OGU 08104: Petroleum Refinery

Technology

Atmospheric Crude Distillation unit

Design
Atmospheric crude Distillation unit

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 Development of the Material Balance
for the Atmospheric Crude
Distillation Unit
• The development of the unit’s material balance begins with
an “in-depth” examination and analysis of the crude oil
feed assay.

• The first step in doing this activity is to break up the crude

feed TBP distillation curve into its pseudo components and
to assign the product characteristics relative to each
component’s mid boiling point or mid volume point on
crude.
• The properties of each pseudo component are provided
either by the assay data giving the gravity versus mid
volume percent and by the application below figure.
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• application of Fig. 3
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 Developing the Side Stream Product
TBPs
• The first step is to divide the crude feed TBP curve into the
product yield (in percent volume) and in terms of that
product temperature cut range.

• This starts with establishing the cut point of the residue

that is the temperature on the TBP curve at which it is
intended to separate the total distillate from the residue

• Then the distillate portion of the TBP is divided into its

product cuts such as gas oils, kerosene, and the total
overhead naphtha or some other combination of
products.
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 Developing the Side Stream Product
TBPs
• The volumes of these cuts and temperature ranges
represent the yield of each product that will be
produced as a percentage of the whole crude.

• From the cut points of each of the products, their ASTM

curves are developed .

• The initial boiling point (IBP) of each cut (except the

overhead naphtha) is fixed by the fractionation
capability of the distillation unit.

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 Developing the Side Stream Product
TBPs
• This term “fractionation capability” for a crude oil
distillation unit is measured as the difference in
temperature between the 95 % volume point of the
lighter cut’s ASTM distillation and the 5 % volume point of
the adjacent heavier cut.

• This difference may be positive (gap) or negative

(overlap).
• A gap indicates good separation while the overlap
indicates poor separation.

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 Developing the Side Stream Product
TBPs
• The ability to separate the fractions efficiently decreases
as the products become heavier.

• Thus, one can expect an ASTM gap between the

overhead product and the first side stream to be around
25 degF,

• while that between the third and fourth side stream may
have an ASTM gap around – 10 degF (an overlap of 10
degF).

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 Developing the Side Stream Product
TBPs
• The side stream TBP curves are now developed using
these concepts and following these stepwise procedures

• Step 1. Establish the cuts and cut ranges on the crude

TBP that represent then products that will be produced in
this unit. Forexample:

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10
 Developing the Side Stream Product
TBPs
• Step 2. Predict the ASTM end point and the ASTM 90 %
point using the ASTM distillation probability curves and
Correlation between TBP and ASTM end points.

• Supposed it is required to predict the ASTM distillation

curve for kerosene, cut between 400 and 500 degF cut
points on Kuwait crude with a yield on crude = 10.5 % vol

✓ Cut range = 30–40.5% vol on crude.

✓ Ninety percent vol of cut = ?? which is = ?? deF

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Correlation between TBP and ASTM end
points

Curve C ASTM end point =

500–?? = ?? degF

Curve G ASTM 90 % point

= ??–?? F = ?? deg.F

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ASTM distillation probability curves
• These two points are
plotted in a straight line
drawn through them to
define the probable ASTM
distillation of the cut.
• draw the straight line through the
and draw the straight line
through the 10.5 vol%
point.
• This will be sufficient to
determine a meaningful
ASTM curve from which a
TBP curve can be
produced.
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 Developing the Side Stream Product
TBPs
Step 3: The ASTM curves for the remaining side stream
products are developed for fixing their ASTM end points.
The 5 % points on both ASTM curves are then fixed using a
reasonable ASTM gap or overlap between the products,
thus:

Step 4. The 5 % ASTM point for the kerosene cut will be the
95 % point of the full range naphtha plus a 25 degF gap.
Similarly, the 5 % ASTM point for the gas oil will be the 95 %
point of the kerosene plus a 0 degF gap.

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 Developing the Side Stream Product
TBPs

Step 5. The ASTM curves for the side streams are drawn as
straight lines on the probability chart between their
respective end points and their predicted 5 % points.

Step 6: Convert the developed ASTM curves to TBP curves

using the Edmister correlations.

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 Developing the Side Stream Product
TBPs
Step 7: Extend the front end of the full naphtha to include
the gas portion and the light distillate below the 30 %vol
point.

Step this section off in mid boiling points to simulate real

hydrocarbon components such as C5’s, C6, C7, etc. This
will become important in establishing the reflux drum
pressure and temperature.

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 Developing the Product Volume, Mass,
and Mole Balance
• Using the component breakdown (pseudo components)
and the product TBP curves, calculate each product
volume rate, mass rate, and mole rates using the
following steps:

Step 1. Establish the crude feed flow rate in terms of volume

(usually BPSD), and then calculate its mass flow (say in lb/h)
and molal flow.

Step 2. Develop each product specific gravity using its

component composition and each component specific
gravity as given in the Crude Breakdown.
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 Developing the Product Volume, Mass,
and Mole Balance

Step 3. Develop each product molecular (mol) weight

similar to step 2 and again referencing the Crude
Breakdown Table. There is a relationship between gravity,
boiling point, and mol weight. This is given in below.

Step 4. From the data developed in steps 2 and 3,

calculate the quantity of each product in terms of BPSD,
lb/h, and mol/h. The sum of each of these product
quantities must equal the quantity of the crude oil feed
calculated in Step 1.

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Developing the Product Volume, Mass,
and Mole Balance

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 Establishing the Flash Zone Conditions
• As described earlier the crude oil feed is heated to the
required temperature for separating its distillate products
from the unvaporized portion (i.e., the residue) by heat
exchange with products being cooled or condensed and
finally by a fired heater.

