Energy-Efficient and Environmentally Advanced Configurations for Naphtha Hydrotreating Process

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016200989-A1
Application number	US-201615074264-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 18, 2016
Priority date	May 2, 2011
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods of hydrotreating different naphtha feed stocks destined for a refining reforming unit and other applications with less energy consumption than conventionally possible, while producing less greenhouse gas emissions, and/or using a lesser number of heaters and correspondingly less capital investment in such heaters, air coolers, and water coolers, are provided. According to the more examples of such systems and methods, such reductions are accomplished by directly integrating a naphtha stripping process section with a naphtha splitting process section. Additional reductions can also be accomplished through directly integrating a naphtha hydrotreat reaction process section with the naphtha stripping process section.

First claim

1 - 13 . (canceled)

14 . A system to hydrotreat naphtha feedstocks for provision to a refining reforming unit, the system comprising:
a naphtha splitting process section including a naphtha splitter providing heavy naphtha bottom stream product to a refining reforming unit; a naphtha stripping process section including a naphtha stripper providing bottom stream product to the naphtha splitter; a naphtha hydrotreat reaction process section including a reactor unit providing bottom stream product to the naphtha stripper; a process-to-process heat exchanger unit positioned to receive bottom stream product from the naphtha stripper and bottom stream product of heavy naphtha from the naphtha splitter so that the bottom stream product from the naphtha stripper provides heat energy to the bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter; a first conduit operably connected between a bottom stream product outlet port of the naphtha stripper and a first inlet port in the heat exchanger unit; a second conduit operably connected between a first outlet port of the heat exchanger unit and a naphtha stripper bottom stream product receiving inlet port in the naphtha splitter, the second conduit in fluid communication with the first conduit through the heat exchanger unit; a third conduit operably connected between a bottom stream product outlet port of the naphtha splitter and a second inlet port in the heat exchanger unit; and a fourth conduit operably connected between a second outlet port of the heat exchanger unit and a reboiling inlet port in the naphtha splitter, the fourth conduit in fluid communication with the third conduit through the heat exchanger unit, the naphtha splitter, the naphtha stripper, and the heat exchanger unit operably coupled so that when operationally employed the bottom stream product from the naphtha stripper flowing through the first and the second conduits and associated portions of the heat exchanger unit is in thermal communication with the bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter flowing through the third and the fourth conduits and associated portions of the heat exchanger unit to thereby conduct reboiling of the naphtha bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter through use of the bottom stream product from the naphtha stripper.

15 . A system as defined in claim 14 , wherein the process-to-process heat exchanger unit is a first heat exchanger unit, the system further comprising:
a high-heat-transfer capacity second process-to-process heat exchanger unit positioned to receive condensed portions of bottom stream product from the reactor unit and the bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter so that the condensed portions of the bottom stream product from the reactor unit extracts substantial heat energy from the bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter; a fifth conduit operably connected between a bottom stream product outlet port in the reactor unit and a first inlet port in the second heat exchanger unit; a sixth conduit operably connected between a first outlet port of the second heat exchanger unit and a naphtha feed inlet port in the naphtha stripper, the sixth conduit in fluid communication with the fifth conduit through the second heat exchanger unit; a seventh conduit operably connected between a bottom stream product outlet port in the naphtha splitter and a second inlet port in the second heat exchanger unit; and an eighth conduit operably connected between a second outlet port of the second heat exchanger unit and hydrotreated product feed inlet port in a catalytic reformer unit, the eighth conduit in fluid communication with the seventh conduit through the second heat exchanger unit, the reactor unit, the naphtha stripper, and the second heat exchanger unit operably coupled so that when operationally employed the bottom stream product from the reactor unit flowing through the fifth and the sixth conduits and associated portions of the second heat exchanger unit is in thermal communication with the bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter flowing through the seventh and the eighth conduits and associated portions of the second heat exchanger unit to thereby cool the bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter through use of the bottom stream product from the reactor unit sufficiently to negate a need for a non-air cooled chilling unit to be employed between the second outlet port of the second heat exchanger and the hydrotreated product feed inlet port in a catalytic reformer unit.

16 . A system as defined in claim 15 , further comprising:
an air cooler operably coupled to the second heat exchanger unit and the catalytic reformer unit to receive the heavy naphtha bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter and to provide cooled bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter to the catalytic reformer unit; and wherein a temperature of the heavy naphtha bottom stream product provided to the catalytic reformer unit is less than 200° F.

17 . A system as defined in claim 14 , wherein the process-to-process heat exchanger unit is a first reboiling heat exchanger unit, the system further comprising:
a fired heater unit operably positioned to reboil bottom stream product from the naphtha stripper, the fired heater including a naphtha stripper bottom stream product receiving inlet port and a heated naphtha stripper bottom stream product outlet port in fluid communication with the naphtha stripper; a second reboiling heat exchanger unit positioned to receive additional bottom stream product from the naphtha stripper and additional bottom stream product of heavy naphtha from the naphtha splitter so that the additional bottom stream product from the naphtha stripper provides heat energy to additional bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter to reboil the additional bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter; a fifth conduit operably connected between a bottom stream product outlet port of the naphtha stripper and a first inlet port in the second reboiling heat exchanger unit; a sixth conduit operably connected between a first outlet port of the second reboiling heat exchanger unit and the naphtha stripper bottom stream product receiving inlet port in the fired heater unit, the fifth conduit in fluid communication with the sixth conduit through the second reboiling heat exchanger unit; a seventh conduit operably connected between a bottom stream product outlet port of the naphtha splitter and a second inlet port in the second reboiling heat exchanger unit; and an eighth conduit operably connected between a second outlet port of the second reboiling heat exchanger unit and the reboiling inlet port in the naphtha splitter, the fourth conduit in fluid communication with the third conduit through the second reboiling heat exchanger unit, the naphtha splitter, the naphtha stripper, the fired heater unit, and the second reboiling heat exchanger operably coupled so that when operationally employed the bottom stream product from the naphtha stripper flowing through the fifth and the sixth conduits and associated portions of the second reboiling heat exchanger unit is in thermal communication with the bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter flowing through the seventh and the eighth conduits and associated portions of the second reboiling heat exchanger unit to thereby conduct reboiling of the additional naphtha bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter through use of the additional bottom stream product from the naphtha stripper prior to return of the additional naphtha stripper bottom stream product to the naphtha stripper through the fired heater, and the first and the second reboiling heat exchangers configured to provide sufficient total capacity to reboil the naphtha bottom stream product from the naphtha splitter without use of

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Noureldin Mahmoud Bahy
• Bunaiyan Ahmed Saleh

Classifications

• C10G45/04 Primary

  characterised by the catalyst used · CPC title

• C10G2300/1044

  Heavy gasoline or naphtha having a boiling range of about 100 - 180 °C · CPC title

• F28D21/0012 Primary

  the heat being recuperated from waste water or from condensates · CPC title

• C10G2400/02

  Gasoline · CPC title

• B23P15/26

  heat exchangers {or the like (making heat exchangers by methods covered by other subclasses B21D53/02)} · CPC title