RuEn

Plasma chemical cracking of heavy oil residues

Tasks of plasma chemical cracking of heavy residues
  • Obtaining from M100 at least 50% of furnace fuel (FF) or low-viscosity marine fuel (LVMF) meeting the requirements of Technical Specifications and about 30% of road bitumen component.
  • Expansion of application areas of distillation residues of PC treated M100.
  • Installation scheme
    for fuel oil processing
    The discharge zone (a plasma) is in direct contact with the HC crude processed, which is fed continuously. Under the influence of high-energy electrons and plasma ions, the HC molecules subjected to destruction, and break down into lower molecular weight compounds.

    The effective residence time of the HCs in plasma is 12 microseconds.

Main features of plasma chemical processes

The main feature of plasma-chemical processes is that in plasma reactive particles - excited molecules, electrons, molecular ions and free radicals - are formed in higher concentrations than in cracking, which initiate and cause new types of chemical cracking reactions.
Advantages
of plasma-chemical processes
  • The main advantage of energy conversion under low-temperature plasma (LTP) conditions is the high rates of the cracking reaction. Intensification of cracking processes takes place under the short-term action of high temperature and high specific plasma power, which leads to the formation of a high concentration of active radicals, ions and electrons.
  • Electron energy at NTP is about 10 eV, which allows to split hydrocarbons by C-C (6.2 eV) and C-H (5.5 eV) bonds.
  • The impact of NTP on hydrocarbons causes many chemical reactions leading to the destruction of their high-molecular compounds, which increases efficiency compared to thermal cracking.
Sequence of processing of M100

Fuel oil processing consisted of the following stages:

  • Treatment of fuel oil in a PC reactor at 90oC to obtain the processed product;Distillation of the obtained product to obtain a fraction of n.k.-360оС, residue and gas. The boiling onset temperature was 142oC;

  • Distillation of the n.k.-360oC fraction to obtain products of petrol fraction (fl. n.k.-180oC) and diesel fraction (fl. 181-360oC);

  • Distillation of initial fuel oil without PC treatment allowed to obtain about 20% of distillate. The boiling point was 255оС.

Block diagram of PC treatment and atmospheric distillation of M100 (conversion to feedstock fuel oil)
Material balance of PC of M100 processing in recalculation per 1000 kg, kg
  • Result of distillation of M100 (GOST10585-2013) from Yaroslavl Refinery after PC treatment

Refined products and energy balance

  • At processing of 1000 kg of fuel oil by PC method can be obtained, kg: 61 - gas, 72 - petrol fraction, 570 - diesel fraction and 297 residue.
  • The residue after the first distillation corresponds to the requirements of TU for heating oil.
  • The residue is a component of road bitumen. It has a penetration index of about 150 mm and ring and ball softening point (RSP) of 73o C. It can also be used as a component of delayed coking feedstock.
  • Energy costs for PC treatment of 1000 kg of fuel oil: consumption of power supply source of PC reactor - 6,16 kW, heating of fuel oil (from 25 to 60°C ) - 20 kW, operation of pump motor - 2,75 kW, compressor - 2,42 kW. Total: 31 kW for processing 1000 kg of fuel oil.

  • Group composition of distillates

Conclusions on distillate boiling and group composition of fractions

  • The group composition of distillate shows that the fraction n.to -180оС contains about 30% olefins and 6% dienes. It is these compounds that can polymerise and increase viscosity of the product of PC processing of fuel oil before distillation.
  • The 181-360oC fraction has no dienes and contains about 3% olefins. At the same time in this fraction about 40 % of linear paraffins and 26 % of aromatic compounds. Sulphur compounds are represented mainly by benz- and dibenzthiophenes derivatives.
  • The sulphur content is distributed as follows, %: 0.57 - petrol fraction (fl. n.k. - 180оС), 1.16 - diesel fraction (fl. 181-360оС), 2.5 - initial fuel oil M100, 2.6 - residue of distillation of plasma-chemically treated fuel oil M100.
Compliance of heating oil produced from m100 of Yaroslavl Refinery
Compliance of SMT obtained from m100 of Yaroslavl Refinery

Results of application of plasma chemical treatment

on the example of fuel oils

  • At atmospheric distillation of initial fuel oil up to 360oC without PC treatment and after PC treatment about 20% and 64% of distillate fraction is obtained respectively, which meets the requirements for heating fuel. The liquid fractions obtained by PC method can be hydrotreated and processed together with delayed coking and visbreaking fractions.
  • The resulting residue is a component of road bitumen.
  • The energy consumption directly for the PC treatment of 1000 kg of fuel oil is about 6.16 kW.Thus, the PC method at low energy costs can be used as a non-traditional method of processing of oil fuel oil.
  • Experimental production unit
    in a container
Technical characteristics
of the experimental production unit
Heating oil test protocol
Test protocol for low-viscosity marine fuel
Made on
Tilda