• This heated crude enters a section of the atmospheric

fractionating tower at a point below the fractionating
trays. This section of the tower is called the flash zone.

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 Establishing the Flash Zone Conditions
• The temperature and pressure conditions in this zone are
such as to allow the correct amount of vapor to be flashed
from the heated crude to provide the quantities of the
distillate product streams and the internal reflux to control
their quality.

• These flash zone conditions of temperature and pressure

are determined taking into consideration the shape of the
crude oil’s equilibrium flash vaporization (EFV) curve, the
pressure (usually the partial pressure in the case of the
atmospheric tower) existing in this section of the tower,
and the temperature on the EFV corresponding to the
volume % cut of the total vapor to be flashed.
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 Setting the Flash Zone Partial Pressure
• Because steam is used to strip the residue leaving the
tower free of light ends, this steam enters the flash zone
from the top stripping tray.

• The steam influences the pressure condition at which the

hydrocarbon vapors separate from the residue.

• This pressure condition is the partial pressure exerted by

the steam.

• It is calculated as follows:
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 Setting the Flash Zone Partial Pressure
• . It is calculated as follows:

• The total pressure of the flash zone is determined by the

pressure in the tower’s overhead reflux drum plus the
pressure drop over the overhead condenser(s) and the
total distillate trays and internals above the flash zone. For
an estimate of the flash zone partial pressure, the following
rules of thumb may be considered:

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Setting the Flash Zone Partial Pressure

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 Setting the Flash Zone Temperature
• Calculate the EFV of the whole crude using the Maxwells
method.

• This EFV curve is at atmospheric pressure. The temperature

of the flash at atmospheric pressure is read off as the %
volume vaporized to meet the amount of distillate
products and the overflash required by the process.

• This overflash is usually fixed at between 3 % and 5 %

volume on crude. Its purpose in the process is to provide
that extra heat in order to generate sufficient reflux
downflow over the trays to satisfy the prescribed degree of
separation between the products.
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 Setting the Flash Zone Temperature

• This atmospheric flash temperature is now adjusted to the

temperature at the previously calculated partial pressure
existing in the flash zone.

• This may be done by reading the temperature at the

partial pressure using the PVT curve below..

• This is the flash zone temperature.

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 Class Example

• Supposed confined to the design of the main fractionator

and the associated stripper column which is based on the
processing of 30,000 BPSD of Kuwait crude providing the
following products:

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 Class Example

• Given:

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 Class Example.

• Given: TBP

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 Class Example.

• Given: SG

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Solution : TPB Curves for all cuts

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Material balance

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 Solution : Flash Zone Calculations
Total Pressure at the Flash Zone
✓ Estimate the overhead reflux drum pressure as 5 psi. This is a
reasonable pressure drop for this equipment and will be
specified as such in the equipment data sheet to vendors.
✓ Give the crude to overhead vapor heat exchanger a
pressure drop of 7 psi (overhead vapors flow shell side).
✓ Neglect the pressure drop for fittings and piping – this will be
quite small for a properly designed unit.
✓ Then the total tower top pressure is 12 psig.
✓ Assume 40 valve trays in the section of the tower between
flash zone and tower top
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 Solution : Flash Zone Calculations
Total Pressure at the Flash Zone
✓ Let the pressure drop per tray be 0.25 psi. Then pressure drop
in this section of the tower is 10 psi.
✓ Total flash zone pressure is 12 psig + 10 psi = 22 psig.
✓ Call it 25 psig (40 psia) for design purposes.
✓ Take the quantity of stripping steam as 1.2 lb/gal of residue;

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 Solution : Flash Zone Calculations
Temperature at the Flash Zone
✓ Calculate the EFV Curve of Whole Crude at Atmospheric
Pressure
✓ From the crude TBP curve, the slope of the whole curve is
11.8 degF/%vol (10–70 %) vol on TBP temperatures divided
by 60).

✓ From the Maxwell curves the slope of the flash reference line
is 8.5 deg.F/%vol.

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Maxwell Curves

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 Solution : Flash Zone Calculations
Temperature at the Flash Zone
✓ The 50% volume temperature of a flash reference line (FRL)
from the curve relating Δt50 (DRL–FRL) to DRL slope is
40degF.

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 Solution : Flash Zone Calculations
Temperature at the Flash Zone
✓ The 50% volume temperature of a flash reference line (FRL)
from the curve relating Δt50 (DRL–FRL) to DRL slope is
40degF.
✓ Use the DRL temperature at 50% to determine the FRL at
temperature at 50%.
✓ Use this point and slope of the FRL line to establish its curve.

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 Solution : Flash Zone Calculations
Temperature at the Flash Zone
✓ Determine the ΔT(EFV-FRL) of the crude at varpisu
compositions using below figure.

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 Solution : Flash Zone Calculations
Resulting EFV Curve at Atmospheric Pressure:

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 Solution : Flash Zone Calculations
Temperature at the Flash Zone
✓ To plot this at any other pressure, take the 50 %vol
temperature, and using the vapor pressure curves for
hydrocarbons, read off the temperature at the desired
pressure.
✓ Draw the EFV curve through this new temperature parallel
to the atmospheric curve.
✓ The flash zone temperature is the temperature at the %
distilled on the partial pressure curve.
✓ Flash zone temperature is 720 degF

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Solution : Flash Zone Calculations

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Class Tutorial

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Class Tutorial

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Class Tutorial

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Class Tutorial

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Thank you!

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