Light Naphtha Research Articles

Optimization of ethylene and propylene yields from n-hexane catalytic cracking over H-ZSM-5 catalyst using model based design of experiments (DOE)

Catalytic cracking of n-paraffins of varied carbon chain length (C6-C11) to represent light naphtha and gasoline was studied using extrudates of H-ZSM-5 (zeolite: binder = 70: 30) as a catalyst in a fixed bed reactor. Optimization of ethylene and propylene yields using model-based design of experiments (DOE) was carried out for n-hexane cracking by varying the temperature (550–650℃), weight hourly space velocity (3.3–9.9 h−1) and carrier gas (N2) flowrates (3–10 L/h). These variables showed significant effect on the conversion of n-hexane and yield of ethylene and propylene under studied reaction conditions. The Box-Behnken design coupled with response surface methodology was used to determine the effect of reaction temperature, WHSV and N2 flow rate on the yield of ethylene and propylene. Empirical models were constructed for the response variables namely n-hexane conversion, ethylene (E) yield, propylene (P) yield and total ethylene and propylene (E+P) yield. Main effect plot showed that the average yield of ethylene and propylene increased with increase in reaction temperature and decreased with increase in WHSV. The optimization study of multiple responses showed maximum 94.7% conversion of n-hexane and 46.1 wt% yield of ethylene and propylene at 650℃ catalyst bed temperature, 3.3 h−1 WHSV and 8.3 L/h N2 flow rate. The model predicted ethylene and propylene yields matched closely with experimental data for catalytic cracking of naphtha feed at 550 and 650℃ cracking temperature.

Subnanometric Pt-Ga alloy clusters confined within Silicalite-1 zeolite for n-hexane dehydrogenation

Dehydrogenation of light naphtha followed by catalytic cracking into high-value end products can meet the high demand in the world’s petrochemical market. In this work, at attempting synthesis of novel catalysts for hexane dehydrogenation, a series of bimetallic Pt-Ga clusters encapsulated within Silicalite-1 (S-1) catalysts were synthesized using the ligand-protected direct H2 reduction method. The reduced Pt-Ga@S-1-H catalysts comprised restricted ultra-fine Pt-Ga alloys with an average size 0.86–0.95 nm, mainly corresponding to the Pt3 clusters with coordinate number 1.5–2.1. Ga doping significantly improved the catalytic stability, depending on the Ga content, which ranged from 0.02 to 0.27 wt%. As confirmed by the XPS and EXAFS analysis, after the Ga addition, electron transfer occurred between the Pt-Ga alloys and the skeleton oxygen in zeolite, stabilizing the Pt clusters on the zeolite, thereby inhibiting the growth of Pt crystals. During the n-hexane dehydrogenation, the 0.40Pt0.04 Ga@S-1-H catalyst exhibited a hexene selectivity of 87.1 %, achieving a hexene formation rate of 101.4 molhexene∙gPt-1∙h−1 at 550 °C with a WHSV of 90 h−1. After 1000 min of reaction, this best catalyst experienced only slight deactivation with a deactivation constant of 0.066 h−1. The catalytic activity remained almost unchanged after consecutive five cycles of H2 regeneration. DFT calculation using the synchronous structural models showed that the Gibbs free energy changes (−ΔG) for the first three steps of hexane dehydrogenation over the 0.4Pt0.04 Ga@S-1-H catalyst were much lower than those obtained on the 0.4Pt/S-1-H catalyst, suggesting that the introduction of Ga energetically favored the hexane dehydrogenation.

Prospect of Controlled Autoxidation to Produce High-Value Products from the Low-Value Petroleum Fractions.

