AM-00-36 IMPROVE REFINERY PROFITABILITY BY DEBOTTLENECKING HYDROGEN MAKE-UP COMPRESSORS

Description:

Sunoco’s Toledo refinery realized significant gains in hydrocracker throughput and to the bottom line by debottlenecking its hydrogen make-up compressors. Maintaining, even improving, compressor reliability and operating flexibility was one of the guiding principles throughout this process. Two Cooper Bessemer three stage LM-3 reciprocating compressors supply high purity make-up hydrogen to the hydrocracker reactors at 1,450 psig. The compressors were originally installed in 1968 when the unit was first built; no modifications had been made until the recent debottlenecking efforts. Prior to the recent debottlenecking efforts, hydrocracker unit feed rates were limited by the high pressure hydrogen available to the reactors. As a result of this project, both compressor flow rates have been debottlenecked to 112.4 % of its original capacity. The new compressor flow rates were verified by post-modification process audits.