Strategic collaboration among ASEAN refineries for the production of reformulated fuels

Abstract

Abstract Worldwide crude supply are experiencing a trend towards heavier and high sulfur content, while the demand growth rate for light products will continue to be higher than that for residual fuel oil. Refinery surveys conducted in 1991 and 1997 revealed the unfavourable state of current configurations of ASEAN refineries, particularly as regards catalytic processing units. Out of 3,837 MBPSD total crude oil currently processed in ASEAN refineries, around 61 percent is passed through catalytic processes to produce various fuel components. Future stringent and environmentally friendlier fuel specifications require the production of reformulated gasoline with good performance as characterized by low contents of aromatics, olefin an sulfur, and low boiling range. Production of these gasoline components requires additional preparation for catalytic cracked gasoline and reformate, while the capacity of alkylation and hydroisomerization processes must be increased. Specifications for reformulated diesel oil include low aromatic and sulfur contents, as well as high cetane number. For this stricter future diesel oil specification, hydrocracking process plays an important role. With increasing cracked gas oil stock portion in the pool, the performance of these cracked stocks must be improved by severe hydrotreating process. Both developments imply major modifications, revamping, and installation of additional facilities in existing refineries. To face this common problem of ASEAN refineries. ASEAN refineries must embark in a more effective collaboration among each other. The existing ASEAN refinery configurations, fuel production and commercial fuels specifications, fuel production and commercial fuels specifications in ASEAN countries, and refinery configuration for the production or reformulated fuels are briefly reviewed in this paper. Existing cooperation in among ASEAN refineries as conducted by the ASEAN Council on Petroleum (ASCOPE), and challenges for closer cooperation are described briefly.