WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE

Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC: [email protected] Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA: [email protected]
present and future users of solvent deasphalting technologies. The merging of Foster Wheelers and UOPs experience in designing solvent deasphalters represents a total capacity of more than 500,000 BPSD and more than 50 commercial units with capacities ranging from 500 to 45,000 BPSD. These commercial applications have included all applications of solvent deasphalting such as: the production of lube oil feedstocks the recovery of incremental feedstock for downstream FCC and hydrocracking units the production of road bitumen, and have included both two-product (deasphalted oil (DAO) and pitch) and three-product (deasphalted oil, resin and pitch) process configurations. This merging of FW and UOP solvent deasphalting technologies provides our clients with the widest range of experiences, process features, engineering know-how, technical support, and most importantly, a more efficient and lower cost design. Technology Overview Solvent deasphalting, whether for the production of lubricating oil or cracking stocks, uses a light hydrocarbon solvent specifically tailored to ensure the most economical deasphalting design. For example, propane solvent may be specified for a low deasphalted oil yield operation such as lub production, while a solvent containing hydrocarbons as heavy as hexane may be used to obtain a high deasphalted oil yield for the production of additional conversion unit feedstock. Plant designs have been developed using heavy solvents at elevated temperatures in order to maximize the yield of usable deasphalted oil and minimize the yield of pitch having a softening point of 350F or higher. UOP/FW SDA technology is unique by different from other solvent deasphalting technologies in that it is not just one technology, but rather a combination of technology features and options
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Introduction
Solvent deasphalting has a key role in todays refinery, as the technology can be used in a variety of uses for residue upgrading. It is less expensive to build and operate than other residue conversion processes and is especially useful in recovering large quantities of high quality oils which can be further upgraded via traditional FCC and Hydocracking units. This paper outlines the benefits of the combined UOP/FW Solvent Deasphalting (UOP/FW SDA) offerings. The technology applications, process variables, key design issues, and technical support services are also discussed. The fit for a particular location is particularly dependant on finding a use for the SDA pitch and various options are discussed.

Background
While solvent deasphalting (SDA) has been used for more than fifty years to upgrade non-volatile residues, the technology continues to evolve over time. It is a robust economical process that uses an aliphatic solvent to separate the typically more valuable oils and resins from the more aromatic and asphaltenic components of its vacuum residue feedstock. The earliest commercial applications of solvent deasphalting used propane as the solvent to extract high-quality lubricating oil bright stock from vacuum residue. These applications were called propane deasphalting (or propane deresining when used to separate high molecular weight resins from Pennsylvania-grade vacuum residue). Solvent deasphalting process have gradually extended to include the preparation of feedstocks for catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, and hydrodesulfurization units, as well as the production of specialty asphalts. In 1996, UOP and Foster Wheeler USA Corporation (FW) entered into a collaboration agreement to merge their solvent deasphalting technologies. Both companies had extensive backgrounds in solvent deasphalting, and both companies had recently entered into collaboration covering other residue upgrading technologies such as visbreaking and delayed coking. A collaboration covering solvent deasphalting was considered a logical fit that would benefit the
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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

which have been developed by both companies. These features and options allow UOP/FW to offer the optimum process design for any solvent deasphalting application. For example, UOP has predominately focused its technology on downstream conversion unit applications. As a result, UOPs solvent deasphalting experience has principally focused on the use of butane and heavier type solvents that can obtain higher DAO recoveries. There is a distinct advantage to the use of supercritical separation for the recovery of the solvent and DAO when using these types of solvents. Consequently, UOP developed supercritical solvent-DAO separation technology. The other area that UOP focused its development efforts involved minimizing the solvent to oil ratio while still producing a reasonably high quality DAO. FWs SDA technology development emphasis was initially more focused on lower lift, very high quality applications, such as the production of lube oil feedstocks for hydrocracking and further solvent refining. Consequently its technology originally focused around propane/butane deasphalting using optimized extraction techniques for those specific applications. Additionally FW has made available its detailed design and construction experiences from a multitude of SDA projects. Technology Advantages The UOP/FW SDA technology has several distinct advantages that ensure the refiner obtains the most efficient, economical, and flexible SDA process. These include: Novel extraction devices tailored to the specific application: UOP/FW/Sulzers Structured Packing and proprietary internals in both the multistage counter current extractor as well as the DAO and resin separators. This technology provides state-of-the-art contacting and separation devices to maximize extraction efficiency as well as optimal recovery of clean products. FWs multi-stage rotating disk contactor (RDC). The RDC is specifically designed to achieve high product yields and quality

