PrintConsiderations for the Future Refinery
Figure 11.9 recaps some considerations for the future refinery, as discussed above, and lists the future challenges that include the need to process heavier and more contaminated crude oils to produce cleaner products than before. Production of diesel from highly aromatic by-product from FCC (LCO) remains a concern for the cost and quality of diesel fuel produced in the U.S. refineries. Also, extensive hydrotreatment to comply with the limits on heteroatom levels in fuels would negatively affect the octane numbers of gasoline because during hydrotreatment, olefins and aromatic compounds may be hydrogenated, thus reducing the octane number. No such conflict exists for diesel fuel, because cetane number of diesel actually increases with hydrogenation. It is clear that the hydrogen demand for the future refinery will keep increasing, and refineries will build or expand the existing hydrogen production capacity.
Future Refinery
-Increasingly heavier and more sour crude supply
-Demand for cleaner and higher-performance transportation fuels
-Challenges for future refineries
Heavy residue conversion
Reduction of heteroatoms and aromatics in fuels
Diesel problem in the US
Attainment of the required performance characteristics
Octane number (Conflict!)
Centane number
-Increasingly higher demand for hydrogen