EP1971676A1 - Method and system for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream - Google Patents

Method and system for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream

Info

Publication number
EP1971676A1
EP1971676A1 EP05825278A EP05825278A EP1971676A1 EP 1971676 A1 EP1971676 A1 EP 1971676A1 EP 05825278 A EP05825278 A EP 05825278A EP 05825278 A EP05825278 A EP 05825278A EP 1971676 A1 EP1971676 A1 EP 1971676A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
internals
column
vessel
bitumen
aromatic
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP05825278A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Inventor
Steven Paul Kaija
Marc Rene Charles Lacrampe
Daryl Alban Perrin
William James Power
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Original Assignee
Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV filed Critical Shell Internationale Research Maatschappij BV
Publication of EP1971676A1 publication Critical patent/EP1971676A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C10PETROLEUM, GAS OR COKE INDUSTRIES; TECHNICAL GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE; FUELS; LUBRICANTS; PEAT
    • C10GCRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION; RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES
    • C10G75/00Inhibiting corrosion or fouling in apparatus for treatment or conversion of hydrocarbon oils, in general
    • C10G75/04Inhibiting corrosion or fouling in apparatus for treatment or conversion of hydrocarbon oils, in general by addition of antifouling agents
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11DDETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
    • C11D7/00Compositions of detergents based essentially on non-surface-active compounds
    • C11D7/22Organic compounds
    • C11D7/24Hydrocarbons
    • C11D7/247Hydrocarbons aromatic
    • CCHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11DDETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
    • C11D2111/00Cleaning compositions characterised by the objects to be cleaned; Cleaning compositions characterised by non-standard cleaning or washing processes
    • C11D2111/10Objects to be cleaned
    • C11D2111/14Hard surfaces
    • C11D2111/16Metals

Definitions

  • the invention relates to a method and system for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream.
  • a vessel may be a diluent recovery column and/or other vessel for separating, heating, distilling and/or fractionating a heavy hydrocarbon stream in a bitumen or other heavy hydrocarbon refining plant.
  • Bitumen that may be produced from a heavy oil or oil sand deposit, either by surface mining or by steam injection into the deposit, typically has such a high viscosity that it is required to add a diluent to the produced bitumen stream in order to reduce the viscosity such that the bitumen is pumpable through a pipeline from the production site to a processing facility.
  • the diluent may comprise paraffinic components such as pentane and/or hexane, which are recovered in a diluent recovery column in a bitumen refining plant and subsequently recycled to the production site for reinjection into the bitumen transportation pipeline.
  • paraffinic components such as pentane and/or hexane
  • a problem with currently available diluent recovery columns and other heavy hydrocarbon processing vessels is that the internals of these vessels are susceptible to fouling by asphaltene deposits and that these deposits cannot be adequately washed from these internals by means of currently available cleansing liquids. This is because the reflux stream, normally used to wash the internals, is highly paraffinic and therefore unable to effectively re-dissolve the asphaltenes that have precipitated on the internals .
  • the method according to the invention for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream comprises introducing a cleansing stream comprising aromatic and/or naphthenic components into the vessel such that the cleansing stream flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals of the vessel and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from said internals.