Substantial amounts of low-value light petroleum fractions and low-value heavy petroleum fractions, such as light naphtha, HVGO, and vacuum residue, are generated during the upgrading and refining of conventional and unconventional petroleum resources. The oil industry emphasizes economic diversification, aiming to produce high-value products from these low petroleum fractions through cost-effective and sustainable methods. Controlled autoxidation (oxidation with air) has the potential to produce industrially important oxygenates, including alcohols, and ketones, from the low-value light petroleum fractions. The produced alcohols can also be converted to olefin through catalytic dehydration. Following controlled autoxidation, the low-value heavy petroleum fractions can be utilized to produce value-added products, including carbon fiber precursors. It would reduce the production cost of a highly demandable product, carbon fiber. This review highlights the prospect of developing an alternative, sustainable, and economic method to produce value-added products from the low-value petroleum fractions following a controlled autoxidation approach.

Adsorptive Desulfurization of Iraqi Light Naphtha Using Calcite and Modified Calcite

This study used the adsorption method to remove sulfur compounds from light naphtha fuel by using calcite and modified calcite as adsorbents. The calcite was prepared from chicken eggshells by heating and activation methods. It was modified by mixing it with commercial activated carbon as a new adsorbent. XRD and FTIR were used to characterize the adsorbents. Light naphtha fuel from the Al-Diwaniyah refinery, with a sulfur concentration of 776 ppm, was used in batch adsorption studies. Various operation conditions that affect the adsorption process were studied such as temperature (20–40 °C), weight of the adsorbent (1-3 g), and contact time (15–45 min) at constant mixing speed (300 rpm). In this study, the Minitab Program-Box-Behnken design was used to design experiments in batch adsorption studies of light naphtha, which is considered more straightforward and accurate because it shows the effect of each dependent factor on the adsorption efficiency and removal ratio. Results and analysis showed that the increase in temperature, the amount of adsorbent, and contact time would increase the removal efficiency. The analysis of adsorption equilibrium isotherms shows that the experimental data follows the Freundlich isotherm model for adsorbents. According to the results of the study, the highest removal percentages of sulfur content of light naphtha using calcite and modified calcite were 61% and 79%, respectively.

CO2 capture and hydrogen generation from a solar-assisted and integrated fluid catalytic cracking process: Energy, exergy, and economic analysis

The fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process transforms heavy wastes into lighter, more valuable (naphtha, light olefins and gases) products. However, the unit's byproducts contain a large quantity of CO2, which contributes to global warming. As a result, the purpose of this research was to increase the production of valuable products such as light olefins, naphtha, and hydrogen while reducing environmental impacts using the water gas shift reaction, with sensitivity analysis for three parameters (riser height, FCC feed temperature, and inlet naphtha mass flow). As a result of increasing the riser height, the output of light olefins (45%) and gases (32%) increased. Furthermore, the amount of hydrogen produced increases with a decrease in riser height (about 6%) and an increase in inlet naphtha mass flow (about 8%). Energy and exergy assessments were also carried out. It was determined that FCC had the lowest exergy destruction with a contribution of 23 MW when compared to its energy usage of 172 MW. The cooler, on the other hand, was one of the process's most energy-consuming (25%) and damaging (26%). As a result, this technique can lessen environmental effects by absorbing 125 tons of CO2 every hour and producing 3484 kg/h of hydrogen. Economic evaluations were also undertaken, and the results revealed that the cooler has the lowest exergoeconomic factor (1%) while the FCC unit contributes the most (95%). The fractionator column is also the most expensive device in the whole process.

Novel variants conceptional technology to produce eco-friendly sustainable high octane-gasoline biofuel based on renewable gasoline component

