A refinery is an industrial plant made up of several equipment required in transforming petroleum (crude oil) into several usable petroleum by-products. Before this process can be carried out, petroleum/natural gasses in its crude state need to be drilled out of the earth crust using highly sophisticated machinery.
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Oil and gas refining processes can be divided into chemical methods and physical chemistry methods. The available equipment, quality of crude oil, and the application of the refined oil will determine which of the processes is suitable. Some of the by-products that are extracted from Crude oil include gasoline (petrol), asphalt base, diesel fuel, heating oil, liquified petroleum gas (LPG), petrochemical feedstocks and many more.
This article contains the history of oil refining, the impact of oil refinery machines, and all major processes required in refining crude oil.
Ever since the invention of proper oil refinery equipment, crude oil discovery has been a global phenomenon. According to one of the famous works of Chinese geographer, politician, and writer Li Daoyuan, the history of oil refining can be traced back to the Northern Wei Dynasty, in the first century, around 512 &#; 518 AD.
Along the years, there have been a lot of notable periods where crude oil was processed to form usable products. One of which was recorded in the year 865 &#; 925 AD, where some Arab handbooks were said to have contained descriptions of how crude oil was often distilled by Arab chemists to make tar used on its streets.
The modern history of crude oil is said to have begun in the year when the Canadian Abraham Gessner devised a means to produce kerosene using coal. A few years later, Igy Łukasiewicz adopted the process and commenced the production of kerosene from hand dug oil wells. Meanwhile, Romania was able to house the world&#;s first industrial petroleum refinery due to the abundance of crude oil on its soil.
Initially, kerosene was the first by-product derived from crude oil refining. And this discovery paved the way in the oil producing sector as kerosene was in high demand to fuel oil lamps. Gradually, with the advent of the internal combustion engine and its relevance in the automobile industry, a huge market was created for gasoline.
Ever since then, several private and public refineries have sprouted out of different locations around the world. As time went by, the big players began to inject huge amounts into manufacturing sophisticated oil drilling and processing equipment to foster maximum yield.
As of , the oil refining market was valued to be over $6 trillion and consumption is estimated to increase abundantly due to the rapid rise in population and technological adoption. This makes it one of the biggest and growing sectors in world economics today.
The sole purpose of all technological development is either to solve a problem or to enhance performance. Setting up the right equipment and machines will not only enhance a refinery&#;s performance but will help tackle all issues that may arise from the use of obsolete machines.
Below are some of the reasons why performance oil refinery machines are necessary.
A refinery must be equipped with proper tank facilities. The tanks are used to store raw materials and already refined products. When there are enough tanks in the refinery, there will be a continuous flow of operation as crude oil will be easily collected from the oil well and transferred into the necessary tank required for processing simultaneously.
More tanks need to be provided for intermediate processing and finished products compared to crude oil itself. This is because they tend to be more volatile and contain a lot of pressure. Furthermore, extra tanks must be provided for processed and finished products to avoid disruption in the supply chain during times of maintenance.
Most tanks are capable of storing crude oil / products with about 50 days processing cycle. Non-volatile products such as fuel oil and diesel are stored in cylindrical tanks with a low-pitched conical roof. While volatile products need floating roof tanks to reduce evaporation. Types of refinery tanks include horizontal tanks, pressure tanks, variable vapor space tanks, internal/external floating roof tanks, fixed roof tanks e.t.c.
Expelling hydrocarbons is an important process in oil refineries and this process is carried out using Flares. A Flare is built in the form of a tall stack with flames burning at the top. This equipment is very important for the plant safety as volatile hydrocarbons can be explosive when exposed to air.
In the event of machine failure or shut down, all toxic elements must be flushed out of all equipment before they can be serviced. Flare consists of a closed piping system that helps to deliver all toxic hydrocarbons down to the flare site where they are burned out under close supervision.
To ensure bulk materials are easily transported, ocean going tankers and a network of pipelines have been constructed. The ocean going tankers made it possible for refineries to be located closer to market areas, rather than oil fields. Deepwater ports have since then been constructed in some cities to connect major refineries through pipelines.