  • the vessel may be a vessel for separating, heating, distilling and/or fractionating a bitumen and/or other heavy hydrocarbon stream.
  • the vessel may be a separating vessel formed by a diluent recovery column at the upstream side of a bitumen refinery plant, in which column diluent, in particular a paraffinic diluent such as pentane and/or hexane, is separated from the bitumen and subsequently recycled to the production site for reinjection into the bitumen transportation pipeline .
  • the vessel is a diluent recovery column in a bitumen refinery plant it is preferred to recycle an aromatic light gas oil from a distillation column which is located in the bitumen refinery plant downstream of the diluent recovery column, such that the recycled aromatic light gas oil flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals of the diluent recovery column and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from said internals.
  • the recycled aromatic light gas oil is typically added to the reflux stream in the diluent recovery column, on an intermittent basis.
  • the diluent recovery column is a preflash column in which a pentane and/or hexane and/or other diluent is separated from bitumen, which column is located upstream of a bitumen heating furnace of the bitumen refining plant and the recycled aromatic light gas oil is recycled from an atmospheric distillation column which is located downstream of the bitumen heating furnace.
  • the internals of the preflash column comprise a packing which at least partly made of stainless steel in at least part of the region of the interior of the preflash column where the diluted bitumen stream enters the interior of the preflash column.
  • the recycled aromatic light gas oil has an average carbon number less than 18 and a boiling range between 100 and 400 degrees Celsius at atmospheric pressure and comprises at least 60 vol% of aromatic components and less than 40vol% of paraffinic components.
  • the recycled aromatic light gas oil is introduced to the reflux stream, so that the recycle stream and the reflux stream, in combination, comprise at least 50 vol% of aromatic components and less than 50 vol% of paraffinic components .
  • the system according to the invention for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream comprises means for introducing a cleansing stream comprising aromatic and/or naphthenic components into the vessel such that the cleansing stream flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals of the vessel and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from said internals .
  • the system may comprise a conduit for recycling an aromatic light gas oil from a distillation column which is located in a bitumen refining plant downstream of the diluent recovery column into the diluent recovery column such that in use the recycled aromatic light gas oil flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from the internals .
  • FIG.l is a schematic flowscheme of a bitumen refining plant in which light gas oil is recycled from a distillation column to a diluent recovery column in accordance with the invention. DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
  • FIG.l provides a flowscheme of a bitumen refining plant in which light gas oil is recycled from a distillation column into a diluent recovery column.
  • FIG.l a refining unit is shown which comprises a preflash diluent recovery column 1 and an atmospheric distillation column 2 from which an aromatic light gas oil (LGO) is recycled back into the diluent recovery column 1 via a LGO recycling conduit 3.
  • LGO aromatic light gas oil
  • the aromatic LGO is combined with the reflux stream 9 of the diluent recovery unit 1.
  • the plant furthermore comprises a vacuum distillation column 4, a diluent recovery unit 5 which is connected to a diluent outlet conduit 6 at the upper end of the preflash diluent recovery column 1 and various pumps/condensors 7 and furnaces 8.
  • a diluted bitumen stream is pumped from an oil sand production site (not shown) into the preflash diluent recovery column 1 via a diluted bitumen transportation pipeline 10