by incorporating both stripping and rectification of the oil feed. Superior quality DAO is obtained from the RDC even at DAO recovery rates exceeding 85 percent, with an even greater difference in quality being seen at lower DAO yields. Supercritical solvent recovery. Supercritical recovery of the solvent allows more efficient utilization of the systems thermodynamic characteristics while also reducing the units operating costs. ** Multiple product recovery designs that take advantage of the changes in liquid-liquid equilibrium that result from changes in operating conditions between those utilized during extraction and those used for solvent recovery.

Lower solvent requirements used to achieve processing objectives. Although increasing the amount of solvent used in the extraction improves the extraction efficiency, it also has a major impact on the units operating costs. Consequently, the lowest solvent-to-oil ratio necessary to achieve the desired product separation is typically specified. Optimal design of heat exchange systems. UOP and FWs combined design experience in optimizing SDA heat exchange systems allows the SDA user to select a multitude of heat exchange options, depending on the project specific objectives and opportunities. Extraction Devices The efficiency of the extraction process is the key equipment design variable impacting both the capital and operating costs of SDA. The extractors role in SDA is to separate the precipitate (pitch phase) from the continuous fluid stream (DAO/solvent). Both single-stage co-current extraction, where the bulk of the solvent is mixed with the feed prior to the extractor, as well as multi-stage countercurrent extraction, where the bulk of the solvent enters the bottom of the extractor separate from the feed, have been used commercially. Structured packing or RDCs used in multi-stage

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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

counter-current extraction provide both the contacting area and time required for extraction as well as segregation of the stages to reduce back mixing below the feed stage. Above the feed stage, structured packing or coils provide for the coalescing of entrained droplets of feed or pitch. Supercritical Solvent Recovery Although, often referred to as supercritical extraction, it is the solvent separation, not the extraction that is carried out in the supercritical region of the solvent. The use of supercritical solvent recovery results in a simpler process flow. Gone is the need for multiple flash towers and condensers associated with conventional multiple effect evaporative type solvent recovery systems. Supercritical solvent recovery allows for more efficient utilization of the systems thermodynamic characteristics. Presented below is a comparative tabulation of the utility requirements of conventional subcritical evaporative and supercritical solvent recovery systems. Note that the difference from subcritical to supercritical indicates a shift from steam to fuel. When the latent heat content of the steam is considered, the comparison indicates a significant reduction (20 percent) in heat input into the supercritical system as compared to the subcritical system. This can translate into a total utility cost savings of about 30 percent relative to sub-critical recovery.
Table 1 Comparative utility requirements Subcritical Electricity, kWh/bbl Feed Steam, lb/bbl Feed Fuel, M Btu/bbl Feed 1.2 125.0 55.0 Supercritical 2.0 12.2 115.0 Difference 0.8 -112.8 60.0

The impact of solvent-to-oil ratio on both capital and operating costs is conservatively reflected in Tables 2 and 3. These tables summarize an internal study undertaken by UOP and FW to assess the relative costs of different solvent-to-oil ratios. The cost of fuel has significantly increased since this study was performed and the savings at lower solvent ratios would be even more pronounced. While the cost benefits at a lower solvent ratio can be substantial, the solvent-to-oil ratio also has an impact on DAO quality (see Figure 1). Consequently, the optimal solvent ratio is determined based on the DAOs downstream processing requirements. Figure 1: Effect of Solvent to Oil Ratio
70 PPM Metals in DAO 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 20 25 30 35 40 45 DAO yield 50 55 60 65 70 3/1 5/1 8/1

