solution to their processing, particularly hydrocracking. 

PETROLEUM - REFINERY PROCESSES, SURVEY] (Vol 18) ATMP. See Amino tri smethylene phosphomc acid. 

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