Abstract

A method selection of residual product processing, especially that of vacuum residuum, becomes more and more important recently but creates a serious technical and economic challenge for every refinery.

One of possible approaches to this issue is an hydrocracking and hydrodesulfurization process of vacuum residue, H-Oil, offered by IFP (Axens) Company. This paper shows some aspects concerning stability of products received from the process when processing vacuum residue derived from Ural crude oil. Taking proper corrective measures in the process itself and respective product preparation we succeeded to improve product stability caused by specific chemical composition of vacuum residue received from Ural crude oil.

1 Introduction

The radical constrains referred to environment protection regulations and the resulting limits for harmful substances emissions have brought the violent increase of quality requirements for fuels produced in petroleum refineries, during the last 10 years. It concerns the motor fuels and fuel oils.

The necessity of substantial emissions decrease from power stations has forced the direct impact on fuels structure change. Heavy fuel oils are gradually replaced with light oils and fuel gas. The growth of demand for middle distillates is observed in result of these changes (motor fuel oils and light fuel oils). In parallel the low sulphur fuels are required. The very rigorous requirements for low sulphur residue fuel oils are difficult to fulfil and strongly influence the whole crude oil processing scheme and residue oils disposal The one problem solution may be the residue oil hydrocracking and hydrodesulphurisation. In this process the desulphurised residue oil and motor fuel distillates are obtained. The product properties depend on process conditions and conversion.

In commercial scale two residue hydrocracking processes are used: LC-Fining (ABB Lummus Global) and H-Oil (IFP).

The seventh H-Oil Plant was started up in PKN Orlen SA refinery, in Plock, Poland, in 1999. The Unit is processing vacuum residue from Russian Ural crude oil. 2 H-Oil process Process H-Oil with ebullated-bed reactor was invented by HRI in the mid-1960's to overcome characteristic problems experienced by fixed-bed processes when processing heavy or dirty feedstocks. To fully develop and commercialise the process, HRI teamed-up with Cities Service R&D (CSRD). This effort resulted in the construction and successful operation of a 2,500 BPSD demonstration plant at Cities' Lake Charles refinery in 1963 and the licensing of the first commercial plant to the Kuwait National Petroleum Corp. In 1981, HRI teamed up with Texaco to continue the development and BLOCK 2 - - FORUM 10 317 SOLVING STABILITY PROBL

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