Optimal Design of Heat Exchange Systems From a heat exchange perspective, there are several ways in which a SDA units operating and capital cost can be significantly changed. Careful analysis of the application, its associated utility costs, customer preferences, and process flexibility requirements need to be addressed to ensure the best design is applied for the specific application. For example, the heat exchange between the DAO/solvent phase and the solvent will have an optimal temperature of approach. Both UOP and FW have world-class experts in pinch analysis that will ensure the SDA units design optimizes the tradeoff between capital and operating costs. Other areas where heat exchange costs can be significantly altered are with heat exchange of the pitch and DAO products. This is discussed in further in detail in the Utility Requirement section of this paper.

Lower Solvent Requirements Because UOP/FW SDA has the advantage of highly efficient extraction technology, the solventto-oil ratio can be minimized for the same objectives of DAO yield and quality.

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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

Table 2 UOP/FW SDA Advantage Capital Costs Option: Case: Solvent-to-oil Ratio (S/O) Solvent Size (BPD) % Equip. Assoc. with S/O Equip. Assoc. with S/O Other Equipment Cost Installed Cost, $MM Unit Cost, $/BBL 1 High Solvent to Oil Ratio 8 C4 Mix 28,000 60 $ 20,520,000 $ 15,680,000 $ 36,200,000 1,290 Table 3 UOP/FW SDA Advantage Operating Costs Option: Case: Solvent-to-oil Ratio Solvent 1 High Solvent to Oil Ratio 8 C4 Mix 2 Low Solvent to Oil Ratio 5 C4 Mix Average Utility Consumptions (per barrel of feed) Fuel, MMBTU Steam, lbs Power, kW 0.075 12.0 2.67 0.056 10.5 1.77 Incremental Cost ($Bbl Feed) Fuel Steam Power Total Yearly Cost (28,000 BPD) Unit Cost Reference Fuel, MMBTU Steam, 10 lbs Power, $/kW
3

2 Low Solvent to Oil Ratio 5 C4 Mix 28,000 60 $ 15,700,000 $ 15,680,000 $ 31,380,000 1,120 $

Delta _ 3 $ 4,820,000 170 $ 4,820,000

Delta 3 -

0.019 1.5 0.90

0.293 0.00006 0.179 0.342 $3,600,000 $3.82 $4.83 $0.067

0.206 0.00005 0.119 0.248 $2,500,000

0.087 0.000 0.060 0.094 $1,100,000

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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

Process Description In non-lube oil production applications, regardless of whether a two-product or three-product configuration is employed, the units design would employ structured packing, supercritical solvent recovery and the flexibility to utilize a range of solvent types to achieve the desired separation. In lube oil production applications, the preferred extraction device is the multi-stage rotating disk contactor although at high capacities structured packing might also be employed. The rotating disk contactor, coupled with supercritical solvent recovery and the flexibility to utilize a range of solvent types, can achieve the desired separation while producing a superior quality product. The following brief description of the process flow scheme is based on a two-product configuration. A process schematic (Figure 2) is provided for reference. The UOP/FW SDA Unit consists of essentially three major process operations (extraction, DAO/solvent and asphalt recovery) which occur within the unit. The extraction section consists of the extraction vessel, which will typically contain structured packing with proprietary internals. In the extractor, pre-diluted feed will be contacted with a countercurrent flow of solvent. Deaphalted oils and resins are selectively recovered overhead with the bulk of the solvent, and the asphaltenes and more polar resins are rejected (along with a small amount of solvent) in the bottoms stream. The extractors overhead DAO/solvent mix flows to the DAO separator and solvent recovery section where its temperature is raised above the solvents critical conditions. At these conditions the DAO is no longer soluble in the solvent, and separates from the solvent by gravity. This section includes heat exchange, a final DAO mix heater (steam, hot oil, or direct fired heater), a DAO separator containing proprietary internals, and a DAO product steam stripper. The pitch phase, containing some of the solvent, flows to the pitch recovery section where it is heated, flashed and steam stripped to remove any remaining solvent from the pitch product. The pitch and solvent recovery section consist of a pitch mix heater (hot oil or direct fired heater) and a pitch product steam stripper.
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The recovered solvent streams from the DAO and pitch recovery sections are cooled/condensed and recycled back to the extraction section for reuse. Figure 2: Supercritical SDA Process