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Wood Science & Technology (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Production Of Liquid Hydrocarbon Mixture For Refining Petroleum (AREA)

Abstract

A method for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream, such as a paraffinic diluent recovery column (1) in a bitumen refining plant, comprises introducing a cleansing stream (3) comprising aromatic and/or naphthenic components into the vessel such that the cleansing stream flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals of the vessel and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from said internals. The cleansing stream (3) may comprise an aromatic and/or naphthenic light gas oil (LGO), which is recycled from an atmospheric distillation column (2) in a bitumen refining plant.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR WASHING THE INTERNALS OF A VESSEL FOR PROCESSING A HEAVY HYDROCARBON STREAM
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and system for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream. Such a vessel may be a diluent recovery column and/or other vessel for separating, heating, distilling and/or fractionating a heavy hydrocarbon stream in a bitumen or other heavy hydrocarbon refining plant.
It is known from International patent application WO00/39251 to remove solids, particularly catalyst fines from an asphaltene-containing hydrocarbon liquid by contacting the liquid with a solvent which may comprise an alkane, such as propane to pentanes, and the mixture may be heated until the asphaltenes precipitate to a separate phase and can be separated from the mixture. The known method is not suitable to wash the internals of a heavy hydrocarbon processing vessel in an efficient manner .
Bitumen, that may be produced from a heavy oil or oil sand deposit, either by surface mining or by steam injection into the deposit, typically has such a high viscosity that it is required to add a diluent to the produced bitumen stream in order to reduce the viscosity such that the bitumen is pumpable through a pipeline from the production site to a processing facility.
The diluent may comprise paraffinic components such as pentane and/or hexane, which are recovered in a diluent recovery column in a bitumen refining plant and subsequently recycled to the production site for reinjection into the bitumen transportation pipeline.
A problem with currently available diluent recovery columns and other heavy hydrocarbon processing vessels is that the internals of these vessels are susceptible to fouling by asphaltene deposits and that these deposits cannot be adequately washed from these internals by means of currently available cleansing liquids. This is because the reflux stream, normally used to wash the internals, is highly paraffinic and therefore unable to effectively re-dissolve the asphaltenes that have precipitated on the internals .
The method and system according to the present invention aim to provide a solution to this problem. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The method according to the invention for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream comprises introducing a cleansing stream comprising aromatic and/or naphthenic components into the vessel such that the cleansing stream flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals of the vessel and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from said internals.
The vessel may be a vessel for separating, heating, distilling and/or fractionating a bitumen and/or other heavy hydrocarbon stream. In particular, the vessel may be a separating vessel formed by a diluent recovery column at the upstream side of a bitumen refinery plant, in which column diluent, in particular a paraffinic diluent such as pentane and/or hexane, is separated from the bitumen and subsequently recycled to the production site for reinjection into the bitumen transportation pipeline . If the vessel is a diluent recovery column in a bitumen refinery plant it is preferred to recycle an aromatic light gas oil from a distillation column which is located in the bitumen refinery plant downstream of the diluent recovery column, such that the recycled aromatic light gas oil flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals of the diluent recovery column and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from said internals. The recycled aromatic light gas oil is typically added to the reflux stream in the diluent recovery column, on an intermittent basis.
In an embodiment the diluent recovery column is a preflash column in which a pentane and/or hexane and/or other diluent is separated from bitumen, which column is located upstream of a bitumen heating furnace of the bitumen refining plant and the recycled aromatic light gas oil is recycled from an atmospheric distillation column which is located downstream of the bitumen heating furnace.
It is preferred that the internals of the preflash column comprise a packing which at least partly made of stainless steel in at least part of the region of the interior of the preflash column where the diluted bitumen stream enters the interior of the preflash column.
Preferably, the recycled aromatic light gas oil has an average carbon number less than 18 and a boiling range between 100 and 400 degrees Celsius at atmospheric pressure and comprises at least 60 vol% of aromatic components and less than 40vol% of paraffinic components.
It is furthermore preferred that the recycled aromatic light gas oil is introduced to the reflux stream, so that the recycle stream and the reflux stream, in combination, comprise at least 50 vol% of aromatic components and less than 50 vol% of paraffinic components .
The system according to the invention for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream comprises means for introducing a cleansing stream comprising aromatic and/or naphthenic components into the vessel such that the cleansing stream flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals of the vessel and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from said internals .
If the vessel is a diluent recovery column in a bitumen refining plant then the system may comprise a conduit for recycling an aromatic light gas oil from a distillation column which is located in a bitumen refining plant downstream of the diluent recovery column into the diluent recovery column such that in use the recycled aromatic light gas oil flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from the internals .
These and other features and advantages of the method and system according to the present invention are further detailed in the appended claims, abstract and detailed description of a preferred embodiment in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG.l is a schematic flowscheme of a bitumen refining plant in which light gas oil is recycled from a distillation column to a diluent recovery column in accordance with the invention. DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.l, which provides a flowscheme of a bitumen refining plant in which light gas oil is recycled from a distillation column into a diluent recovery column.
In FIG.l a refining unit is shown which comprises a preflash diluent recovery column 1 and an atmospheric distillation column 2 from which an aromatic light gas oil (LGO) is recycled back into the diluent recovery column 1 via a LGO recycling conduit 3. The aromatic LGO is combined with the reflux stream 9 of the diluent recovery unit 1.
The plant furthermore comprises a vacuum distillation column 4, a diluent recovery unit 5 which is connected to a diluent outlet conduit 6 at the upper end of the preflash diluent recovery column 1 and various pumps/condensors 7 and furnaces 8.
A diluted bitumen stream is pumped from an oil sand production site (not shown) into the preflash diluent recovery column 1 via a diluted bitumen transportation pipeline 10
Several laboratory experiments have been carried out to investigate the fouling of the preflash diluent recovery column 1 which revealed that recirculation of aromatic light oil LGO effectively flushes asphaltene deposits from the internals of the preflash diluent recovery column 1 and that it is beneficial that these internals are made of smooth stainless steel packings.