The creation of green engine fuels from renewable and sustainable gasoline additives is essential as a consequence of ecological concerns and the energy problem. Bio-alcohols are currently a promising sustainable fuel substitute for gasoline in automotive transportation. In this perspective, the ongoing investigation intends to evaluate the influence of sustainable and renewable petrol additives, like isopropanol, which has outstanding anti-detonation properties and great chemical and physical characteristics on reformable naphtha (HSRN) and light naphtha (LSRN), which possess low chemical and physical characteristics, and low octane rating. Additionally, the second goal is to create biofuel with an eco-octane number of high by blending other gasoline components than those previously indicated. Several gasoline fuels and experimental setups compliant with European standard norms were used to carry out the current work. The results reported that gasoline RON92, RON95, and RON98 were produced based on isopropanol as a renewable and sustainable resource. Moreover, the quantity and quality of light naphtha were maximized. Likewise, the laboratory findings reported that the antiknocking efficiency could be ranked sequentially as isopropanol > reformate > isomerate > fluidized catalytic cracked gasoline (FCC) > PRF-70 > LSRN > HSRN by octane rating. Furthermore, the Reid vapor pressure (RVP) for petrol RON92 was bigger than gasoline RON95 and RON98, unlike the density at 15 °C for gasoline RON 98 was bigger than gasoline RON92 and RON95. Finally, major problems like energy, water scarcity, and the environment affect people all around the world. Two of the earlier environmental and energy-related problems will be resolved by using these sustainable and renewable additions.

Modelling and Simulation Studies on the Characteristic Behaviour of Macroalgae Derived Bio-Oil

Abstract With the expanding need for renewable and sustainable energy resources, the demand for biomass derived bio-oil particularly microalgae or macroalgae based bio-oil is growing. In this regard, understanding the characteristics of bio-oil as a function of several influencing operational parameters is essential. In this study modelling and simulation technique based on Aspen HYSYS was applied to investigate the characteristics of macroalgae Ulva prolifera derived bio-oil from Hydrothermal Liquefaction (HTL) process as a function of the influencing parameters like temperature, kinematic viscosity, and weight percent of the bio-oil assay, cut yield behaviour, and standard liquid density. Modelling and simulation help to optimise the process parameters and design the process layout for large-scale production. According to the simulation results the cut yield of off gases, light naphtha, heavy naphtha, light distillate, heavy distillate, gas oil and residues are shown at specific final boiling point (FBP) temperatures of 70 °C, 70 °C - 110 °C, 110 °C - 221.1 °C, 221.1 °C - 304.4 °C, 304.4 °C - 371.1 °C, 371.1 °C - 537.8 °C and 537.7 °C respectively. Whereas, above a temperature of 300 °C, the weight percentage of aromatic components increased steadily. The increase in percentage composition of the aromatic components is due to the reduction of the paraffinic components. The density of the liquid bio-oil was steadily increasing until a temperature of 200 °C.

TECHNO-ECONOMICAL STUDY ON THE PRODUCTION OF HIGH OCTANE GASOLINE IN LIGHT NAPHTHA PLANT

The Indonesian government is optimizing the production of high-octane gasoline by utilizing existing ingredients that are plentiful and rarely used in Indonesia to keep up with the rising demand for it. Although light naphtha, a by product of the oil refinery process, has the potential to be transformed into fuel with a high Research Octane Number, its application has not yet been fully realized. The objective of this study is to carry out a study of the economic and technical feasibility of high-octane gasoline plants. A 10,000 barrel/day production potential has been built into the plant. In order to reach the RON objective of 98 for high-octane fuel, light naphtha, which has a Research Octane Number of 73, will need to be increased. The production process includes isomerization, depentanizing, and adsorption. From a technical perspective, this plant can produce high-octane gasoline from light naphtha with RON98. From an economic perspective, the Net Present Value is $ 138,247,252; Internal Rate of Return of 29.38 % per year; Pay Out Time is 3 years 5 months; and Break Even Point is 49 %. Overall, based on technical and economic perspectives, this power plant is feasible.