Vacuum Residue Charge

Extractor

DAO Separator

Pitch Stripper DAO Stripper

Pitch

DAO

Optional Resin Recovery (Three-Product Configuration) As the DAO/solvent mix is heated, oils become less soluble in the mix. Initially these oils are the feedstocks heavier resin fraction but eventually become the lighter DAO components. This provides an opportunity to produce more than one DAO product and add flexibility in processing options. If the option to recover an intermediate resin stream is attractive, a resin settler may be added between the extractor and DAO separator. This settler can be included in the units initial design or can be added at a later date. In this three-product configuration, the DAO/solvent mixture exiting the extractor vessel is directed to the resin settler. There, the mixtures temperature is raised to the point at which the desired intermediate-quality resin stream would be separated. This material would then be heated, typically by hot oil exchange, before flowing to the resin stripper for solvent recovery.

Effect of Process Variables The proper operation of the SDA process is affected by several process variables, including:

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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

Solvent Selection The yield and quality of the products, which are recovered in a SDA unit, are directly related to the solvent composition. As the molecular weight of the solvent increases, the yield of DAO also increases. At the same time, however, the quality of the DAO declines slightly. Because the DAO is usually further processed in a conversion unit designed to utilize highly active, metals-sensitive catalysts which are incapable of economically processing feedstocks containing more than a few parts-per-million of organometallics, proper solvent selection must consider both the desired quantity and quality of the recovered products. Solvents normally used in the SDA process include single components such as propane, butanes and pentanes, as well as mixtures of these components. In most cases the solvent is supplied from LPG products within the refinery and at times includes the corresponding olefins. Since these materials are typically available within a refinery, their use as SDA solvents is relatively inexpensive. In addition, because the majority of the solvent is recirculated within the unit, solvent makeup rates are small. Propane, being the most selective of the solvents normally considered for a SDA unit, is specified when the highest quality of recovered DAO is required. This typically results in relatively low yields of DAO. Butanes are used either individually or as a mixture, as SDA solvents when a reasonably high yield of high-quality DAO is desired. Finally, pentanes are used when the maximum yield of DAO is desired. When compared to the quality of a DAO recovered with a butane solvent, the DAO recovered from a pentane solvent would be heavier, would contain more organometallics and Conradson carbon, and would require more severe downstream processing. This is due to the presence of the heavier, more-resinous components of the feedstock, as these materials generally have relatively high contaminant contents. The SDA unit design typically includes the capability to operate within a range of solvent compositions. During actual operation of the unit, however, it may be difficult to quickly adjust solvent composition to offset a change in feedstock quality. This is because of the quantity

of solvent present in the unit. Consequently, when frequent feedstock changes might occur, it is generally more practical to operate the SDA unit with a constant solvent composition and adjust the operation of the extractor. This assumes, however, that the new feedstock would not be processed continuously for an extended period of time, in which case adjustments to the solvent composition may be warranted to provide optimum product recovery and product quality. Extraction Temperature During normal operation, when both the solvent composition and the extraction pressure are fixed, the yields and qualities of the various products recovered in the SDA unit are controlled by adjusting the extractors operating temperature. For a given solvent composition, Table 4 summarizes the affect of extraction temperature on both the SDA yields and product quality. Increasing the extraction temperature reduces the solubility of the heavier components of the feedstock, improving DAO quality but reducing DAO yield. Subsequent increases in the extractor temperature can further improve the quality of the DAO by causing additional rejection of the asphaltenic components.
Table 4 Affect of extraction temperature on SDA yield and product quality Extractor Temperature Low High DAO Yield Quality Contaminants High Low High Low High Low

