SDA-Enabled Solutions for Unlocking IMO2020 Constraints

Converting residues are top priorities for refineries, globally, in the upcoming IMO 2020 Marine Bunker fuel regulation environment. Generally, refineries use either hydrogen addition or carbon rejection technologies for converting residues into high value products. Long residues or vacuum tower bottoms (VR or VTB) with limited amounts of metals and Conradson carbon can be hydrotreated; however, hydrotreater products require further treatment for making final products. The residue hydrotreaters require high pressure and frequent changes of catalyst, making them both capital intensive and high in operating costs. Short catalyst cycles also reduce on-stream factor.

Short residues are usually converted using thermal processes such as thermal cracking and delayed coking. Nonetheless, all products need to be further processed to achieve transportation fuel quality products, adding to the cost of the resid upgrading schemes.

ROSE is the market leading Solvent deasphalting (SDA) technology that can be relatively easily integrated with FCC and/or hydrocracking (mild-to-high pressure, fixed bed as well as ebullated bed hydrocracking) and has been commercially proven and relied upon to meet the need for higher yields of transportation fuels while improving the quality to meet new gasoline and diesel specifications at comparable operating costs and complexity of operations. Combining high-lift ROSE with high conversion hydrocracking and an integrated solidification system would mean a significant reduction in fuel oil exposure and result in higher overall margin than other resid upgrading options described above.

We will present schemes using combinations of solvent deasphalting, hydrocracking and solidification processes. In our presentation we will discuss economic and operating benefits of other bottom-of-the barrel schemes and commercial examples (i.e. debottleneck VDU and/or synergize with cokers), where applicable.