AM-13-55 Problems and Solutions for Processing Tight Oils

Description:

Refining of “tight” or “shale” oil extracted through fracturing from fields such as Eagle Ford, Utica and Bakken has become prevalent in many areas of the US. Although these oils are appealing as refinery feedstocks due to their availability and low cost, processing them has proven to be challenging. The quality of the tight oils can be quite variable. The oils can be high in solids with high melting point waxes, and the light paraffinic nature can lead to asphaltene destabilization when blended with heavier crudes. These compositional factors have resulted in cold preheat train fouling, desalter upsets, and fouling of hot preheat exchangers and furnaces. Problems in transportation and storage, finished product quality as well as refinery corrosion have also been reported. The resultant operational issues have led to cases of reduced throughput and even crude unit shutdowns. This paper reviews the problems posed by shale oil processing and presents possible prediction and control strategies.