Extractor Temperature Low High Pitch Yield Penetration Softening Point Low Low High High High Low

There is, however, an upper limit to the extraction temperature which may be used. As the extraction temperature approaches the solvents critical temperature, the DAO rapidly becomes less and less soluble in the solvent. Because it is

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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

difficult to maintain a stable operation at these conditions, the extractor temperature is typically maintained below the solvents critical temperature. Extraction Pressure The effect of operating pressure is opposite to temperature but to a lesser extent. In general, the higher the operating pressure the more DAO is extracted at a specific temperature. The operating pressure of the extractor is based on the composition of the solvent which is being used. As indicated previously, sufficient operating pressure must be maintained to ensure the solvent/residue mixture in the extractor is in the liquid state. Although the unit may be designed for a range of operating pressure, once it is in operation the extractor pressure is typically not considered a control variable. Solvent Recirculation Rate The quantity of solvent contained in the solvent/residue mixture that is charged to the extractor vessel has an impact on extraction efficiency. As shown in Figure 1, increasing the amount of solvent in the extractor while maintaining a constant DAO yield improves the degree of separation of the individual components and results in the recovery of a higher-quality DAO. However, since the quantity of solvent which is recirculated within the unit is significantly greater than the amount of feedstock being processed, any improvement in product quality which results from an increased solvent recirculation rate must be balanced against the additional operating costs associated with the increased solvent recirculation and solvent recovery requirements, and the increased capital costs associated with the larger equipment sizes. Once the required solvent-to-oil ratio is established, however, it is usually not adjusted unless the feed rate is increased and the solvent circulation becomes the limitation on unit capacity or if there is some other major feedstock change.

extracts the more paraffinic components from vacuum residues while rejecting the condensed ring aromatics. The deasphalted oil product quality is characterized by: Higher paraffinicity The solvent deasphalted oils show viscosity indices 20 to 40 points higher than the corresponding distilled overhead cylinder oils. Lower carbon/hydrogen ratios The data indicate carbon/hydrogen ratios of seven, or lower, are obtainable because of the high rejection of condensed ring aromatics to the pitch. Reduced sulfur and nitrogen content - Pilot plant and commercial data indicate concentrations of these components in the DAO are almost always lower than in the corresponding feed. Blended feeds could be an exception. Reduced metal content - DAO with as little as 1 wppm nickel plus vanadium content has been produced even from Venezuelan residues containing 700 to 1,000 wppm of these metals. Reduced carbon residue - The carbon residue in deasphalted oils is significantly lower than for distilled oils of equivalent viscosity or mid-boiling point.

The deasphalted oil product yield-quality relationships obtained when solvent deasphalting typical vacuum residues are shown in Figure 3. This data is based on UOP and Foster Wheelers extensive library of pilot plant and commercial solvent deasphalting data. Figure 3: SDA Quality Selectivity
100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Deasphalted Oil Yield, Vol-%

Sulfur, Nitrogen and Metals Appearing in Deasphalted Oil, %

Yield and Product Quality The solvent deasphalting process selectively

lf Su

ur
ck Ni el

R CC

um di na Va
90 100

80

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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

Utility Requirements For many processing units it is possible to develop utility consumptions based on either the feed capacity or the amount of products produced. This is not a realistic approach for solvent deasphalting since most of the utility consumptions are related to the circulation and recovery of the solvent. Consequently, solvent deasphalting utility consumptions depend more upon the solvent circulation rate than upon the deasphalted oil yield or the unit feed capacity. An accurate estimate of solvent deasphalting utility consumptions requires definition of all three of these parameters. Summarized below are typical continuous utility requirements for solvent deasphalting units using supercritical solvent recovery as described above. The lube oil case is a low DAO yield, relatively high solvent to oil ratio operation using steam as the primary process heat source. The cracking stock case is a high DAO yield, low solvent to oil ratio operation using fired heat as the major process heat source.
Table 5 Solvent Deasphalting Typical Utility Requirements, Per Barrel of Feed Lube Oil Cracking Stock Fuel Liberated, Btu (LHV) 81,000 55,500 Power KWH 1.5 1.77 Steam (150 psig), lbs 116 10.5 15 Nil Cooling Water (25F rise), gal