Pipelines are now found all over the world because it remains the most efficient means of transporting bulk petroleum products through refineries and maritime loading ports. With the use of sophisticated refining machines such as centrifugal pumps and booster stations built along pipeline routes, the transported material will get enough pumping power to reach its destination.
In every refinery, most especially the cracking unit where oil and water are separated, thermal energy is an essential need for product processing. Although, it can pose great damage to control systems and sensitive machinery when it is not properly regulated. This is why the heat exchanger machine is required.
The heat exchanger is a thermo-regulation equipment primarily used to disperse excessive heat and regulate temperature during processing. The first media is the liquid or gas being processed, while the other media is the heat absorbing collant made up of chilled gas or liquid.
When crude oil has already been drilled from an oil well, the transformation process requires four different stages before they can be moved to the market. They are Separation, Conversion, Treatment, and Blending.
Catch up on these processes in the next paragraphs.
This process is carried out mainly to separate petroleum contents (also known as fraction) through distillation. Separation is done by piping crude oil through a hot furnace to form liquid and vapor components. These components are then transferred into an atmospheric distillation unit or a vacuum distillation unit.
The distillation units ensure liquid and vapor contents are separated into fractions. After attaining a certain boiling point, heavy fractions stay at the bottom part, while light fractions stay above. Petroleum and gasoline which are the lightest form of fraction rises to the top of the distillation unit to be condensed back to liquid.
Medium weight fractions like distillants and kerosene stay in the middle of the distillation unit, while the heaviest fractions like heavy fuels and residual fuel oils stay at the bottom. In terms of number, separators are the most processing machine present in any refinery. This machine can also be called Scrubbers, Centrifuge, Slug catcher, and many other names.
This is the second stage of processing where the fractions are transformed in terms of size and structure through several processes, like hydro, thermal, and catalytic cracking or cooking. This process ensures heavy, lower value fractions are further processed into lighter, higher value fractions, such as gasoline.
Cracking is the most common form of conversion because it is powered by catalyst, pressure, heat, and maybe hydrogen. In this process, heavy hydrocarbon molecules are cracked into lighter ones. The cracking unit is made up of thick walled reactors; heat exchangers, chain of furnaces, and many other types of vessel.
Contaminants such as heavy metals, sulphur, and nitrogen are often present in crude oil. These contaminants are undesirable in gasoline powered engines therefore, it needs to be properly treated before distribution.
The major treatment process is hydrotreating and it involves removal of chemicals by binding them with hydrogen, adding acid to remove them, or absorbing them in a different column. Some finishing touches are carried out in this stage by combining several streams with the processing unit.
Blending is the final stage of the refining process. This involves mixing various fractions into usable petroleum products. There are different grades of gasoline fuel, and these grades actually depend on the fractions they are blended with i.e. alkylate, reformate, cracked gasoline, e.t.c.
Refineries tend to produce from about 8-15 fractions of hydrocarbons that must be mixed with engine fuels. Additives such as octane enhancer, anti-oxidant, rust inhibitors, metal deactivator, and others are used for proper blend. Gasoline blends are determined by the ratings of vapor pressure, octane level, and some other unique considerations.
Refining is a downstream phase in the oil production and processing sector, and it is made up of seven basic operations. These processing operations can either be done physically or chemically depending on the choice of the operators. But in recent times, the chemical process seems to be prevalent.
The operation process can be categorized into seven stages and each stage consists of a different processing means. The processes and required means are listed below.
Operation processRequired meansSeparationSolvent refining. Distillation.ConversionHydrogen addition. Carbon removal.ReformingCatalytic reforming. hydrocarbon reforming.RearrangementIsomerization.CombinationCatalytic polymerization Alkylation.Treating, Finishing, and BlendingGasoline, Kerosene, and diesel. lubes and waxes. asphalt.Protecting the environmentWastewater treatment. Disposal of solids. Sulphur recovery.Chemical processing in oil refining is carried out for the breaking of large hydrocarbons into smaller pieces (cracking), combining smaller pieces to form larger ones (unification) or by rearranging various pieces to produce desired hydrocarbons (alteration). This chemical process can be divided into Thermal and Catalytic forms which will be explained below.
