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CONVERSION OF HEAVY OIL, BITUMEN AND REFINERY RESIDUE INTO LIGHT BOILING DISTILLATES

Objectif

- Conversion of non-boiling crude oil fractions under hydrogen pressure into light boiling distillates.
- Upgrading of natural bitumen and refinery residues with :
- high percentage of non-boiling components
- high asphalt - sulfur - and nitrogen contents
- high metal contents
- high viscosity and density.
The hydrogenation is performed in a cascade of liquid-phase reactors and gas-phase reactors. A one-way additive in the liquid-phase reactors is normally used.
By application of the VLC/VCC-technology several vacuum residues from conventional and heavy crudes (arab heavy, bachaquero, tia juana, morichal) and from a visbreaking plant were converted to an extreme high degree (greater than 90 perc.) into light distillates, some hydrocarbon gases and a small amount of hydrogenation residue which is suitable for the production of hydrogen via partial oxidation.
Feeding a vacuum bottom from a typical venezuelan crude with the following analytical data
Carbon 84,8 WTPERC.
Hydrogen 10,4 WTPERC.
Sulphur 3,3 WTPERC.
Nitrogen 0,6 WTPERC.
Vanadium 630 PPM
Nickel 75 PPM
to the process as an example 80 WTPERC. of a VCC syncrude is produced which contains 27 perc. of naphtha, 48 perc. of middle distillates and 25 perc. of vacuum gasoil. Due to the application of the so-called gas phase hydrogenation (a catalytic fixed bed reactor directly combined with the primary conversion step) this VVC syncrude having an relatively high hydrogen content is almost sulphur and nitrogen free (less than 200 ppm each). The VCC middle distillates can be sold directly, the VVC naphtha meets reformer feed spezification and the vacuum gasoil is an excellent feedstock for a FFC or a hydrocracker unit.
As these results can be generalized for all these residues processed up to now it can be concluded that the VLC/VCC process is a well advanced technology to convert less valuable bottoms into light distillates thus making maximum use of the "Bottom of the Barrel".
Since 1988 Process is demonstrated in an industrial scale demonstration plant with a throughput of 200 000 t/a.
There the process showns its performance in terms of high service factor and extreme feedstock flexibility.
The VCC-Process was derived from the Bergius-Pier technology and was applied in a precursor-process called "Scholven Combi-Chamber".
The VCC-Process developed by VEBA OEL in cooperation with LURGI is characterized by its extremely high conversion efficiency up to 95 wt. % based on non boiling residue.
The project will develop in the following phases :
Phase I : Basic bench scale research
Phase II : Design and construction of a pilot plant for a throughput of 1 t/h
Phase III : Operating phase of the pilot plant
Phase IIIA : Second operating phase of the pilot plant
Phase IV : Design and construction of an industrial-scale plant for demonstration. The present state of development is
the second operating phase of the pilotplant (Phase IIIA).
The development covers the following fields of experiments and theoretical research
- Additive optimization
- Pressure reduction
- Establishment of design data
- Establishment of scale-up factors
- Extension of feedstock basis
- Changes in process configuration
- Screening of gase phase catalysts
- Longtern tests
The central objectives of these tests is to develop design data for commercial VCC-plants and to optimize the process for each application.

Appel à propositions

Data not available

Régime de financement

DEM - Demonstration contracts

Coordinateur

Veba Oel AG
Contribution de l’UE
Aucune donnée
Adresse
Alexander-von-Humboldt-Straße
45896 Gelsenkirchen
Allemagne

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Coût total
Aucune donnée