Evaluation of the units many heat integration options, which is typically done during the basic design phase may improve utility and capital requirements. Table 6 illustrates the impact of several of these options on the units utility requirements, based on a two-product UOP/FW SDA unit operating at 100% of design capacity (28,200 BPSD) at normal operating conditions. The base case for this comparison minimizes heat integration and takes a conservative approach to equipment sizing, heat recovery, and capital costs. The other options include: Option 1 - Heat exchange of the DAO product with the pitch stripper feed. This option reduces fired fuel requirements by approximately 11.9 MM BTU/hr; Option 2 - Heat exchange of the pitch product with the DAO phase. This option reduces the DAO phase steam heater requirements by about 18,500 lbs/hr; Option 3 - Designing the DAO/solvent mix to solvent exchanger for a specific temperature approach. The base case assumes a 5-shell arrangement and a 20F temperature approach. Reducing the temperature approach to say 11F would result in a similar energy saving as in Option 2. However, the number of shells would increase anywhere from 2 to 3 times that of the base case.

TABLE 6 ESTIMATED UTILITY REQUIREMENTS Utility Fuel Fired, MMBTU/hr Electric Power, kW Steam, x 103 lbs/hr HP (consumed) Cooling Water, gpm Base 35.2 1192 78.5 925 Option 1 23.3 1163 78.5 925 Option 2 35.2 1192 60.0 360

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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

Application of Solvent Deasphalting In determining the best application of solvent deasphalting the process should be thought of as a physical separation process analogous in some respects to vacuum distillation, but not limited by the volatility of its products and selective to certain molecular types. It is analogous to vacuum distillation in that it only provides separation of products not conversion of products. If you change to a lower quality feed it will result in a lower quality of DAO or a lower yield or both. It is not analogous in that it separates by molecular types rather than volatility. The result in general is that higher boiling components are recovered in the units pitch product and the lower boiling components are recovered in the units DAO product. Due to solvent selectivity, however, the pitch will contain low-boiling, highly aromatic components while the DAO will contain highboiling, paraffinic components. For a fuels type solvent deasphalter, the pitch production will be minimized for a specific cracking stock (DAO plus VGO) quality by maximizing the lift in the vacuum unit to the limit of VGO quality. This also minimizes the size of the solvent deasphalter. Solvent deasphalting is less expensive to build and operate than other residue conversion processes, although as noted earlier, it does not provide any actual conversion. Therefore, it is most applicable to recovering the large quantity of high quality oils in light residues while rejecting the small quantity of asphaltenes and impurities such as metals and those components that contribute to carbon residue. In addition, unlike residue conversion units which benefit from economy of scale, solvent deasphalting can be economically applied at very small feed rates. Finally, solvent deasphalting has good applicability where the demand for a low-value residual fuel is significantly smaller than the production of residual fuel oil based on vacuum tower bottoms production. Utilization of Pitch The utilization of SDA pitch is very much dependant on the local market. The primary outlet for the pitch is as fuel, mainly as a blend component in the residual oil market. Another significant market is as a blend component in the
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production of road bitumen or other specialty asphalts. For instances where a delayed coker is available, the pitch may be sent to the coker for final conversion and recovery of the remaining oil value. Pitch has also been used commercially as feedstock for IGCC and hydrogen production. Example of a Recent Commercial Application A recent project that has started up in the Far East is a good example of the applicability of solvent deasphalting in an existing refinery. In this case, the refiner desired to recover additional cracking stock from a residual fuel stream. The solvent deasphalting unit was designed to process 6,000 BPSD (approximately 40,000 kg/hr) of a Middle Eastern crude blend to recover a 50% yield of DAO. UOP/FW/Sulzers latest state-of-the-art, proprietary internals and structured packing were used in both the units extractor and DAO separator. The addition of the solvent deasphalting unit allowed the refiner to increase the amount of transportation fuels produced from the refinery. The recovered pitch, along with some clarified slurry oil, ( 20 Liq Vol % of the blend) was used as a high viscosity residual fuel by an existing nearby IPP to produce power. In order to compensate for the higher viscosity of the IPPs fuel blend, for this application, the fuel system and burner temperatures were higher than from a tyical solvent deasphalting operation. UOP/FW Technical Service In addition to the benefits provided by UOP and FWs broad commercial experience bases, licensees have full access to the widest range of support resources available to the refining industry. This allows UOP/FW to offer licensees high-quality support from initial conception, through unit design and construction, and continuing on through unit start-up and monitoring of the operating units performance. These services include: Pilot plant testing to establish design basis Technical services during unit checkout and start-up Ongoing operations monitoring Engineer and operator training programs

