Refiners also use modification to achieve finished products
with desired properties by the rearrangement or alteration
of hydrocarbon molecules. Two important modification
processes are catalytic reforming and isomerization.
Catalytic reforming. Catalytic reforming (also
called cat reforming) modifies naphtha into
high-octane blendstocks for gasoline
Isomerization. This is the process used to create isomers. An isomer is a molecule or
compound that has the same number of atoms as another but has a different
arrangement of those atoms, which produces different physical and chemical
properties.
Conversion
Conversion is the broad term applied to processes that crack (break apart),
combine, or modify nongasoline and non–middle-distillate hydrocarbons
into motor gasoline and compounds called middle distillates
Separation/Distillation
In the separation state, the first issue of
concern is the removal of salts and any
remaining water from the crude oil stream.
The incoming crude is typically first
routed to a vessel called a desalter, in
which extra water is added and the
crude/water solution is intensely
mixed and heated to about 250°F.
After the removal of water and salt, the
crude undergoes a process called distillation.
Combination
The opposite of cracking is
combination—the joining together of
smaller hydrocarbon molecules to produce
larger, more valuable ones.
Polymerization.
Polymerization puts together a
series of molecules.
Alkylation. Like polymerization,
alkylation is used to put together
propylene and butylene (from a cracking
unit), but it uses isobutane and acidic
catalysts to produce the desired
higher-octane gasoline blendstock.
Cracking
Cracking is the breaking of large hydrocarbon
molecules into smaller ones. Thermal cracking
uses heat to achieve this end, while catalytic
cracking uses catalysts to do so.
Thermal cracking
Steam cracking. One type of thermal cracking,
steam cracking makes use of high-temperature
steam to do its work
Coking. converts the residuals from distillation into
more-valuable gases, middle distillates, gasoline blendstock,
and naphtha, plus a by-product called coke
Visbreaking. A second kind of thermal
cracking, visbreaking is used to reduce the
viscosity of heavy residual fuel oil.
Catalytic cracking uses heat and pressure, but it also
employs a catalyst to either speed up the process or allow
it to occur at a lower temperature..
BY HUMBERTO
PONCE
Enhancement
In general terms, enhancement is the use of selected processes to remove
unwanted elements or compounds from a hydrocarbon at some stage in the
refinery
Hydroprocessing
Hydroprocessing uses hydrogen to remove sulfur,
nitrogen, nickel, and vanadium from gasoline and middle
distillates.
Amine treating
Also sometimes called amine washing, this process
uses amine solvents to remove hydrogen sulfide, a
highly toxic gas, from oil.
Solvent extraction
A third common enhancement process, solvent
extraction is also known as solvent recovery. At various
stages in the refinery system, operators introduce a
solvent into a product stream to selectively remove some
component.
Sweetening
Sweetening is the process used to neutralize the
sulfur compound mercaptan in gasoline and other
intermediate and finished products.