In this process, petroleum fractions from the distillation tower are heated to a level of 900&#;F/482&#;C . It is then cooled down using gas oil and hurriedly flashed in the distillation tower. This process is required in order to reduce the viscosity of oils with heavy weight.
During the delayed cooking process, fractions from the distillation tower are heated till they are above 900&#; F/482&#; C until they begin to crack into gasoline, nepeta, and heavy oil. After the whole process is finalized, residues in the form of heavy, pure carbon (coke) are left behind in the cokers.
This form of thermal cracking process is associated with the gasification of coke using steam and air. Flexicoking helps to transform a large amount of carbon coke into carbon monoxide before getting mixed with light hydrocarbons to get a low quality petroleum gas. Part of the coke is burned just to provide the required heat during the process of converting vacuum residue into distillate, gasses, coke, and liquid.
This process is used in converting heavy gas oil to petrol and it is mostly applied on oil, kerosene, naphtha, and gas. These materials are heated at high temperature with hydrogen in the presence of a catalyst till they attain 300-400&#; Centigrade. Also, Hydrocracking assists in eliminating impure materials such as nitrogen, sulphur and trace metals.
This process is suitable for transforming residual oil or gas oil into petrol or diesel. Both residual and gas oil undergo intense heat and pressure to be broken down in the presence of a catalyst. When hydrocarbons come in contact with the catalyst, they begin to break down into smaller hydrocarbons. At times, products with such little hydrogen contents i.e bitumen may be added to the process as hydrocarbons.
The polymerization process ensures light olefin gasses i.e. ethylene, butylene, and propylene are converted into hydrocarbons with higher molecular weight, and higher octane number enough to serve as a gasoline blending stock. This process is often carried out in the presence of an acidic catalyst. The processing temperature is about 300-450&#; F and can be controlled by injecting cold feedstock and cooling water into the reactor.
Catalytic dewaxing ensures that oil produced such as diesel maintains a liquid state at the exact temperature range in which they are to be utilized. To make these products meet commercial needs, the temperature range must be inline with the cold flow requirements. Actually, catalytic dewaxing is literally a low-severity conversion process that involves a form of selective catalyst cracking of n-paraffins.
Alkylation is a chemical process which involves the combination of light, gaseous hydrocarbons to produce high-octane components of petrol. These hydrocarbons contain olefins like butylene, and isoparaffins like isobutane. All of these components are transferred into the reactor to form a mixture of heavy hydrocarbons with the process carried out in the presence of hydrochloric-acid catalyst.
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Below are the factors you need to consider when using oil refinery equipment:
Corrosion is one of the biggest challenges most refineries face. This is because most of the refinery equipment are made from steel and metal. Corrosion is a form of material deterioration that arises as a result of its interaction with its surroundings. Corrosion won&#;t only affect the chemical properties of a material but also cause a negative change in their physical structure.
There are certain anaerobic microorganisms present in crude oil that cause corrosion. It can also occur when water is allowed to settle at the bottom of a storage tank. Desalting can help remove inorganics from crude oil to reduce corrosion. cathodic protection, metal coating, and material selection can also help in controlling corrosion.
Equipment in a refinery can only operate effectively when kept clean as possible and constant check-up is done. A lot of these equipment are mounted in open areas, leaving them exposed to bad weather and salty air. Apart from this, damage can be caused as a result of wear and tear; human/machine error. For these reasons proper maintenance needs to be done.
Maintenance techniques include; cleaning, lubrication, replacing, testing, repairing e.t.c. The maintenance engineer&#;s job is to ensure preventive and predictive form of maintenance is carried out frequently or on relevant intervals. Cost spent on pipeline valve maintenance can be reduced when contracted to a professional like a butterfly valve manufacturer.
Most equipment in a refinery requires adequate technical know-how. Unqualified or untrained people must not be allowed to use machinery to avoid damages. In a case where the equipment is fully automated, reprogramming must only be done by a skilled personnel assigned for the job. Also, control switches need to be boldly marked in case of emergency. It is essential to use fixed guards to enclose crucial and dangerous equipment.