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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

Review of contractor and vendor information Cost estimating and procurement Metallurgical inspection consultation and equipment

Analytical testing services Modular extractor design UOP/FW have a staff of field operating engineers and instrument engineers available to provide technical assistance during new unit commissioning and start-up. These engineers can also provide immediate technical assistance to the licensee if a problem arises on any operating UOP/FW SDA unit. Technology specialists are available to our UOP/FW SDA licensees to monitor unit performance and offer advice on unit operations. In addition, licensees can choose from a wide variety of training courses, including such topics as operations, engineering and laboratory and maintenance procedures. Solvent Deasphalting Pilot Plant UOP and FWs extensive experience with various pilot plant configurations has confirmed their ability to produce deasphalted oil and pitch products having physical properties comparable to those produced in commercial units operating at similar conditions. An example of this is illustrated in Table 7, where pilot plant data and commercial operating results for deasphalting Kuwait vacuum residue are compared.

Foster Wheeler and UOP have extensive pilot plant experience processing a wide range of feedstocks using solvents ranging from propane through hexane. This includes deep deasphalting of vacuum residues derived from Heavy Arabian (Safaniya), Kuwait, Tia Juana, Heavy Iranian (Gach Saran), Light Iranian (Agha-Jari, Sassan and Ahwaz), Delta, Heavy Canadian and Canadian crudes, as well as tar sand oil. FW has also accumulated more than 2,500 hours of operation producing pitch above 250F softening point and has produced 400F capillary melting point pitch (which is estimated to correspond to 500F ring & ball softening point). In addition, Foster Wheeler has run, in the laboratory, a water-cooled belt to confirm the feasibility of flaking high melting point pitch directly from the pitch stripper. This type of belt is used commercially to solidify coal tar pitch and could find successful commercial application with high melting point pitch.

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WHEN SOLVENT DEASPHALTING IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY FOR UPGRADING RESIDUE
Edward J. Houde - UOP LLC Michael J. McGrath - Foster Wheeler USA Corporation

TABLE 7 SOLVENT DEASPHALTING PILOT PLANT vs. COMMERCIAL RDC OPERATION Feedstock: Kuwait Vacuum Residue (1020F TBP Cut Point) Pilot Plant Feed Inspections Gravity, API Viscosity @ 210F, SSU Con. Carbon Res., % Wt. Sulfur, % Wt. Nickel + Vanadium, PPM Deasphalted Oil Yield, % Vol. Deasphalted Oil Inspections Gravity, API Viscosity @ 210F, SSU Con. Carbon Res., % Wt. Sulfur, % Wt. Nickel + Vanadium, PPM Pitch Inspections Specific Gravity @ 60/60F Penetration @ 77F Softening Point, F, R&B 1.07 8 155 1.06 10 151 19.8 185 1.67 2.61 1.0 19.5 194 1.64 2.88 1.0 6.6 7,129 20.1 4.92 129 32.0 7.2 7,229 19.2 5.14 -31.0 Commercial Operation

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