Haldia Institute of Technology

Name: Bipasha Barai

Class Roll No: 17/CHE/054
University Roll No: 10300617054

Session: 2017-2021
Department of Chemical Engineering
Subject: Separation Process - I
Subject Code: CHE-501

Submitted to: Prof. Dr A.K. Saha & Mrs. Sutapa Roy

 VACUUM DISTILATION PROCESS

OF INDIAN OIL CORPORATION LTD.

CONTENTS:

❖ WHAT IS VACUUM DISTILLATION

❖ INDIAN OIL CORPORATION LTD.

❖ VACUUM DISTILLATION PROCESS OF IOCL.

❖ VACUUM DISTILLATION COLUMN OF IOCL.

❖ VACUUM DIESEL

❖ LVGO (Light Vacuum Gas Oil)

❖ HVGO (Heavy Vacuum Gas Oil)

❖ SLOP OIL

❖ VR (Vacuum Residue)

❖ OVER HEAD SYSTEM

❖ CONCLUSION
WHAT IS VACUUM DISTILLATION:

• Vacuum distillation is a method of distillation performed under reduced pressure,

which lowers the boiling point of most liquids. As with distillation, this technique
separates compounds based on differences in boiling points. This technique is used
when the boiling point of the desired compound is difficult to achieve, will cause the
compound to decompose or simply to save energy in heating. A reduced pressure
decreases the boiling point of compounds. The reduction in boiling point can be
calculated using a temperature-pressure nomograph using the Clausius–Clapeyron
relation.

• Vacuum distillation often improves efficiency, and vacuum distillation of ocean water
is considered one of the most efficient ways of desalination.

Figure: At atmospheric pressure, dimethyl sulfoxide boils at 189 °C. In the vacuum
apparatus here, it distils off into the connected receiver flask on the left at only 70 °C.
INDIAN OIL CORPORATION LTD.:

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL), commonly known as Indian Oil is an Indian state
government owned oil and gas company. It is India's largest downstream oil company. Indian
Oil accounts for nearly half of India's petroleum products market share, 35% national refining
capacity (together with its subsidiary Chennai Petroleum Corporation Ltd., or CPCL), and 71%
downstream sector pipelines through capacity.

The Indian Oil Group owns and operates 11 of India's 23 refineries with a combined refining
capacity of 80.7 MMTPA (million metric tonnes per annum). Indian Oil's cross-country
pipeline network, for transportation of crude oil to refineries and finished products to high-
demand centres, spans over 13,000 km. The company has a throughput capacity of 80.49
MMTPA for crude oil and petroleum products and 9.5 MMSCMD for gas.

VACUUM DISTILLATION PROCESS OF IOCL.:

Petroleum crude oil is a complex mixture of hundreds of different hydrocarbon compounds

generally having from 3 to 60 carbon atoms per molecule, although there may be small
amounts of hydrocarbons outside that range. The refining of crude oil begins with distilling the
incoming crude oil in a so-called atmospheric distillation column operating at pressures
slightly above atmospheric pressure. Vacuum distillation can also be referred to as "low-
temperature distillation".

In distilling the crude oil, it is important not to subject the crude oil to temperatures above 370
to 380 °C because high molecular weight components in the crude oil will undergo thermal
cracking and form petroleum coke at temperatures above that. Formation of coke would result
in plugging the tubes in the furnace that heats the feed stream to the crude oil distillation
column. Plugging would also occur in the piping from the furnace to the distillation column as
well as in the column itself.

The constraint imposed by limiting the column inlet crude oil to a temperature of less than 370
to 380 °C yields a residual oil from the bottom of the atmospheric distillation column consisting
entirely of hydrocarbons that boil above 370 to 380 °C.

To further distil the residual oil from the atmospheric distillation column, the distillation must
be performed at absolute pressures as low as 10 to 40 mmHg (also referred to as Torr) so as to
limit the operation temperature to less than 370 to 380 °C.

VACUUM DISTILLATION COLUMN OF IOCL.:

The vacuum distillation column 04-C-01 has three section of different diameters. Top section
of 7000mm dia, middle section of 8900mm dia and bottom section of 4000 mm dia. The lower
is made of carbon steel with a lining of SS-410. The column is provided with four side of draws
which are vacuum diesel, LVGO (Light Vacuum Gas Oil), HVGO (Heavy Vacuum Gas Oil)
and slop VR (Vacuum Residue) which is the bottom product. Chimney trays are provided for
all the draw off products. The column has 5 packed sections.

