Simulation–Optimization-Based Design of Crude Oil Distillation Systems with Preflash Units

In energy-intensive crude oil distillation systems, with their distillation units and heat recovery systems, preflash units can create opportunities to reduce demand for fired heating and increase heat recovery. As holistic, systematic design methodologies are not available for design of crude oil distillation systems with preflash units, this work proposes a simulation-based design approach, where the objective is to minimize fired heat demand of the system. The approach exploits interactions between the separation and heat recovery systems, considering product quality and yield. Rigorous distillation models in Aspen HYSYS, pinch analysis, and randomized optimization (a genetic algorithm) are employed, via a MatLab interface, to minimize hot utility demand by optimizing operating variables and one structural variable, namely, the feed location of the preflash vapor. A case study demonstrates the approach, showing that a preflash unit can reduce hot utility demand but that the system is vulnerable to yiel...

[1]  Robin Smith,et al.  Chemical Process: Design and Integration , 2005 .

[2]  J Shalini,et al.  Steady State Modelling Of Chemical Systems By Using Neural Networks , 2012 .

[3]  Stuart Fraser.  Distillation in Refining , 2014 .

[4]  Lluvia M. Ochoa-Estopier,et al.  Optimisation of Existing Heat-Integrated Crude Oil Distillation Systems , 2014 .

[5]  Robert N. Watkins.  Petroleum Refinery Distillation , 1973 .

[6]  Lu Chen,et al.  Heat integrated crude oil distillation system design , 2008 .

[7]  Ignacio E. Grossmann,et al.  Rigorous Design of Distillation Columns: Integration of Disjunctive Programming and Process Simulators , 2005 .

[8]  M. A. Salih,et al.  Evaluation of the Efficiency of the Combustion Furnace of the Delayed Coking Unit by Manipulating the Parameters that Affect the Furnace Efficiency , 2018 .

[9]  Mark Beale,et al.  Neural Network Toolbox™ User's Guide , 2015 .

[10]  Kan Wang,et al.  Optimization of a crude oil distillation unit based on total-process simulation , 2016 .

[11]  Massimiliano Errico,et al.  Energy saving in a crude distillation unit by a preflash implementation , 2009 .

[13]  J. Sunarso,et al.  A new graphical method to target carbon dioxide emission reductions by simultaneously aligning fuel switching, energy saving, investment cost, carbon credit, and payback time , 2018 .

[14]  Tahar Benali,et al.  An improved crude oil atmospheric distillation process for energy integration: Part I: Energy and exergy analyses of the process when a flash is installed in the preheating train , 2012 .

[15]  Alfred A. Susu,et al.  A Review of an Expert System Design for Crude Oil Distillation Column Using the Neural Networks Model and Process Optimization and Control Using Genetic Algorithm Framework , 2013 .

[16]  Kai Ming Ting,et al.  Confusion Matrix , 2010, Encyclopedia of Machine Learning and Data Mining.

[17]  Xiao Jun.  Application of Genetic Algorithms , 2005 .

[18]  Miguel J. Bagajewicz,et al.  Design of Crude Fractionation Units with Preflashing or Prefractionation: Energy Targeting , 2002 .

[19]  Robin Smith,et al.  Simulation-optimisation-based Design of Crude Oil Distillation Systems with Preflash Units , 2017 .

[20]  G. Guillén‐Gosálbez,et al.  Optimization-based Design of Crude Oil Distillation Units using Rigorous Simulation Models , 2017 .

[21]  Dauda Ibrahim.  Optimal design of flexible heat-integrated crude oil distillation systems , 2018 .

[22]  Andrew Hoadley,et al.  Energy optimization of crude oil distillation using different designs of pre-flash drums , 2014 .

[23]  Fakhri Karray,et al.  Development of neural network models for a crude oil distillation column , 2003 .

[24]  Jinsheng Sun,et al.  Selecting the Optimum Predistillation Scheme for Heavy Crude Oils , 2011 .

[25]  Alexandre Szklo,et al.  Fuel specification, energy consumption and CO2 emission in oil refineries , 2007 .

[26]  S. W. Golden.  Prevent preflash drum foaming , 1997 .