Combination of hydrotreating and delayed coking technologies for conversion of residue

Abstract

Residue conversion by combining catalytic hydrotreating and delayed coking has been evaluated comparatively with both processes alone. Optimal operating conditions are defined to achieve the greatest economic benefit for upgrading an atmospheric residue from a heavy crude oil. A literature model was adapted to simulate the hydrotreating reactor, and for delayed coking, correlations reported in the literature were used. The results with both approaches were employed to calculate the techno-economic feasibility of the combined process scheme. The combination of hydrotreating and delayed coking presented an increase in light fractions of 29% and a reduction in coke production of 47.8%. Based on the calculated net benefit values, it was demonstrated that the combination of hydrotreating and delayed coking is technically and economically better than using each process alone, with highest benefit of 57.7 USD·m−3.