Hydroprocess Design Considerations 

A Tutorial

2012 AIChE Spring Meeting

Stuart S. Shih
hh
PetroTech Consultants, NJ.
Email: SSShih@live com
Email: SSShih@live.com

1
 Items
• Role of hydroprocess
• Type of hydroprocess
Type of hydroprocess
• Feed Quality
• Reactor Design
g
• Heat release, reserved quench capacity, number 
of catalyst beds
• Number of trains, heater size
• Number of separators
• S
Separation towers
ti t
• Amine system , water injection
• On line instrumentation
On‐line instrumentation
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 Roles of Hydroprocess in Modern Refinery
Roles of Hydroprocess in Modern Refinery

• Down‐stream Feed Preparation As high as  >90% of crude 
oil is “hydrotreated
oil is “hydrotreated.
– Naphtha pretreating for reformer
– FCC feed pretreating
• Product Preparation
Product Preparation
– Kerosene and diesel desulfurization
– Post FCC gasoline desulfurization
• Boiling Point Reduction
– Hydrocracking
• Product Quality Upgrading
Product Quality Upgrading
– Flow property improvement
– lubricant hydrotreating/dewaxing

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Hydroprocess
y p Covers a Wide Range of Feedstocks
g

Also, a wide range of OP conditions and product slates.
4
 “Best
Best Practices
Practices” Process Design
Process Design
The constructed unit should be: 
The constructed unit should be:
• Safe to operate
– Equipment protection and emergency control
Equipment protection and emergency control
• Easy to operate
– Flexible and stable
Flexible and stable
– Critical valves and field control panels are located 
in the ground floor.
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• Easy to maintain
– Equipment accessibility
q p y

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Typical Hydroprocess Flow Diagram
E l di H
Excluding Heat Integration
I i

6
Typical Hydroprocess Flow Diagram
with Heat Integration
h

Palmer, Polcar and Wong, PTQ 2009 7
 Site Information and Boundary Conditions
Site Information and Boundary Conditions

• Prior to the process  • Site Information
design:
– Feed and make‐up H2 have 
been defined.
– Process conditions have 
been selected.
– Product specifications are 
stated.
stated
– Utility information (or 
boundary conditions) has  – Plot size
been collected.
been collected. – Ambient temperature
p
– Site information is  – Wind speed
available. – Equipment transportation
– Design code
g – Earthquake ….

8
 Process Design Contingency
Process Design Contingency
• Some rules of thumb on design contingency:
g g y
– Operating pressure: 15%
– Pump and heater : >10%
– Recycle compressor 
R l
• including quench reserves for emergency needs
• Or 10‐20%
– Piping and heat exchanger: 10%
– Others: 10%

• Get agreements with the unit’s owner.
g

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 Feed Characterization and Variability
Feed Characterization and Variability
• Besides feed  • Design Base Feed
characterization needed  • Sensitivity Case Feed
for the process conditions  – If feed quality differs 
selection, the process  significantly.
g y
d
design needs:
d – High and low heat release 
– Degree of de‐S and de‐N cases.
– Flow properties • Start‐up Feed
p
• viscosity and pour point – Catalyst activation feed
– Trace impurities:
• Chlorine content
• Particulates
P i l • In addition:
In addition:
• Fouling potential – Start‐of‐run and end‐of‐
– Fouling allowance for HE run conditions
– Type of HE
yp – Turn
Turn‐down
down rate
rate

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 Feed Heater
Feed Heater
• Heat load depends on:
– Reaction heat release
– Heat recovery (integration) and loss
– Feed heater can be eliminated if the reactor temperature rise is >50o F
• Needs a start‐up feed heater
Needs a start up feed heater
• Items to watch out:
– Tube size
• Consider a two
Consider a two‐train
train approach if the oil rate is >50 kbd
approach if the oil rate is >50 kbd or if the tube is >10
or if the tube is >10” ID. 
ID.
– Tube skin temperature 
• Max skin temperature
• At SOR and EOR
• If cracked stocks are in the feed, mixing feed with some hydrogen 
f k d k h f d f d h h d
prior to the heater is recommended.
– Two‐phase flow