Production of Light Naphtha by Flash Distillation of Crude Oil

The escalating global demand for sustainable, renewable energy sources has catalyzed research into advanced refining processes, particularly focusing on the generation of essential raw materials like light naphtha. This paper delves into the production of light naphtha via the flash distillation of crude oil, underlining its critical role in fulfilling the petrochemical industry's requirements. The research delineates the fundamentals of flash distillation, incorporating both physical and mathematical models, with a specific emphasis on Raoult's Law, to demystify the hydrocarbon separation process in crude oil. The mathematical framework encompasses material and energy balances, coupled with the application of liquid-vapor equilibrium equations, thereby shedding light on the thermodynamic principles steering this procedure. The progression of this study involved analyzing the distillation curve of the referenced crude oil and identifying the pseudo-components representative of the involved hydrocarbons. Utilizing the DWSIM commercial simulator, the flash distillation process of Nemba crude oil was simulated, taking into account diverse operational conditions and thermodynamic models. The outcomes were juxtaposed with industrial datasets, demonstrating a significant alignment and affirming the simulation's predictive efficacy. A parametric sensitivity analysis was conducted to refine light naphtha yield, elucidating the effect of variables like the temperature of crude oil feed and naphtha separator feed on the process efficiency. The response surface methodology underscored the feasibility of augmenting naphtha production under certain conditions. Furthermore, this study assessed the impacts of employing two distinct thermodynamic models – the Soave-Redlich-Kwong (SRK) and Peng-Robinson (PR) equations of state. This analysis revealed minimal discrepancies in physical parameters, confirming the simulation's robustness and the reliability of both models. The findings of this paper validate the efficacy of flash distillation in light naphtha production, with numerical simulation emerging as a potent tool for enhancing process optimization and predictive analysis. These insights not only contribute to a deeper understanding of environmental sustainability but also offer strategies for maximizing light naphtha production in the oil industry. In conclusion, the results from this investigation significantly advance our comprehension of phase equilibrium profiles and their relationship with the applied thermodynamic state equations, thereby enriching the quality of the results.

Improvement of extractive desulfurization for Iraqi refinery atmospheric residual

Extractive desulfurization (EDS) process of petroleum fuels via effective solvents has been widely investigated in recent decades and has an excellent future as an alternative technique to HDS process. This study was focused on removal of sulfur compounds from heavy Iraqi atmospheric residual oil (IARO) via EDS process without affecting its other properties. Different hydrocarbon solvents (light naphtha, n-heptane and n-hexane), solvent to oil ratios (4/1, 8/1, and 12/1), extraction times (30, 60, and 120 min), and extraction temperatures (30 °C, 60 °C and 90 °C) were investigated on the precipitation of sulfur in Iraqi atmospheric oil residue. The results were showed that increasing of solvent to oil ratio, extraction times, and extraction temperatures enhanced the performance of EDS process. The experimental results proved that 96% of sulfur compounds were eliminated from heavy residual oil using effective n-hexane as solvent under moderate operating conditions as follow: extraction temperature of 90 °C, extraction time of 60 min, and solvent to oil ratio of 12/1. This study prove that extractive desulfurization via hexane-like solvents at the best experimental conditions can achieve satisfactory sulfur removal efficiency of heavy oil via safe, fast, economically and effective process.

Co-Pyrolysis of walnut shell and waste tire with a focus on bio-oil yield quantity and quality

In this study, a series of pyrolysis and co-pyrolysis experiments on waste tires and walnut shells were conducted under ideal conditions of 500 °C, 10 °C/min heating rate, and 60 min of retention time. Mixture samples with WS/WT: 3/1, 2/2, and 1/3 additive ratios were utilized in co-pyrolysis experiments. The results of the experiments showed that the WS/WT: 3/1 additive ratio samples were necessary to achieve the positive synergistic effect. A 52.57 ± 0.28 % efficient liquid product by mass was produced under these conditions on a dry, ashless basis, which has a significant production potential for the production of high pyrolytic oil. The co-pyrolytic organic phase of the fuel contains around 40 % light naphtha, 10 % heavy naphtha, and 30 % medium distillate by volume, according to atmospheric distillation experiments. Furthermore, it has been discovered that this product can be utilized as a gasoline or gasoline additive due to its IBP-72 °C boiling point range, 20 % distillate percentage, and immediate or inexpensive improvement. When these observations are taken into consideration, it is clear that the co-pyrolytic liquid can be utilized as a raw material input in the production of various of commercial liquid fuels as well as a variety of chemicals with high added value.

