DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR ULSD HYDROTREATERS

Description:

In mid-2006, the United States EPA rules mandating a maximum sulfur content of 15 wppm for on-road diesel fuel will be implemented. Refiners are considering several strategies for compliance with this rule: · Revamp of existing facilities commissioned in the early nineties to meet the low sulfur diesel rules (500wppm sulfur) · Construction of grass roots facilities to meet the new ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) specification · Various combinations of new and revamped facilities In this paper, critical process design issues for hydrotreating diesel fuel to meet the future ULSD requirements will be addressed. These concepts will be illustrated in a case study including investment requirements and life cycle costs for a grass roots 30,000 BPSD hydrotreater to manufacture ULSD. The feed is a 70/30 mixture of virgin distillate and FCC light cycle oil and was the basis for a previous Mustang Engineers and Constructors, L.L.P. NPRA paper (AM-01- 022) for revamping an existing facility to meet the ULSD specification.