All rolling pieces of material in a refinery need to be lubricated. Contamination of lubricant can lead to bearing failure of some refinery equipment. Therefore, flushing, varnish removal, and fluid replacement must be done regularly. So it is best for refineries to partner with firms specialized in lubrication maintenance to get the best result.
In order for petroleum products to be easily controlled and travel faster within the piping system, they need a high amount of pressure and use of oil field valves. Petroleum products can range from light to heavy. In order for easy flow of heavier substances through a long piping system, a stronger type of pump is required. The various types of pumps include; Centrifugal pump, Reciprocating plunger pump, Cavity pump, Progressive cavity pump, Gear pump e.t.c.
Barrel of oil refers to the unit of volume for oil measurement and one barrel is approximately equal to 42 US gallons.
An offshore rig is a facility that is specifically built on water, to be furnished with facilities drilling, extraction, and processing of crude oil and natural gasses present beneath seabeds. The facility is large enough to house workers and also store products till a vessel is available to transport.
Reserves have been in existence for quite a long time. Crude oil is categorized as &#;sweet&#; or &#;sour&#;. Sweet contains a sulfur content not more than 0.5 percent, while sour contains sulphur content higher than 0.5 percent but below 2.0 percent. Most reserves only accept crude oil that meets their laid down specifications.
The uses of crude oil include transportation, residential, electric power, industrial, and commercial purposes.
The Upstream stage comprises the exploration, drilling, and extraction phase, while the downstream stage includes the refining and distribution phases.
Casing head is an upstream equipment. It is used in connecting pipe casings with wellheads. The casing head is furnished with a string and bore bowl with a 45 C landing shoulder to prevent damages caused by excess pressure.
An industrial ball valveis used in controlling the oil/gas flow and pressure rate within pipelines by rotating the ball embedded in the valve.
The sole purpose of all petroleum refineries is to transform crude oil into petroleum products that can serve as fuel for heating, transportation, chemical feedstock, paving roads, and more. This transformation process falls under the downstream production stage, as well as crude oil transportation.
To ensure crude oil is fully utilized, investors must set aside enough resources to procure and assemble equipment that will ensure all processing needs are met. There are numerous equipment needed in a refinery, but when it comes to valves, Dombor stands out as one of the best industrial valve manufacturers and supplier. Our valves are built to properly manage fractional flow and withstand intense temperatures.
I began working offshore three years ago. Before my first hitch, I was pretty clueless as to what working offshore entailed. I was prepared to hop onto my first helicopter flight outfitted with my crisp, blindingly bright orange coveralls and shiny, green hardhat. Luckily, I mentioned my new wardrobe enthusiasm to a college buddy, who informed me that if I sported my new gear on the chopper, I&#;d most certainly look like a &#;dorky carrot&#; in a sea of normal street clothes. He instructed me to wear something comfortable and to make sure I donned long pants and closed toed shoes. I was then, and am still, grateful for that sound advice!
Since then I have flown to work on plenty of *hotshot choppers and feel rather confident that I have, not only a correct flight wardrobe, but also my packing checklist, down pat. I did go through some trial and error to get to this point so when my boss asked me to throw together a packing guide for some of our company&#;s new hires, I figured an offshore packing guideline might be a handy resource to have on the internet.
(*Hotshot: Hotshot drivers are freelance drivers for the land-based freight and oil and gas industry. These drivers transport goods for any company or carrier without signing an obligation agreement &#; CAD/US. In the US, the helicopters assigned to personnel transfer to the rigs are also incorporated under this term.)
Small disclaimer: I work in the Gulf of Mexico. Therefore, this offshore packing list is geared towards that working environment. However, a lot of the basics should be applicable across the globe. This guide is also a working list so, feel free to add comments below if you see something missing or have any questions. Have a safe hitch!
As a general rule of thumb, it is best to check with the local heliport as to the restrictions on items and baggage weight for their helicopters. Baggage weight allowances range from 25-35 lbs. per bag. It is typical that you are able to bring on two bags &#; one being your PPE/personal clothing/toiletries bag, and the other being your backpack that contains your electronics and laptops.
*If you have a monthly prescription and explain your work situation to your doctor, most doctors can change your prescription, to up to 3 refills at once, which should cover a full hitch&#;s worth of medicine. This is typically covered by insurance so that you don&#;t get charged for having to fill the prescription early/prior to your hitch.
