AM-04-33 FCC Hydrotreater Revamp For Low Sulfur Gasoline

Description:

As part of Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC (MAP) clean fuels program at the Catlettsburg, KY., Refinery, the existing Fluid Catalytic Cracker (FCC) feed hydrotreating unit was revamped to allow increased capacity, processing of tougher feeds, and production of lower sulfur product. The design rate increased from 40,000 to 60,000 barrels per stream day (bpsd) and the blended feed to the unit will contain 15 percent deasphalted oil. The hydrotreated product sulfur specification is set at 750 ppm to produce FCC gasoline that can be blended directly into the gasoline pool and still meet the future low sulfur gasoline specifications. The primary revamp included addition of four new reactors, additional exchangers, a new membrane unit for purifying hydrogen, and upgrading of the wash water system. The unit modifications described in this paper are part of an overall restructuring of the Catlettsburg refinery and will not only enable MAP to meet the requirements of the clean fuels project, but also provide a return on the investment with improved FCC operation.