New upgrading options of heavy oil fractions from Algerian refineries

ABSTRACT

The global demand for petroleum products is increasing year by year quantitatively and qualitatively. Besides the clear products supplied by the fractionation of crude oil, there are a number of heavy petroleum products obtained from the secondary treatment, which are not the proper use; they are often used as components of fuel oil. Now, all the refineries are equipped by hydrotreating facilities aimed to transform these fractions heavy in market value of products most important. Consequently, the choice of adequate processes is a major challenge for oil refineries. The objective of this work is to value these heavy cuts by the catalytic cracking process, which is the most suitable method and is the only one existing in Algeria.

KEYWORDS:

• Catalytic cracking
• fractionation
• heavy products
• processes
• refineries

Acknowledgments

The authors thank greatly the management and staff of the two refineries (Arzew and Adrar) who provided the products made by their companies.

Nomenclature

Co	=	Global content carbon in the molecule
Ca	=	Aromatic content carbon in the molecule
Cp	=	Paraffinic content carbon in the molecule
Cn	=	Naphtenic content carbon in the molecule
KUOP	=	Characterization factor
Ko	=	Global number of cycles in the molecule
Ka	=	Aromatic number of cycles in the molecule
Kn	=	Naphtenic number of cycles in the molecule
PPM	=	Parts per million
P	=	Pressure
VD	=	Vacuum distillation