Debottleneck crude-unit preheat exchanger network inefficiencies

In this case history, a crude distillation unit (CDU) preheat train network in a Saudi Aramco refinery was simulated and analyzed for anticipated modifications to the network. This analysis helped eliminate inefficiencies in the network, and, based on the insights from the analysis, various options were generated and the existing network was reconfigured. The reconfiguration allowed the temperature of the crude preheat network, which processes Arab Light crude oil, to be increased to the maximum of 277°C from a previous temperature of 261°C.Existing configuration.Desalted crude from the tank is heated by the crude column top pumparound, light...

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Optimize hydrogen management for distillate production

Moving more distillate streams to diesel production and/or fuel oil (FO) production is a major refining activity. The distillate qualities and quantities, hydrogen price and consumption, product demand and prices, and refinery configuration constraints are key factors for these decisions.Producing higher-quality products from poorer-quality crudes requires more hydroprocessing. These distillate streams, e.g., heavy kerosine (HK), gasoils (GOs) and light cycle oils (LCOs), etc., are also used as cutter stocks to upgrade vacuum residues (VRs) and downgraded as low-value FO products. FO and VRs are major constrains if no resid-upgrading...

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