Refinery Process Fundamentals Curriculum
Module 8 - Refinery Integration
Module from the Refinery Process Fundamentals Curriculum curriculum.
REFINERY PROCESS INTEGRATION · Learning Objectives · 1. Trace crude oil from receipt through all major processing steps to final products 2. Understand intermediate stream routing between units 3. Explain hydrogen balance management across the refinery 4. Describe the refinery fuel gas system and energy balance 5. Identify key optimization levers: crude selection, cut point optimization, severity adjustment · Refinery Process Flow — Unit Connections
| Unit | Feed Source | Primary Products | Sends To | Receives From | Key Intermediate Streams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crude/Vacuum Unit | Crude oil (tank farm) | LSR naphtha, heavy naphtha, kero, diesel, VGO, residue | Reformer (naphtha), HDT (diesel), FCC/HCK (VGO) | Tank farm | Atmospheric residue to vacuum unit |
| Naphtha Hydrotreater | Heavy naphtha from crude unit | Treated naphtha | Catalytic reformer | Crude unit, coker naphtha | Sour gas to amine unit |
| Catalytic Reformer (CCR) | Treated naphtha | Reformate (high octane), H2, LPG | Gasoline blending, H2 header, LPG treating | Naphtha HDT | Net H2 to hydrotreaters/hydrocracker |
| Diesel Hydrotreater | Diesel from crude unit, LCO from FCC | ULSD (<15 ppm S) | Diesel blending | Crude unit, FCC (LCO) | Sour gas to amine, H2 from reformer |
| FCC Unit | VGO from vacuum unit (±pretreated) | FCC gasoline, LPG, LCO, HCO, coke | Gasoline blending, alky (C4=), diesel blending | Vacuum unit, VGO pretreater | Propylene to alky/petrochem |
| Hydrocracker | VGO, heavy coker gas oil | Naphtha, jet, diesel, unconverted oil | Reformer (naphtha), jet/diesel blending, FCC (UCO) | Vacuum unit, coker | High-quality middle distillates |
| Alkylation | C3=/C4= olefins from FCC | Alkylate (high-octane, zero olefin/aromatic) | Gasoline blending | FCC, coker gas plant | Best gasoline blendstock (94-96 RON) |
| Coker | Vacuum residue | Coker naphtha, coker gas oil, coke | Naphtha HDT, VGO HDT/FCC, coke sales | Vacuum unit | Coke sold as fuel or anode grade |
| Sulfur Recovery (Claus) | Acid gas from amine units | Elemental sulfur | Sulfur sales/storage | All amine regenerators | Liquid sulfur (trucked/shipped) |
| H2 Plant (SMR) | Natural gas + steam | High-purity H2 (99.9%) | H2 header → all hydrotreaters + HCK | Nat gas supply | Balances H2 deficit after reformer contribution |
| Refinery Hydrogen Balance — Typical 150,000 BPD Complex Refinery | |||||
| Source/Consumer | H2 Flow (MMSCFD) | Purity (%) | Notes | Pressure (psig) | Priority |
| Catalytic Reformer (net production) | +25 to +50 | 75-85 | Largest internal H2 source; purity varies with severity | 200-350 | First priority supply |
| H2 Plant / SMR (production) | +30 to +80 | 99.9 | Swing producer; sized to fill deficit after reformer | 300-500 | Second priority supply |
| Naphtha Hydrotreater (consumption) | -5 to -10 | >85 | Low H2 consumption; can use lower purity reformer H2 | 300-600 | Can use reformer H2 directly |
| Diesel Hydrotreater (consumption) | -15 to -30 | >90 | Moderate consumption; ULSD requires high-purity H2 | 600-800 | Needs H2 plant quality |
| Hydrocracker (consumption) | -30 to -80 | >99 | Largest H2 consumer; requires highest purity | 2000-3000 | First priority for H2 plant supply |
| Isomerization (consumption) | -1 to -3 | >80 | Small consumer, makeup only | 300-500 | Low priority |
| Losses and fuel use | -5 to -15 | Various | Purge gas, seal losses, dissolved H2 in products | Various | Minimize through PSA recovery |
| Source: FOS Chief Files — Module 01 (Generic Refinery Diagram), Module 14 (Hydrogen Plant), Process Overview, Refinery Overview Diagram handout |
Source: Refinery_Process_Fundamentals_Curriculum_v1.xlsx · Sheet: Module 8 - Refinery Integration
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