Project Synopsis

Provide process engineering evaluation to develop process alternatives to improve refinery performance in a number of units.

Project Summary

PROCESS SUPPORT FOR VARIOUS REFINERY UNIT OPERATIONS

The client owns and operates a small independent petroleum refinery and refines crude oil into various cuts for the transportation markets.  As a contractor to the client, Process Engineering Associates, LLC (PROCESS) used licensed commercial process simulation software (CHEMCAD) and other in house tools to examine the feasibility of modifying various pieces of equipment to improve process performance in several units.  Equipment involved included heat exchangers, stripping towers, and liquid/liquid separators.

As a part of this project, the following tasks were accomplished:

  • Performed site visits to gather relevant data and to interview operations personnel
  • Analyzed the process equipment using commercially licensed in house simulation software
  • Determined typical operating conditions based on plant data, field measurements, and operator observations
  • Developed recommendations for changes that would yield improvements.

Various equipment items and tasks undertaken included:

Shell and tube heat exchangers: Determined current performance based on process data, calculated heat duties and pressure drops based on original mechanical design, evaluated alternative designs, and generated TEMA datasheets for vendor quotations for new heat exchangers. Shell and tube exchangers evaluated included reboilers, condensers, and sensible duty (liquid heating/cooling) units.

Hairpin heat exchangers: Determined current performance based on process data, calculated heat duties and pressure drops based on original mechanical design, determined the information needed to replace with new shell and tube units, and generated TEMA datasheets for vendor quotations for new heat exchangers.

Naphtha and Diesel strippers: Examined these towers for changes to mass transfer internals to decrease the amount of hydrogen sulfide left in stripped material, while either reducing the amount of material or improving the boiling range of the resulting distillate.  Generated the documents needed for mass transfer internals vendors to quote items needed for tower improvements.

Liquid/liquid separators: Examined existing separators to verify current performance and determine changes needed to meet future requirements.

Industry Type

  • Petroleum Refining

Utilized Skills

  • Process evaluation and improvement

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