Crude Distillation Unit

(CDU)
Introduction to Crude Distillation
Front-end of the refinery, also known as topping unit, or
atmospheric distillation unit.

High flow rates size and operating cost are the largest

Should run satisfactorily at about 60% of the design feed rate.

Seasonal temperature variation changes in the cut point of

gasoline can vary by 20oC
(36oF) between summer and
winter.

Capacity of the CDU ranges from 10,000 barrels per

stream day (BPSD) or 1400 metric
tons per day (tpd) to 400,000 BPSD
(56,000 metric tpd)
1 Barrel = 42 US gallon = 159 L

Barrels per calendar day (b/cd or bcd), which is total production in a

year divided by the days in that year.

Barrels per stream day (BSD or BPSD) is the quantity of oil product
produced by a single refining unit during continuous operation for
24 hours.

A good size CDU processes about 200,000 BPSD

Produces raw products needs further processing to

produce products of certain
specifications.

Undesirable components like sulfur, nitrogen and metal

removed compounds, and limiting the
aromatic contents.
Process Description
Crude oil is pumped from storage
tanks where it is freed from
sediments and free water by gravity.

It goes through a series of heat

exchangers where it is heated with
hot products coming out from the
distillation column and by the
exchange with heat from the
pumparound liquid streams.
• A pumparound is circulating reflux. The purpose of the
pumparound is to cool and partially condense the upflowing
vapors. Tray 9 is called the pumparound return tray.
The temperature of the crude feed can reach 120–150 C
(248–302 F).

The crude oil contains salt in

the form of dissolved salt in the
tiny droplet of water which
forms a water-in oil emulsion.

This water cannot be separated

by gravity or through
mechanical means.

It is separated through
electrostatic water separation.

This process is called desalting.

In the electrostatic desalter, the salty water droplets are caused to
coalesce and migrate to the aqueous phase by gravity.

It involves mixing the crude with dilution water (5–6 vol%) through
a mixing valve.

The crude is further heated in heat exchangers by the heat energy

of products.

Why is it done? Economics

The crude has to be partially vaporized to the extent that all

products, except for the atmospheric residue have to be in the
vapor phase when the crude enters the atmospheric distillation
column.
Thus a furnace is required to boost the temperature to between
330 and 385 C (626 and 725 F) depending on the crude
composition.

The partially vaporized crude is transferred to the flash zone of the

column located at a point lower down the column and above what
is called the stripping section.

The main column is typically 50 m (164 ft) high and is equipped with
about 30–50 valve trays.

The vapor goes up in tremendous amounts and at a high flow rate,

necessitating a large diameter column above the flash zone.
Steam Injection

At the bottom of the stripping section, steam is injected into the

column to strip the atmospheric residue of any light hydrocarbon
and to lower the partial pressure of the hydrocarbon vapors in
the flash zone.

This has the effect of lowering the boiling point of the

hydrocarbons and causing more hydrocarbons to boil and go up
the column to be eventually condensed and withdrawn as side
streams.

As the hot vapors from the flash zone rise through the trays up
the column, they are contacted by the colder reflux down the
column.
In the overhead condenser, the vapors are condensed and part of
the light naphtha is returned to the column as reflux.

Further reflux is provided by several pumparound streams along the

column.

The pumparound cooling accomplishes a number of tasks. First, the

cold liquid condenses more of the rising vapors thus providing
more reflux to compensate for the withdrawal of products from the
column.

Second, heat is removed from the column at higher temperatures.

Thus the thermal efficiency of the column is improved and the

required furnace duty is reduced.
Third, pumparound streams reduce the vapor flow rate
throughout the column. Therefore, the required column is smaller
than what would otherwise be required if pumparound streams
where not there.

The drawback to using more pumparound streams is that they

tend to reduce the fractionation because a more fractionated
liquid is mixed after cooling with a less fractionated liquid a few
trays above.

Side streams are withdrawn from the strippers.

The strippers contain several trays and the stripping is done

using steam at the bottom of the stripper or reboiler type side
stream strippers.

The end boiling point of the side stream is controlled by the flow
rate of the side stream product.
The overhead vapor is condensed in a condenser at the top of the
tower.

The liquid product is called light straight run naphtha. Part of this
product is returned to the column as an external reflux.

Down the column, other products are withdrawn, such as heavy

straight run naphtha, kerosene or jet fuel, Light Gas Oil (LGO) and
Heavy Gas Oil (HGO).

All of these products are withdrawn above the feed tray.

The atmospheric residue is withdrawn from the bottom of the

column.
Fractionation
The degree of fractionation in a crude unit is determined by the
gap or overlap between two adjacent side stream products.

Hence we can talk about the gap or overlap in the boiling point
range between kerosene and LGO for example.

In the ideal case there would be no overlap between these

products and the end boiling point of kerosene would be the
initial boiling point of the LGO.

However, if we compare the ASTM distillation boiling points, and

since ASTM distillation does not give perfect fractionation,
the ASTM end point of kerosene is higher than the initial ASTM
boiling point of LGO. This is called fractionation overlap.
The fractionation gap is defined as the difference between the
ASTM 5% boiling point of the product and the 95% point of the
lighter product.

When this difference is positive, we have a gap indicating good

fractionation.

A negative difference is called an overlap indication that some of

the light product is still in the heavier product and vice versa.

Figure shows the gap and overlap concept. By controlling the cut
point of any two consecutive products we can affect the degree of
fractionation.
Cut Points
1. Cut pts controlled by the overhead 2. Amount of …Flow rate of
vapor temperature light naphtha various products
And… determined by straight from
its dew pt. column or side
stream strippers

3. Drawoff rate of
any product affects
the cut points of the
heavier products
below it.

3. kerosene flow rate its end point (making it lighter)

Initial cut points of the LGO and HGO and the initial cut point of the atmospheric
residue are modified. Residue flow rate, the internal reflux rate, the drawoff
temperatures and the pumparounds are also affected.
 Cut Points
1. If the cut …The flow rate of the
point of one heavier product next
stream is to it should be
changed changed in the
through a reverse and by the
change in same amount in order
its withdrawal to make the
rate… changes in the
desired stream only.

e.g.,
Kerosene rate

LGO rate has to be

2. Side stream rate effects the temp. at that tray lowers internal reflux deg. Of fract.
3. deg. Of fract. can be by pumparound duty in lower section of column
4. Less heat removed more vapors up the column more reflux
Degree of Fractionation
Affected by
vapor and
liquid flow
rates btw
plates

heat extracted by
The number the pumparound
of trays

Perfect Fractionation zero gap or overlap

Perfect Fractionation zero gap or overlap
EBP of the light cut would be the IBP of the heavier cut
Column Pressure
Top tray
6–10 psig Reflux drum
3–5 psig

5–8 psi
higher than
top tray
Overhead Temperature
The overhead temperature must be controlled to be 14–17 C (25–
31 F) higher than the dew point temperature for the water at the
column overhead pressure

So that no liquid water is condensed in the column.

This is to prevent corrosion due to the hydrogen chloride dissolved

in liquid water (hydrochloric acid).
Pre-flash Column and Crude Column Capacity

Although the unit throughput is increased, the furnace duty

is not increased, since the crude rate going to the furnace is
not affected due to the removal of the light ends.