Optimum Design of Naphtha Recycle Isomerization Unit with Modification by Adding De-Isopentanizer

Environmental standards have recently imposed very rigorous limitations on the amounts of benzene, aromatics, and olefins, which can be found in finished gasoline. Reduction of these components could negatively affect the octane number of gasoline, so the isomerization process is gaining importance in the present refining context as an excellent safe alternative to increase the octane number of gasoline. The main aim of the naphtha isomerization unit is to modify the molecular structure of light naphtha to transform it into a more valuable gasoline blend stock, and simultaneously the benzene content is reduced by saturation of the benzene fraction. In this work, Aspen HYSYS version 12.1 is used to simulate the hydrogen once-through isomerization unit of an Egyptian refinery plant, located in Alexandria, in order to determine the properties, composition, and octane number of the isomerate product. Many potential changes are investigated in order to find the best design that efficiently raises octane number with the least amount of expense. Firstly, the plant is modified by adding one fractionator either before or after the reactor, then by adding two fractionators before and after the reactor; then the configuration which gives the highest product octane number with the highest Return on Investment (ROI) is chosen as the recommended optimum configuration. The results show that using two fractionators before and after the reactor is the best configuration. Optimization of this best configuration resulted in an increase in octane number by 7% and a decrease in the total cost by 13%.

Energy-efficient extraction of linear alkanes from various isomers using structured metal-organic framework membrane

Extraction of low concentration linear alkanes (C5-C7) from various isomers is critical for the petrochemical industry. At present, the separation of alkane isomers is mainly accomplished by distillation, which results in substantial energy expenditure. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with well-tailored nanopores have been demonstrated to be capable of realizing molecule-level separation. In this study, oriented HKUST-1 membranes are formulated according to the morphology-biased principle and finally realized with a low dose synthesis method for terminating undesired crystal nucleation and growth. The fully exposed triangular sieving pore array of the membrane induces configuration entropic diffusion to split linear alkanes from mono-branched and di-branched isomers as well as their cyclical counterparts. Typically, the current separation technique consumes 91% less energy than vacuum distillation. Furthermore, our membranes can realize one-step extraction of normal-pentane, normal-hexane and normal-heptane from a ten-component alkane isomer solution that mimics light naphtha.

Reaction mechanism study of catalytic conversion of light straight-run naphtha to light olefins over micro-spherical HZSM-5 zeolite catalyst

Catalytic conversion of naphtha has attracted attention as an alternative method to the conventional thermal cracking to produce light olefins in an environment-friendly and energy-efficient way. In this work, a reaction mechanism study of light straight run naphtha cracking over micro-spherical catalyst containing HZSM-5 was systematically investigated using single hydrocarbon feeds, and the straight run naphtha itself. The identified reaction pathways from the single feeds along with the naphtha experimental data have been utilized to investigate reaction pathways of the naphtha conversion reactions. The experimental tests were carried out in the temperature ranges of 450–650 ℃ and space-times of 0.3–1.5 min using a fixed bed micro-reactor in isothermal and isobaric conditions. The product distribution for the naphtha feed shows that light paraffins and light olefins are the primary products, which are products of monomolecular protolytic cracking of the paraffin components of the naphtha feed. The olefin interconversion reactions illustrated that oligomerization and cracking by β-scission dominate the secondary reactions of naphtha catalytic cracking conversions. The experiments conducted on cyclohexane, cyclohexene and n-hexane single feeds revealed that BTX formation proceeds through the formation of C6-C8 naphthenes, and C6-C8 cyclo-olefinic intermediates. Low temperatures and space times promote the selectivity to propylene while the selectivity of ethylene increases with temperature. The degree of thermal cracking (DTC) illustrated that thermal cracking is considerable only for temperatures of higher than 550 ℃.