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 Reactor :General
Reactor :General
• Reactor(s) could be:
– Fixed‐bed, fluidized‐bed, or moving bed reactor.
– Single or multiple reactors either in series or in parallels.
– Single catalyst
Single catalyst‐bed
bed without gas quenching or multiple 
without gas quenching or multiple
catalyst‐beds with gas quenching.
• Reactor size can be limited by: 
– Total catalyst‐bed pressure drop
T t l t l tb d d
– Reactor fabrication capability
– Transportation constraints
• Many reactor internals are proprietary.
• Pay attentions to the locations of:
– Manholes and catalyst unloading systems.
Manholes and catalyst unloading systems
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 Reactor: Mass Velocity
Reactor: Mass Velocity
• Superficial mass flux at the reactor inlet will 
p
determine the reactor diameter and pressure 
drop.
• The mass flux could be in the range of 1500‐5000 
The mass flux could be in the range of 1500 5000
lb/hr/ft2. 
• The mass flux includes all HC and gas at the 
The mass flux includes all HC and gas at the
reactor inlet.
• Higher mass flux gives a higher pressure drop but 
a smaller reactor diameter. 
ll di
• Pressure drop is generally in the range of 0.3‐1.5 
psia/ft for mixed phase reactors
psia/ft for mixed phase reactors.
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 Reactor: Temperature Measurement
Reactor: Temperature Measurement
• Temperature measurement provides:
– Catalyst performance monitoring
– Process control
– Trouble shooting tool
• Th
The flexible thermal couples technology has simplified and 
fl ibl th l l t h l h i lifi d d
expanded the number of TC inside the reactor.
• TC layout should provide uniform full coverage.
• Two rings of TC (top and bottom) for each catalyst bed are 
Two rings of TC (top and bottom) for each catalyst bed are
commonly used.
• For hot wall reactors, external wall skin temperature should be 
monitored at least at bottom of the reactor.
monitored at least at bottom of the reactor.
• More external wall skin TCs might allow to shrinking the gap 
between the reactor design temperature and the maximum  
operating temperature.

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 Reactor: Catalyst‐Bed
Reactor: Catalyst Bed Temperature Profile
Temperature Profile

• For the multiple catalyst beds reactor:
– Equal bed volume might be used for the catalyst distribution.  
However, excess temperature rise for one individual catalyst bed 
should be avoided (say <50o F).
Excess temperature rise for the total reactor (say <100o F) should be 
– Excess temperature rise for the total reactor (say <100 F) should be
avoided to minimize:
• Catalyst deactivation
• Reactor wall stress load
– Equal
Equal peak temperature design is a 
peak temperature design is a “good
good start
start”.
– To protect reactor operation integrity, the reactor design temperature 
should be higher than the maximum operating temperature (say 10‐
50o F higher).
– WABT (weighted average bed temperature is frequently used to 
correlate the catalyst performance:
• WABT = Inlet Temp + (2/3) Bed Temp rise
• Total WABT 
Total WABT = Sum of bed fraction times WABT for each bed.
Sum of bed fraction times WABT for each bed.

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 Reactor: Catalyst Cycle length
Reactor: Catalyst Cycle length
• The
The catalyst cycle length is originally set by the 
catalyst cycle length is originally set by the
owner’s request but can be limited by:
– Catalyst poisonous impurities:
Catalyst poisonous impurities:
• Trace metals (Fe, Ni, V, Na, Ca, As, Pb, Si……)
– Pressure drop
Pressure drop
– Product specification constraints:
• Aromatic saturation (cetane, color) 
Aromatic saturation (cetane color)
– Product selectivity, particularly for HDC.
– Fouling (coking) potential at high temperature
Fouling (coking) potential at high temperature
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 Reactor: Cycle length
Reactor: Cycle length
• Factors affect the cycle length:
y g
– Main catalyst activity (space velocity)
– Hydrogen partial pressure (total pressure, make‐up H2
purity)
– Hydrogen gas circulation rate
– Operating window (max OP temperature)
– Feed quality and contaminants (Ni, V, Si, ….)
– Feed fouling (coking) tendency (CCR, total olefins…)
– Enough demetalation
Enough demetalation (including Si and As) catalysts to 
(including Si and As) catalysts to
protect the main catalyst(s).
– Manageable catalyst‐bed fouling

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 Reactor : Catalyst‐Bed
Reactor : Catalyst Bed Fouling 
Fouling
• Depending on feed quality and contaminants, fouling mitigation 
should be implemented to minimize the fouling potential from:
h ld b i l t dt i i i th f li t ti l f
– Particulates (if feed filtration should be considered)
– Bed grading strategy should be considered:
• Grading
Grading for extrudate
for extrudate size and its pore size to increase particulates 
size and its pore size to increase particulates
retention.
• Activity grading for the first bed to minimize excess temperature rise.
• Understand the metals deposition capacity and main catalyst’s tolerance 
on the metals deposition
on the metals deposition.
– Understand the fouling tendency (coke deposition and gum 
formation) at high temperature, particularly at the bottom of the 
reactor.
• Lowered OP peak temperature at EOR

• Knowledge is gold, keep a good data base in‐house, and work 
closely with catalyst vendors
closely with catalyst vendors.

