Optimization of crude oil refining products to valuable fuel blends

ABSTRACT

Crude oils are composed of hundreds of different hydrocarbon molecules, which are separated through the process of refining and small quantities of oxygen, sulfur, nitrogen, vanadium, nickel, and chromium. An oil refinery is a group of manufacturing plants that are used to separate petroleum into valuable fractions. Oil refining is one of the most complex chemical industries, which includes many different and complex processes with several possible connections. In the process of distillation, crude oil is heated in a furnace so that hydrocarbons can be separated via their boiling point. The main purposes of crude oil blending are to optimize commercial value, to upgrade or reduce oil consumption to meet specifications and to facilitate oil movement. Simulation software, such as linear programming modeling, is often used to estimate the rate components that provide a low cost mix. The aim of blending of crude oils and refinery products is to increase the refined margins without affecting the required physical properties of the blends. The optimization of in crude oil blends and maximization of low-cost refinery intermediates in final blends are the basic processes for achieving this goal of using cheap crude oils. The highest degree of blending optimization requires continuous updating of the simulation model by adapting to real-time analytical trends.

KEYWORDS:

• Crude oil refining
• distillation
• fuel blends
• end user products
• optimization