Enhancement of light Naphtha quality using calcite adsorbent from eggshells by adsorptive desulfurization

The presence of sulfur in transportation fuels has bad consequences for health and the environment, and there are many techniques used for removing or eliminating sulfur content, especially hydrodesulfurization. Hydrodesulfurization is the classical technique for desulfurization, but it is characterized by working at elevated temperatures and pressures as well as high costs. For this, there are many alternative methods, such as adsorptive, oxidative, extractive, and so on. The adsorptive desulfurization (ADS) is one of the most promising methods for sulfur reduction because of its ability to work under ambient conditions and ADS can significantly enhance the quality of light naphtha by reducing its sulfur content and improving its suitability for downstream processes such as catalyst poisoning and corrosion. The calcite prepared from eggshell was investigated here as an adsorbent for sulfur compounds from light naphtha. The adsorbent was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The investigation of adsorbent activity was done by batch adsorption, and the chosen studied variables are temperature, adsorbent dosage, and contact time with ranges of 20–40 C°, 1–3 g, and 15–45 min, respectively, which were designed according to the Box–Behnken experimental design and the experiment results were analyzed using Minitab software version 17. The results show that the sulfur-removing efficacy ranged between 45 and 60%, while optimum sulfur removal efficiency is 61% at the following operation conditions: 40 °C, 3 g, and 45 min for temperature, adsorbent dosage, and adsorption time respectively.Adsorption isotherms Langmuir and Freundlich were examined, and the results show the Freundlich isotherm is more suitable to describe the adsorption of these sulfur compounds.

Do the True Boiling-Point Distillation Yields of Crude Oil Blends Obey the Additive Blending Rule?

Twelve crude oil blends prepared from seven individual crude oils and an imported atmospheric residue were characterized through a true boiling point (TBP) distillation analysis and their density. When comparing the measured TBP fraction yields with those estimated through the application of the additive blending rule, it was found that, for four crude oil blends, the additive blending rule was valid, while for the remaining eight crude oil blends, deviations of the measured TBP yields from the estimated ones were bigger than the TBP analysis’s repeatability limits. By the use of intercriteria analysis evaluation of the data for the deviation of the TBP yields from the additive blending rule and the molar excess volume of the crude oil blends, statistically meaningful relations between the delta TBP yields of light and heavy naphtha, as well as vacuum residue with the molar excess volume, were found. The higher the magnitude of the crude oil blend’s molar excess volume, the bigger the deviations of the TBP yields of naphtha and vacuum residue are. The bigger the deviation of the crude oil blend’s behavior from that of the regular solution, as quantified by the molar excess volume, the bigger the deviations of the TBP yields of naphtha and vacuum residue are.

Process research on the hydrocarbon conversion of straight-run gas oil (SRGO) to chemical materials

To deepen the understanding of the reaction process for SRGO-hydrocarbon conversion, this article systematically explained the process conditions and conversion performance of SRGO-hydrocarbon conversion to produce chemical materials, based on the reaction mechanism. Ni & W and USY molecular sieve were selected as the hydrogenation active component and the cracking component of the hydrocracking catalyst, respectively. γ-Al2O3 and USY molecular sieve were mixed and extruded to prepare the carrier for the hydrocracking catalyst. The results indicate that cycloalkanes and aromatics are preferentially converted into heavy naphtha (HN) in the primary cracking process. The aromatic-potential-content of HN is high during shallow cracking due to the high content of cycloalkane and aromatic in SRGO. As the cracking depth increases, the cracking of paraffin is gradually strengthened, and the absolute paraffin-amount in diesel accelerates to decrease. Simultaneously, due to the enrichment of paraffin in HN, the aromatic-potential-content of HN decreases. In addition, the experimental results also indicate that although reaction temperature and LHSV are both means of controlling the conversion rate of SRGO, even if the conversion rate of SRGO is similar, high temperature is still conducive to the formation of light components, such as light naphtha (LN). High H2 pressure will inhibit the conversion of HN to lighter components and the conversion of paraffin in diesel to HN.