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 Liquid‐Gas
Liquid Gas Separator
Separator
• Role of the liquid‐gas separator: to recover the excess 
hydrogen for recirculation.
• Number of the liquid‐gas separators can be:
– One (cold, high‐P pressure‐vessel or CHPS)
One (cold high‐P pressure‐vessel or CHPS)
– Two (HHPS and CHPS)
– Three (HHPS, CHPS, and CLPS)
– F
Four (HHPS, CHPS, HLPS, CLPS)
(HHPS CHPS HLPS CLPS)
• Factors to select the number of separators:
– Product type (BP range, viscosity, freeze point)
yp ( g , y, p )
– Degree of hydrogen recovery desired
– Heat exchanger surface area requirement
– Water injection point (ammonia chloride deposition)
Water injection point (ammonia chloride deposition)

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ULSD Hydrotreater with One Separator
ULSD Hydrotreater with One Separator

Palmer, Polcar and Wong, PTQ 2009 20
ULSD Hydrotreater with Two Separators
ULSD Hydrotreater with Two Separators

Palmer, Polcar and Wong, PTQ 2009 21
ULSD Hydrotreater with Three Separators
ULSD Hydrotreater with Three Separators

Palmer, Polcar and Wong, PTQ 2009 22
Hydrotreater with 4 Separators
with 4 Separators

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 Recycle Compressor
Recycle Compressor
• Recycle compressor discharge capacity is primarily set by the 
hydrogen/feed circulation which may vary from 200 to 6000 scf/bbl
hydrogen/feed circulation which may vary from 200 to 6000 scf/bbl.
• Alternatively, hydrogen available (make‐up plus recycle gas) should be >2 
times (or 2‐6 times) of the chemical hydrogen consumption.
• T
To avoid hydrogen starvation, the hydrogen available at the top should be 
id h d t ti th h d il bl t th t h ld b
>2 times of the chemical hydrogen consumption for the top bed.
• Recycle compressor capacity should include emergency quench reserve 
and some spill over margin.
d ill i
• Recycle compressor can be either centrifugal or reciprocating.
• Reliability of large centrifugal compressors has been established.
• The reciprocating compressor is easier to integrate the make‐up hydrogen 
stream.
• The maximum compressor discharge temperature is 275o F (API‐618)

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 Product Separation System
Product Separation System
• The product separation system depends product slats of the unit.
• The ULSD unit may needs a simple stripping tower to remove 
dissolved gases (H2S) and naphtha in the reactor effluent to meet 
the flash point spec.
• The HDC unit may split the reactor effluents into several products.
The HDC unit may split the reactor effluents into several products
• For a two‐stage HDC unit, a common separation system to serve 
both stages.
• The reboiler
The reboiler heat source can be provided by:
heat source can be provided by:
– Fired heater
– Steam/hot oil
– Reactor effluent or the bottom stream from the hot separator.
Reactor effluent or the bottom stream from the hot separator.
• If steam is directly injected into the separation column, the product 
will be wet (such ULSD) and a drying system may be needed.

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 Water Issues
Water Issues
• Non‐zeolite containing hydrotreating
g y g catalysts are 
y
quite tolerant to the water content in the feed up 
to 1‐2wt%.
• Water could deactivate Zeolite‐containing 
Water could deactivate Zeolite containing
catalysts and the max water content in the feed 
could be low.
• ULSD has a water content spec of <100 ppmw. A 
drying system will be needed if the steam 
stripping approach is used in the product
stripping approach is used in the product 
separation system.
– Cloud point interference

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 Water Wash Injection system
Water Wash Injection system
• NH3 and HCl can form solid salts which is corrosive and can 
plug the heat exchange passages.  The solid formation is 
around 500oF.
• Similarly ammonia can form solid salt with H2S at lower 
temperature (about 300o F).
• Water injection is an effective way to remove these salts.
• Enough water should be injected to provide 20
Enough water should be injected to provide 20‐50% 50% of the 
of the
water will remain in the liquid phase.
• Even water injection is the key for large scale units.  
Individual water meter is useful.
Individual water meter is useful.
• Mixed phase flow velocity:
– Minimum: 10 ft/sec
– Maximum: 20 ft/sec for carbon steel; 30 ft/sec for alloy.  
Maximum: 20 ft/sec for carbon steel; 30 ft/sec for alloy

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 Amine System
Amine System
• The amine system is to remove acid gases (H
ea e syste s to e o e ac d gases ( 2SS 
and CO2) exiting in the recycle gas (or top gas 
from cold High‐P separator; CHPS).
• The lean amine temperature should be slightly 
hotter (5‐10o F) than the inlet sour gas to 
minimize condensation of HC in the amine 
i i i d ti f HC i th i
absorber). The HC condensation could lead to the 
foaming of the amine tower.
foaming of the amine tower.
• A TC located at bottom of the amine tower is 
recommended.
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 On‐line
On line Analytical System
Analytical System
• O
On‐line analyzers have been widely used to 
e a a y e s a e bee de y used to
improve process control and to minimize product 
giving away.
• Common on‐line analyzers are:
– Sulfur
– Pour point, cloud point
– Viscosity
– Distillation
– RVP
– Octane

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