Hydrocarbon Processing - February 2022 - 44

Bio-Based Processing
can have detrimental effects and must
either be minimized or mitigated.
Another major process change associated
with biofeed co-processing is an
increase in total system CO2
, although an amine
. The main
amine system is generally able to handle
the additional CO2
system already at its limits may require
additional (usually heat exchanger) equipment
installation to manage the extra CO2
picked up by the amine solvent. In some
instances, changing the solvent can provide
the additional capacity needed without
capital investment, and can offset the
impact of additional CO2
stream SRU by slipping more CO2
on the downinto
the
product hydrocarbon streams. Depending
on the co-processing methodology, foaming
and emulsification issues can be severe,
and normal management techniques
such as anti-foam injection and carbon
bed filtering may be insufficient.
The increased CO2
concentration in
the combined sour feed gas to the SRU
should not be a problem for already-rich
feeds (> 90% H2
S). However, for leaner
feeds, care should be taken to ensure
that the reaction furnace temperature remains
at a minimum of 1,250°C to avoid
contaminant breakthroughs. This can be
done by either co-firing with a fuel gas of
stable composition, installing an oxygen
enrichment system where burner turndown
capability allows, or by increasing
the bypass fraction in the case of a splitflow
furnace design.
As was the case with the main amine
system, the absorber of an amine-based
TGTU will encounter more CO2
. Amine
circulation rates, amine strength and solvent
selection can be adjusted to increase
the CO2
preventing it from diluting the SRU feed
stream, while holding the H2
will also
U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and
Technical Information, 1986.
21
slip in the absorber, thereby
S concentration
in the absorber vent gas to specification.
Nonetheless, the extra CO2
require more duty from the TGTU regenerator
reboiler and reflux condenser.
Understanding how biofeedstocks interplay
with existing refinery infrastructure
is critical for achieving smooth, easy
and cost-effective co-processing. The
effects and solutions listed in this article
should serve as a guideline for determining
the key parameters to monitor at a facility,
along with ways to minimize operational
issues as the world moves toward
more green fuel sources.
NOTES
a Optimized Gas Treating's ProTreat™
b
Aspen Technology's Aspen-HYSYS™
This work was first presented at the 28th European
Biomass Conference & Exhibition (EUBCE 2020).
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank MPR Services for
sharing information on FCCU breakdown products,
Jeroen Engels for his assistance with graphics and formatting,
and Peter Seville for the proofing of this paper.
LITERATURE CITED
18
Paskall, H. G., " Capability of the modified-Claus
process: A final report to the Department of Energy
and Natural Resources of the Province of Alberta, "
Western Research and Development, 1979.
19
Klint, B. W. and P. R. Dale, " Ammonia destruction
in Claus sulfur recovery units, " Laurance Reid Gas
Conditioning Conference, 1999.
20
Goar, B. G., W. P. Hegarty and T. W. Thew, " How to
cope with your sulfide problems (COPE process;
use of oxygen enriched air to increase capacity), "
23
Klint, B. W., " Hydrocarbon destruction in the
Claus SRU reaction furnace, " Laurance Reid Gas
Conditioning Conference, Norman, Oklahoma, 2020.
22
Keller, A., E. Nasato, B. Welch and G. Bohme,
" Fundamentals of sulfur recovery, " Laurance
Reid Gas Conditioning Conference, Norman,
Oklahoma, 2021.
Lambrichts, J., " Hydrogen sulfide recovery at the Eni
Porto Marghera Green refinery using UCARSOL
solvent acid gas enrichment (AGE) technology, "
International
Refining and Petrochemical
Conference (IRPC), 2014.
24
Van Son, M., " Biofuels integration with refinery sulfur
complex, " REFCOMM Conference, 2021.
PHILIP LE GRANGE is a chartered
Chemical Engineer with 15 yr in
operating, design and consulting
roles. He has performed
troubleshooting, optimizing,
commissioning and training on the
amine and sour water systems at 77
production facilities across 31 countries. He is a
co-author of the industry reference textbook Amine
Treating and Sour Water Stripping.
KAIYR TEKEBAYEV is a Process
Engineer at Sulphur Experts,
specializing in the commissioning
and startup of sulfur and amine
facilities. He is passionate about
developments in the renewable
energy industry and is working
toward obtaining an MS degree in renewable energy
engineering from the University of Aberdeen.
LEAH GOETTLER is a Chemical
Engineer with 4 yr of experience as
a Process Engineer-in-Training at
Sulphur Experts. During that time,
she has been directly involved in
more than 35 different sulfur
recovery plant projects, with work
ranging from testing and optimization to design
evaluations across North America, Europe, Asia and
the Eastern Mediterranean.
JAN KIEBERT is a Regional Manager
for Sulphur Experts, responsible for
projects in Europe, the Middle East
and Asia. Since 2005, he has been
directly involved in all aspects of
the process engineering consulting
work conducted by Sulphur Experts
and has worked in more than 35 countries. Mr. Kiebert
has provided consulting services in plant
troubleshooting, inspections, reliability studies, design
evaluations, testing and plant optimization for the
sour gas and oil refining industries. He is also one of
the primary speakers at Sulphur Experts' globally
recognized Sulphur Recovery Seminar, which has
been presented at nearly 100 sites around the world.
MIKE SHEILAN is the Co-founder
of Amine Experts and is the Senior
Principal Engineer for Amine
Experts and Dehydration Experts.
For 41 yr, he has provided training
and consulting services in hydrate
control, gas dehydration, gas
FIG. 14. The effect of CO2
slip on reaction furnace temperature and inlet CO2
44 FEBRUARY 2022 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com
concentration.
and liquid sweetening, hydrocarbon recovery and
sulfur plant operations.He is a co-author of the
industry reference textbook Amine Treating and
Sour Water Stripping.
http://www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com
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