Effect of Blending Aromatic and Oxygenates Additives with Fuels to Enhance Fuel Properties

This work aims to show the influence of several oxygenates and aromatic additives in different types of unleaded fuels in the Kurdistan region of Iraq on upgrading the physicochemical properties of blends. Consuming super-grade gasoline as a fuel for automotive cars can produce large amounts of environmental emissions, a severe global problem, especially in the Kurdistan region in recent years. The physicochemical properties of mixtures, such as the research octane number (RON), Motor Octane number (MON), density, and distillation curves, will be tested by using ERASPEC spectroscopy as a fuel properties analyzer. As a result, the blending process has improved the gasoline grade to super grade by enhancing the physicochemical properties of blends. The additives used in this work as oxygenators are; Ethanol and Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) added to two base fuels, light Naphtha, and unleaded Gasoline, in various ratios of (5%, 10%, 15% and 20%). An aromatic component (Aniline) is also mixed with light Naphtha and base gasoline in low concentrations (1%, 3%, and 5%). The results of blending Ethanol, MTBE, and Aniline with fuels demonstrate that the Research Octane Number RON and Motor Octane Number MON of fuels increase with the addition of different ratios of all-octane boosters. The best-recorded result of both types of octane numbers (13 points increased from the bases) is recorded by blending 3% of Aniline with the fuels. However, Ethanol can provide a more significant increase in (RON) and (MON) than MTBE for the same blending ratio. The Density of the mixtures also increases because both additives have a higher density than the fuel due to the presence of different hydrocarbon compounds. The mixture's distillation curves are distorted, especially when the low to the middle percent of blenders are added to fuels. However, higher percentages of additives show lower distillation temperatures.

Application of artificial neural network for prediction of 10 crude oil properties

AbstractThis study aims to develop an industrially reliable and accurate method to estimate crude oil properties from their Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra. We used the complete FTIR spectral data of selected crude oil samples from seven different Canadian oil fields to predict 10 important crude oil properties using artificial neural networks (ANNs). The predicted properties include specific gravity, kinematic viscosity, total acid number, micro carbon content, and production of light and heavy naphtha, Kero, and distillate in oil refineries. The 107 different (65 light oil and 42 heavy/medium oil samples) crude oil samples used in this study came from seven oil fields and reservoirs across Canada. In line with standard practice, we used 80% of the dataset for training the ANN models and used the remaining 20% of the crude oil samples to test the models. In the ANN analysis, the mean squared error (MSE) was used as the loss function in models, and the mean absolute prediction error (MAPE) was used as a reference to compare the performance of different neural networks constructed with different numbers of layers. This work demonstrates that FTIR spectroscopy is a promising technique that provides rapid and accurate estimates for the oil properties of interest to the industry. A comparison of the values predicted by the validated ANN models and their corresponding measured (actual) values showed excellent prediction with the acceptable range of error (below 15%) aimed for by our industry partner for all properties except viscosity, for which building models based on the natural logarithmic values of measured viscosities significantly improved the results.

Thermodynamic analysis and techno-economic assessment of fluid catalytic cracking unit in the oil refining process

Fluid catalytic cracking is an important, expensive, and energy-consuming unit that produces light olefins, gases, and naphtha from heavy residues. This study aims to increase light products and reduce heavy products at the FCC unit, simulated using Aspen HYSYS software. Exergoeconomic analysis using the Sankey diagram was performed for the first time for this unit, which provides the possibility of determining the important quantities in the process from a thermodynamic and thermo-economic perspective. Based on the results, the atmospheric tower consumes the most energy (about 64%) and is the most destructive unit which is responsible for 61% of exergy destruction. In terms of energy consumption, the FCC unit is ranked second with 16%. However, the FCC unit with 11% share is the third destructive unit, but an exergy efficiency of 98% was observed in this unit. A total of 267 MW of the tower's exergy was destroyed, making it the second most destructive unit in the plant. Compared to other process units, the FCC unit accounts for 9% of the total cost, while the fractionator tower is the most expensive unit in the process at 48%. The Sankey chart shows crude oil has the highest cost stream at $744,145 per hour. The FCC unit has the highest exergoeocomic factor, while the cooler has the lowest exergoeconomic factor, with 2.4 M$/h cost of exergy destruction, as well as the lowest exergy efficiency.