The vaporised portion entering the flash zone of the column along with stripped light ends from
the bottoms rise up the tower and is fractionated into four side stream products with the paced
sections. Random packing has been provided inside the column in the combination with the
bed packed. Demister pads have been provided above the wash zone to prevent asphaltene
carry over and at top to minimise carry over of hydrocarbons to the ejector section.

VACUUM DIESEL:

Vacuum diesel is drawn from the top most packed section along with CR (Circulated reflux)
and IR (Internal) by 04-P-1 from chimney tray below bed 1 IR is returned to LVGO section
bed 2, CR is returned to bed 1 to maintain column overhead temperature of 80℃.

• LVGO (Light Vacuum Gas Oil):

This section comprises of two beds 2 and 3 for fractionation and heat transfer respectively.
LVGO is draw along with CR and IR by LVGO pump 4-P-2 from chimney tray below bed 3.
IR is combined with HVGO Cr and routed to HVGO bed 4, CR is returned to bed 3 .

• HVGO (Heavy Vacuum Gas Oil):

HVGO is drawn from the chimney tray below bed 4 along with CR and IR by HVGO pump 4-
P-3. The IR is returned to the war zone bed 5. CR is returned to top of the bed 4.

SLOP OIL:

The section is a combination bed with demister pad provided above the wash zone to prevent
asphaltene carryover. Slop distillate is withdrawn from bed 5 along with slop recycle on the
gravity to 4-V-12 after preheat exchanger 03-E-29 and slop product to R/d(Run Down).

• VR (Vacuum Residue):

The liquid portion of the feed drops into the bottom section of the tower and is withdrawn as
vacuum residue. MP (medium pressure) steam is used for stripping. Tower bottom temperature
is kept at 350 ℃ to reduce possible cracking. Quenching is achieved by returning a quench
stream to the tower at the temperature of 250℃ VR is withdrawn by 4-P-6.

OVER HEAD SYSTEM:

Vacuum is maintained by a 3-stage ejector system with surface condensers. The vacuum
column OVHD (Over Head) vapours are routed to the 1st stage goes directly to the 1st stage
inter condenser. Uncondensed vapour from the 1st stage intercondenser are routed to the 2nd
stage ejectors. The outlet from the 2nd stage ejectors. The outlet from the uncondensed vapours
are sent to 3rd stage ejector system. The discharge of the 3rd stage goes to after condenser.

The condensed portion from the condensers are routed to hot well from where the non-
condensable are sent to the crude furnace, low pressure burners or vented to the atmosphere.
Condensate from the hot well is pumped to the sour water stripper unit by 04-P-7. Any oil
which is carried over along with the steam condensate is pumped to vacuum diesel R/d line by
slop oil pumps 04-P-08 intermittently after removing any traces of water in the coalescer 4-V-
2.

Figure: Vacuum distillation column of any plant of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
CONCLUSION:

Industrial-scale vacuum distillation has several advantages. Close boiling mixtures may require
many equilibrium stages to separate the key components. One tool to reduce the number of
stages needed is to utilize vacuum distillation. Vacuum distillation increases the relative
volatility of the key components in many applications. The higher the relative volatility, the
more separable are the two components; this connotes fewer stages in a distillation column in
order to effect the same separation between the overhead and bottoms products. Lower
pressures increase relative volatilities in most systems. A second advantage of vacuum
distillation is the reduced temperature requirement at lower pressures. For many systems, the
products degrade or polymerize at elevated temperatures.

• Vacuum distillation can improve a separation by:

• Prevention of product degradation or polymer formation because of reduced pressure

leading to lower tower bottoms temperatures,

• Reduction of product degradation or polymer formation because of reduced mean

residence time especially in columns using packing rather than trays.

• Increasing capacity, yield, and purity.

• Another advantage of vacuum distillation is the reduced capital cost, at the expense of
slightly more operating cost. Utilizing vacuum distillation can reduce the height and
diameter, and thus the capital cost of a distillation column.