Exergy Analysis Applications in the Hydrocracking Processes

The hydrocracking process is the main important conversion process in oil refineries and there has been sustained effort to improve its energy efficiency. Actually, most of the refining petroleum processes use considerably more energy than the operational minimum energy requirements because of their energy losses. These external energy losses are due to many factors, including normally inefficient or outdated equipment and process design, inadequate heat recovery and poor integration of heat sources and sinks. However, without identifying the quality of the energy losses, it is difficult to determine how much of that energy it is feasible to recover under realistic plant operating conditions. This is where exergy analysis can significantly assist in determining energy recovery opportunities. Thus, in this study, the principle of exergy analysis is applied for assessing the quality of energy wasted in the hydrocrcking process. Based on the result obtained, the flue gas exhaust and the high pressure drop in reaction section can be considered as the exergy losses sources in this process. Moreover, the portion of waste energy that can be practically recovered is quantified. Finally, the results show 6.4MW exergy losses can be recovered in the process.

Keywords:

Hydrocracking , Energy loss , Exergy analysis , Efficiency