AM-14-38 Advances in Cracked Naphtha Hydrotreating

Description:

Throughout the refining industry, the interest in processing heavier, sour crudes has grown as refiners seek to avoid the market premium required for purchasing lighter, sweeter, crudes. Focusing in on North America, carbon rejection technologies such as delayed cokers were the predominant method selected to increase residue conversion in the years preceding the current low cost hydrogen environment due to the favorable installation and operating costs versus residue hydrocracking. This delayed coking of the residue streams has led to larger quantities of coker-derived materials requiring processing within the refinery. Increasing production of coker materials, including coker naphtha, has also coincided with a reduction of the gasoline pool sulfur content from 30 wppm for the Tier 2 gasoline pool sulfur specifications down to the 10 wppm level through the Tier 3 regulations. This combination effect of deeper desulfurization on the cracked streams feeding the gasoline pool and the increased impurities found in these same cracked streams are challenging existing hydrotreating assets and leading to shorter cycles in both the naphtha range hydrotreaters and downstream processing equipment.