Notes:
Most Rig Medics will have basic medicine easily available but sometimes it&#;s nice to have your own basics like Advil, Melatonin, and cough drops on hand.
It&#;s always a good idea to check with the heliport on which medicines you are able to take. For example, on the east coast of Canada, it is prohibited to bring Advil and Aleve offshore. Also, all medications need proof of the original prescription and must be in the original prescription bottle &#; no mixing pills!
Notes:
It is hot, out there in the Gulf of Mexico. I recommend light-weight, loose clothing and/or athletic clothing to wear under your coveralls. Every rig I have ever been on has had a lightning-fast, complementary, 24/7 laundry service. If you drop your clothes off before bed you should have them back when you wake up.
Some rig galleys (lunch rooms) allow you to wear your coveralls in them as long as they are not super dirty or muddy. However, a few rigs do not and typically ban tank tops and shorts in the galley. I recommend that if you are going to a new rig either check beforehand and/or make sure you pack a pair of longer pants and a t-shirt or light jacket, just in case you need to change into them in the locker room before going to eat.
Shorts and tank tops are typically acceptable in the gyms. I would also pack a light jacket because the heliports and the even the accommodations can get chilly, as the A/C in accommodations and units on deck, is top-notch! Most rigs allow you to wear crocs in the accommodations. Crocs are wildly popular offshore- get excited, you will see all different kinds: Camouflage, football teams, bright orange, classic black, etc. If you can&#;t stomach wearing crocs, or your rig doesn&#;t allow them, then just wear your tennis shoes.
When you fly to/from the rig you will need to wear long pants and tennis shoes/boots. Almost everyone wears jeans, tennis shoes/boots, and a T-shirt. Again, I also recommend a light jacket or hoodie. You can wear jewelry/wedding rings on the flights in the U.S. but they are banned on most rigs so you may want to opt to leave them safely at home for your hitch. In Canada, all jewelry is banned from being worn both, at the heliports and offshore.
Notes:
As with most questions, check with your local heliport to inform yourself on the restrictions they may have in place for your electronics. Some helicopter contractors will not allow any cell phones, e-cigarettes or any other personal electronic device on board the chopper. Alternately, some of these electronic devices are not allowed in the cargo hold of the aircraft and must be kept on your person.
Lighters and matches are never allowed offshore!
Notes:
I recommend purchasing an external hard drive &#; 1 or 2 terabytes. Most of your co-workers will have ones with TV shows and movies, which you can watch during your down time. The internet isn&#;t strong enough for streaming, so having an external hard drive is nice. The rigs also have tons of food but some people like to bring candy or sunflower seeds as a snack. Also, check to make sure your rig has outlets that will work with your chargers- you may need an adapter or converter. Most rigs have packs of recyclable bottles of water, but some use jugs of water. Meaning, it might be nice to have a personal water bottle or coffee cup to fill up and cut down on waste.
Depending on the rig, some installations will have &#;stores&#;. Not only for extra PPE and industrial items that you may need in the field to fix equipment (billed back to your employer), but also a store that you may be able to purchase extra shampoo, conditioner, cigarettes, candy bars, etc. Cash is always essential to bring! If not for these instances, but there is always a raffle, draw, poker/bingo game or someone in need of borrowing a couple bucks. These events will help to better acclimate you into offshore life and may help to expedite your face&#;s familiarity and friendliness towards the rest of your new crew.
Please feel free to leave your comments and additions to this working list. Are there any differences in the locales that you are working in? Drop us a line and help us make this the ultimate, master list!
About The Author: Julie Taliaferro
Julie Taliaferro is a Senior Mudlogging Geologist in the Gulf of Mexico. In , she graduated from Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama with a Bachelor of Science degree in Geology. Since then she has been working on deepwater and ultra-deepwater exploration and development projects. In her three years working offshore she has had the privilege of meeting many inspiring women. With Women Offshore she hopes to help foster a community which connects, encourages, and advances females in this field. She currently lives in Lafayette, Louisiana and her hobbies include traveling, cycling, and cooking.
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