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Ali Hassan Assignment #01UP

The document outlines the assignment for CHE316 on unit processes in petroleum refining, detailing the transformation of crude oil into various products through different processes. It includes a schematic flow diagram and describes six key unit processes: distillation, solvent extraction, desalting, catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, and reforming. General guidelines for the assignment submission are also provided, emphasizing formatting and submission protocols.

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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
10 views6 pages

Ali Hassan Assignment #01UP

The document outlines the assignment for CHE316 on unit processes in petroleum refining, detailing the transformation of crude oil into various products through different processes. It includes a schematic flow diagram and describes six key unit processes: distillation, solvent extraction, desalting, catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, and reforming. General guidelines for the assignment submission are also provided, emphasizing formatting and submission protocols.

Uploaded by

wajih9864
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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CHE316: Unit Processes

Batch: FA22-CHE (FA21)

Assig
Name:
nmen
Ali Hassan Roll No: 061

t No.
1DateDueAssigned: September 09, 2024
Date: September 17, 2024

Instructor: Dr. Muhammad Aslam

Assignment Statement

1|Page
An oil refinery or petroleum refinery is an industrial process plant where crude oil is
transformed and refined into more useful products such as petroleum naphtha, gasoline, diesel
fuel, asphalt base, heating oil, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas, jet fuel and fuel oils. Petroleum
refining processes and operations can be classified into different unit processes and unit
operations. This is a schematic flow diagram of a typical oil refinery that depicts the various unit
processes and the flow of intermediate product streams that occurs between the inlet crude oil
feedstock and the final end products. Describe any six unit processes involved in this petroleum
refinery.

Fig. 1 Process flow diagram of oil refinery

2|Page
General Guidelines for Assignment
1. The assignment should be on paper of A4 size.
2. The Top, Bottom and Right margins should be 1”, while the Left (binding side) margin
should be 1.5”.
3. Times New Roman Font Style should be used.
4. The font size in the main body of the assignment should be 12-point.
5. Line spacing in main body of text should be 1.5.
6. All page numbers of the assignment are placed in the center at the bottom of the page.
7. All page numbers must be Times New Roman with font size of 12

Note:
 Only soft copies will be acceptable.
 Assignment should be uploaded on CuOnline portal
 Late submissions will not be marked
 Assignments will be compared and obvious assignments susceptible of
plagiarism/similarity will not be marked.

The End

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Separation Processes

 Distillation (Fractionation): This is the primary process where crude oil is heated in a
distillation column, and different components are separated based on their boiling points.
The result is fractions such as light gases, naphtha, kerosene, diesel, and residual oils.
o Atmospheric Distillation: Operates at atmospheric pressure to separate lighter
fractions.
o Vacuum Distillation: Processes heavier residues from atmospheric distillation
under reduced pressure to separate heavy oils without decomposition.
 Solvent Extraction: Used to remove undesirable components (like sulfur or aromatics)
from specific fractions. For example, solvent extraction can be used to improve the
quality of lube oils.
 Desalting: Before refining, crude oil is desalted to remove water, salts, and other
impurities that can cause corrosion or fouling in downstream processes.

Conversion Processes

These processes alter the molecular structure of the hydrocarbons to meet product demand or
improve properties.

 Catalytic Cracking: Breaks down large, heavy molecules (long-chain hydrocarbons)


into lighter, more valuable ones such as gasoline and diesel, using a catalyst.
 Hydrocracking: Similar to catalytic cracking, but uses hydrogen and a catalyst to crack
heavy oils into lighter fractions like jet fuel and gasoline. It also reduces sulfur and
nitrogen content.
 Coking: This is a severe thermal cracking process used to break down heavy residues
into lighter products and petroleum coke (a solid carbon product).
 Reforming (Catalytic Reforming): Converts low-octane naphtha into high-octane
gasoline and aromatic compounds. This process improves the quality of gasoline and
produces feedstock for petrochemical production.
 Isomerization: Changes straight-chain hydrocarbons into branched-chain hydrocarbons
to increase the octane number of gasoline.
 Alkylation: Combines small molecules (like isobutane) with olefins (like propylene) to
produce high-octane components for gasoline.

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Treatment Processes

These processes are designed to purify products by removing impurities or adding components to
meet market specifications.

 Hydrotreating: Uses hydrogen to remove sulfur, nitrogen, and metals from various
fractions, producing cleaner products and reducing environmental pollutants.
 Desulfurization: A specific hydrotreating process aimed at reducing sulfur content,
which is necessary to meet environmental standards for fuel emissions.
 Sweetening: Converts sour gases (containing hydrogen sulfide, H₂S) into sweet gases
(low in sulfur) by removing sulfur compounds.
 Blending: Different hydrocarbon streams are blended to produce specific products (like
different grades of gasoline or diesel) with desired properties, such as octane number,
volatility, or viscosity.

Support Processes

 Gas Treatment: Removes hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) and other contaminants from refinery
gases through processes like amine scrubbing or Claus process for sulfur recovery.
 Water Treatment: Refineries use large quantities of water, and treatment systems are
used to purify wastewater for reuse or safe disposal.

Visbreaking

 Purpose: Visbreaking is a mild thermal cracking process used to reduce the viscosity of
heavy residual oils, such as those obtained from vacuum distillation.
 Process: In visbreaking, heavy oils are heated at moderate temperatures (around 450°C)
to slightly break down the large hydrocarbon molecules. This produces lighter products
such as gas, gasoline, and diesel, while leaving a more manageable residue.
 Key Benefit: The main purpose of visbreaking is to reduce the production of very heavy
residual fuel oils, making the remaining fuel more fluid and easier to handle. It also
increases the yield of more valuable lighter fractions.

Polymerization

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 Purpose: Polymerization is used to convert small olefin molecules, such as propylene or
butylene, into larger hydrocarbon molecules, specifically high-octane gasoline
components.
 Process: Under the influence of a catalyst and high pressure, olefin molecules are
chemically bonded to form larger hydrocarbons, usually in the gasoline range. This
process helps improve the octane rating of gasoline, which is important for engine
performance.
 Key Benefit: Polymerization provides a way to turn lower-value, smaller molecules into
high-octane components for gasoline blending, making more efficient use of the available
hydrocarbons in the refinery.

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