Turnaround Roundtable Discussion
Turnaround
Facilitator:
Brad Hase, HF Sinclair
Speakers:
Robin Harris, Phillips 66
Mike DeHart, Valero Energy Corporation
Steven Giffin, PBF Energy
Topics:
Planning Norms
Safe Efficient Handover
Craft Skills and Availability
Speakers
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Topic
Break in the HUB
Session Start End
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Equipment Advances
FCC
FCC equipment advances will feature 2 presentations, one focused on the regenerator and one focused on the reactor. The first will discuss a next generation catalyst cooler technology used to debottleneck regenerator constraints and stabilize regenerator operation. The second will cover optimization of the FCC reactor riser hydrodynamic profile to minimize dry gas & coke, increase conversion, and improve reliability.
Facilitator: Todd Hochheiser, Johnson Matthey
1. Advanced Catalyst Cooler Features to Enhance FCC Operational Flexibility
Speakers:
Yongcan Gao, Technip
2. From Vision to Reality - FCC Reactor Riser Improvement
Speakers:
Javier Rios, Honeywell UOP
Nik Larsen, Marathon
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Topic
Hydroprocessing 101: Unit Monitoring
Hydroprocessing
This session will feature a discussion of current hydroprocessing issues by experienced industry panelists. Topics include:
- Co-processing of renewable and crude-based stocks in conventional units
- Feed contaminants effects and solutions
- Catalyst cycle length extension
- Reactor pressure drop causes and mitigations
- Discussion of reactor entry concerns related to pyrophoric catalyst
Facilitator:
Jeff Johns, Becht
Megan Skrodolis, Unicat
Panelists:
Goutam Biswas, Chevron Lummus Global LLC
Oscar Brown, Valero Energy Corporation
Kyle Dunaway, Marathon Petroleum Corporation
Andrea Battiston, Ketjen Corporation
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Topic
Question 74: What are the main causes of vacuum jet ejector poor performance? What methods have you used to mitigate these issues?
Jim Norton and Chris Steves (Norton Engineering)
Diagnosing poor vacuum jet ejector performance can be tricky, but some things to look at while troubleshooting include:
•Look for leaks – even small pinhole leaks anywhere in the ejector, condenser, or diplegs can lead to severe vacuum problems. Consider helium testing to check for leaks, but also get as many eyes on the equipment as possible.
•Check condenser performance for problems in water flow.
•Check for pluggage in the diplegs that could be backing up liquid into the condensers.
•Check to ensure that the ejectors are not overwhelmed by cracked material from overfiring the vacuum heater.
Year
2014
Process
Question 75: Do you draw liquid hydrocarbon from the overhead system in the vacuum tower after the pre-condenser? What is the operating temperature of the tower overhead? What issues do you observe?
Andrew W. Sloley (CH2M HILL)
At vacuum tower top temperatures over 135-150°F some material heavy enough to condense after the pre-condenser goes overhead. In units with extremely paraffinic feeds the hydrocarbon can form wax in the pre-condenser, leading to reduced heat transfer and higher vacuum tower pressures. Other units get liquid carryover from the upper pumparound. This liquid shows up in the precondenser liquid.
Year
2014
Process
Question 76: What is considered industry Best Practices with respect to the control of thermal cracking in vacuum tower bottoms? If quench is not available, what other parameters do you monitor and control? How do you establish the target control points?
Andrew W. Sloley (CH2M HILL)
Thermal cracking of liquid in the vacuum tower bottoms depends upon time and temperature. The higher the temperature, the higher the cracking rate. The longer the residence time, the more cracking. The key to reduced cracking in the vacuum tower bottoms is to keep the bottoms temperature down and the residence time low.
Temperature limits to avoid cracking depend upon the crude. The most common method to reduce thermal cracking uses a quench recycle to cool the boot. Most plants target a bottoms temperature of ~650°F to avoid cracking.
If you cannot reduce the bottoms temperature, the other strategy is to run with minimum liquid inventory in the bottoms.
One of the most sensitive measures of thermal cracking is non-condensable gas make from the vacuum system. Monitor the flow rate of the vacuum system off-gas from the hot well. Higher cracking rates give higher off-gas production.
Year
2014
Process
Question 77: What operating procedures are do you use to mitigate/prevent coking issues in the vacuum tower from loss of wash oil pumps?
Andrew W. Sloley (CH2M HILL)
Wash oil loss can result in coking in either the wash oil delivery system or in the wash bed, or both. The best method is to prevent coking is to keep the wash oil in service. Auto-start of standby wash oil pumps, alternate wash oil supply sources (AGO), and putting pumps on critical service power supply are used.
Steam purge of wash oil spray distributors has been used to prevent nozzle coking.
Coking rates depend upon oil composition, temperature, and residence time. If wash oil is not available, the vacuum heater outlet temperature should be dropped to reduce operating temperature. This will reduce unit yields and put more light material into the vacuum tower bottoms. The lower operating temperature reduces coking directly by cooler operation, and indirectly by reducing the amount of entrainment into the wash bed as a result of lower vapor velocities in the vacuum tower.
Year
2014
Process