AM-17-36 Leveraging Hydrocracking to Upgrade Heavy, Low Value Streams

Description:

The global refining market continues to be very challenging as oil prices remain low and economic drivers push refiners to process heavier, more difficult, and sourer crudes. These opportunity crudes generate a higher percentage of the distressed streams which are either blended into lower value dispositions or, more recently, serve as feed streams to other conversion units. Today upgrading these difficult streams into light, more valuable liquid products becomes paramount under the current conditions as low value outlets disappear – especially in light of the recent International Maritime Organization (IMO) decision on bunker fuel quality. The following case studies offer an exploration of refineries that leverage the flexibility of hydrocracker pretreat catalyst systems to upgrade low value, highly processed material via hydrocracking without sacrificing run length, product quality, or margin by disposition of these streams as low-valued exports. These streams include, but are not limited to, products from thermal cracking, de-asphalting units, catalytic cracking, coking, lube extraction, or ebullated bed residue upgraders. The three case studies described here demonstrate the different operating challenges and catalyst strategies employed to upgrade a broad range of very difficult feedstocks into premium quality clean fuel products. The final case study focuses on the Shell Scotford refinery to illustrates the evolution of pretreat design and operating strategies that addresses the increasingly demanding cycle objectives for converting synthetic feeds derived from tar sand bitumen via hydrocracking. We continue working together to identify opportunities to improve unit performance, and solutions to achieve the ultimate goal of minimizing or eliminating low-valued stream exports by upgrading these materials into high value, clean fuels.