Claims

C L A I M S
1. A method for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream, the method comprising introducing a cleansing stream comprising aromatic and/or naphthenic components into the vessel such that the cleansing stream flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals of the vessel and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from said internals.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the vessel is a diluent recovery column in a bitumen refining plant and the cleansing stream comprises an aromatic light gas oil which is recycled from a distillation column which is located in the plant downstream of the diluent recovery column .
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the recycled aromatic gas oil comprises at least 60 vol% of aromatic components and less than 40 vol% of paraffinic components.
4. The method of claim 3, wherein the recycled aromatic gas oil is combined with the reflux stream in the diluent recovery column such that the combined stream comprises at least 50 vol% of aromatic components and less than 50 vol% of paraffinic components.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the diluent recovery column is a preflash column in which diluent, in particular a paraffinic diluent such as pentane and/or hexane is separated from bitumen, which column is located upstream of a bitumen heating furnace of the bitumen refining plant.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the recycled aromatic light gas oil is recycled from an atmospheric distillation column which is located downstream of the bitumen heating furnace.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the internals of the preflash column comprise a packing which at least partly made of stainless steel in at least part of the region of the interior of the preflash column where the diluted bitumen stream enters the interior of the preflash column.
8. The method any one of claims 2-7, wherein the recycled aromatic light gas oil has an average carbon number less than 18 and a boiling range between 100 and 400 degrees Celsius at atmospheric pressure.
9. A system for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream, the system comprising means for introducing a cleansing stream comprising aromatic and/or naphthenic components into the vessel such that the cleansing stream flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals of the vessel and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from said internals.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the vessel is a diluent recovery column in a bitumen refining plant, and the system comprises a conduit for recycling an aromatic light gas oil from a distillation column which is located in the plant downstream of the diluent recovery column into the diluent recovery column such that the recycled aromatic light gas oil flows along at least a substantial part of the surface of the internals and flushes precipitated asphaltene deposits from the internals.
11. The system of claim 10, wherein the recycled conduit is arranged between the preflash column and an atmospheric distillation column which is located downstream of the bitumen heating furnace.
12. The system of claim 11, wherein the internals of the preflash column comprise a packing which at least partly > made of stainless steel in at least part of the region of the interior of the preflash column where the diluted bitumen stream enters the interior of the preflash column .
EP05825278A 2006-01-18 2006-01-18 Method and system for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream Withdrawn EP1971676A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
PCT/EP2005/056899 WO2007082550A1 (en) 2006-01-18 2006-01-18 Method and system for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1971676A1 true EP1971676A1 (en) 2008-09-24

Family

ID=36204600

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP05825278A Withdrawn EP1971676A1 (en) 2006-01-18 2006-01-18 Method and system for washing the internals of a vessel for processing a heavy hydrocarbon stream

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1971676A1 (en)
CN (1) CN101360815A (en)
BR (1) BRPI0621232A2 (en)
EA (1) EA014005B1 (en)
WO (1) WO2007082550A1 (en)

Families Citing this family (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR102075855B1 (en) * 2010-12-14 2020-02-10 사솔 테크날러지 (프로프라이어터리) 리미티드 Cleaning of process equipment
CN103611713A (en) * 2013-11-08 2014-03-05 常州大学 Cleaning device and cleaning method for dirt at top of distilling tower and whole distilling tower

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4035282A (en) * 1975-08-20 1977-07-12 Shell Canada Limited Process for recovery of bitumen from a bituminous froth
IT1273513B (en) * 1995-04-07 1997-07-08 Agip Spa EFFECTIVE COMPOSITION IN THE REMOVAL OF ASPHALTENES
KR100632536B1 (en) * 2000-03-20 2006-10-09 에스케이 주식회사 Fouling removal detergent composition and use thereof
CN100516454C (en) * 2001-07-31 2009-07-22 帝国大学改革有限公司 Method of controlling asphaltene precipitation in a fluid
AU2003282973A1 (en) * 2002-10-21 2004-05-13 United Energy Corporation Cleaning compositions for oil-gas wells, well lines, casings, equipment, storage tanks, etc., and method of use
US6984614B1 (en) * 2005-01-10 2006-01-10 Als Jerome S Composition and method for removing deposits

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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Title
See references of WO2007082550A1 *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
CN101360815A (en) 2009-02-04
EA200801712A1 (en) 2008-12-30
BRPI0621232A2 (en) 2016-08-30
EA014005B1 (en) 2010-08-30
WO2007082550A1 (en) 2007-07-26

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