FSC 432

PETROLEUM PROCESSING

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Lesson 3 Overview Print

FSC 432: Petroleum
Processing
Video: FSC 432 Lesson 3 (2:16)

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FSC 432 Lesson 3

Lessons
Lesson 1: Introduction to
Petroleum Re ning and
Crude Oil Composition
Lesson 2: Properties and
Classi cation of Crude Oil
Lesson 3: Overall Re nery
Flow
Lesson 3 Overview
Desalting and
Distillation
Light Ends Unit
Catalytic Reformer
Catalytic
Hydrotreatment
Conversion of Heavy
Gas Oil
Lesson 3 Overview
Conversion and
Click here for transcript of Lesson 3 Overview.
Processing of Vacuum
Credit: Dutton Institute
Gas Oils
Processing and
Overview Conversion of Vacuum
Distillation Residue
Selected properties of crude oil provide information on its quality and the conditions for the optimum
Paths for Upgrading
operation of a petroleum re nery for processing the crude oil to produce the desired fuels. Readily
Heavy Oil
measurable physical properties of crude oil (such as density, boiling point, and viscosity) not only help in
predicting the physical behavior of crude oil during re nery but also give insight into the chemical Self-Check Questions
composition of the oil. Therefore, physical properties can be used in developing characterization factors Assignments
that relate to the chemical behavior of crude oil and the characteristics of the resulting re nery products. In Summary and Final
addition to using characterization factors, crude oils are classi ed using ternary diagrams re ecting the Tasks
hydrocarbon composition in terms of para ns, naphthenes, and aromatics. Lesson 4: Separation
Processes 1
As introduced in Lesson 1, petroleum re ning integrates four types of processes: separation, conversion, Lesson 5: Separation
nishing, and supporting processes. This lesson involves a quick walk through a simple re nery in the U.S. Processes 2
to see what happens to a barrel of crude oil, and to provide more detail on how di erent processes are
Lesson 6: Thermal
sequenced for optimum operation. The simple animation below shows a simpli ed diagram of processing
Conversion Processes
network to maximize gasoline yield and produce the other distillate fuels (jet fuel, diesel fuel, and fuel oil) in
Lesson 7: Catalytic
high yield.
Conversion Processes Part 1
The rst sequence of processes in a re nery makes use of physical separation to wash the salt out and to Lesson 8: Catalytic
fractionate the desalted crude into di erent boiling ranges in a distillation column. Following the Conversion Processes Part 2
distillation, these fractions are subjected to further separation processes, such as those in Light Ends Unit Lesson 9: Finishing
(LEU) dewaxing and deasphalting units; to nishing processes, such as hydrotreatment; and to conversion Processes
processes, such as catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, visbreaking, and delayed coking. As shown in the Lesson 10: Supporting
animation below, the nal products from these processes include Lique ed Petroleum Gas (LPG), Processes
lubricating oil base stock, asphalt, jet fuel and diesel fuel, gasoline, fuel oil, and petroleum coke. Some Lesson 11: Past and Future
fractions from LEU are sent to nishing processes (blending and hydrotreatment) and further to a of Petroleum Re ning
conversion process (reforming) to produce additional gasoline. Light products from catalytic cracking are
Lesson 12: Natural Gas
subjected to further conversion in the alkylation process to produce more gasoline. Finally, supporting Processing
processes, hydrogen production and sulfur recovery, help remove the major heteroatom contaminant,
sulfur, from the petroleum fuels through hydrotreatment [1].
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This re nery scheme is typical in U.S. re neries where the premium product is gasoline, as one could tell
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from the number of processes that lead to gasoline as the major product. The gasoline streams from
online.
di erent processes are blended in sophisticated linear and non-linear programming schemes to produce
the three grades of gasoline sold in the U.S., regular, intermediate, and premium grades de ned in
reference to octane number. Elsewhere in the world, there is more emphasis on producing diesel fuel
rather than gasoline, since the transportation systems are not as heavily dependent on gasoline-powered
passenger vehicles. Diesel fuel is preferred for mass transport options (e.g., buses and trains), as diesel
engines (with compression-ignition) can deliver more power than spark-ignition gasoline engines.

In the following sections, each major process group in a re nery network will be introduced in sequence.
We will discuss how they t in the “industrial ecology” of petroleum re ning for the overall economic goal of
maximizing pro t in the prevailing markets for crude oil and the re ned petroleum products. The video
below presents a ow diagram integrating the four types of processes in a petroleum re nery.

Video: FSC 432 Simple Refinery Flow (4:36)

FSC 432 Simple Re nery Flow

Simple Re nery Flow

Click here for transcript of Simple Re nery Flow
Credit: Dutton Institute

Learning Outcomes
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

illustrate the re nery processes with examples for each category of processes;
distinguish and evaluate the functions of di erent re nery processes to control re nery product
yield and composition;
evaluate the principles behind the major re nery processes and examine the products from each
process from Distillation to Hydrocracking;
formulate strategies for upgrading heavy oil.

What is due for Lesson 3?

This lesson will take us one week to complete. Please refer to the Course Syllabus for speci c time
frames and due dates. Speci c directions for the assignments below can be found on the Assignments
page within this lesson.

Lesson 3

Readings: J. H. Gary, G. E. Handwerk, & Mark J. Kaiser, Chapter 1, pp. 32-36; Chapter 2, pp. 41-55
and the course material from this site

Assignments: Exercise 2: Using ternary classi cation to characterize crude oil blends

Questions?
If you have any questions, please post them to our Help Discussion Forum (not email), located in Canvas. I
will check that discussion forum daily to respond. While you are there, feel free to post your own responses
if you, too, are able to help out a classmate.

[1] Petroleum Re ning, by J. H. Gary and G. E. Handwerk, 5th Edition, CRC Press NY, 2007, Chapter 1.

‹ Lesson 3: Overall Re nery Flow up Desalting and Distillation ›

Author: Dr. Semih Eser, Professor of Energy and Geo-Environmental Engineering, College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Penn State.

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