Recovery and re-use of waste energy in industrial facilities

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845996-B2
Application number	US-201615242043-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 19, 2016
Priority date	Aug 24, 2015
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

Configurations and related processing schemes of inter-plants and hybrid, intra- and inter-plants' direct or indirect heating systems synthesized for grassroots medium grade crude oil semi-conversion refineries to increase energy efficiency from specific portions of low grade waste heat sources are described. Configurations and related processing schemes of inter-plants and hybrid, intra- and inter-plants' direct or indirect heating systems synthesized for integrated medium grade crude oil semi-conversion refineries and aromatics complex for increasing energy efficiency from specific portions of low grade waste sources are also described.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method implemented in a crude oil refining facility, the method comprising:
in a crude oil refining facility comprising a plurality of oil refining plants, each oil refining plant configured to perform at least one oil refining process, wherein a plurality of streams at respective temperatures flow between the plurality of oil refining plants:
flowing an aromatics complex stream comprising a raffinate overheads column stream in an aromatics complex of the plurality of oil refining plants to a first heat exchanger of one or more heat exchangers;
flowing a stream from a first oil refining plant of the plurality of oil refining plants, the first oil refining plant being different from the aromatics complex, to the first heat exchanger, wherein the first heat exchanger transfers heat from the aromatics complex stream to the stream from the first oil refining plant; and
utilizing the stream from the first oil refining plant heated by the aromatics complex stream in an oil refining process at the first oil refining plant,

wherein the aromatics complex comprises a plurality of aromatics complex sub-units comprising an aromatics complex xylene products separation unit and a benzene extraction unit, and wherein the plurality of oil refining plants comprise a sulfur recovery plant, a gas separation plant through which a gas separation plant stream comprising at least one of C2 to C4 flows, a hydrogen plant, a sour water stripper plant, an amine regeneration plant through which an acid gas regenerator bottoms stream comprising a weak amine salt flows, and a diesel hydro-treating plant.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aromatics complex stream comprises a plurality of streams from one or more of the plurality of aromatics complex sub-units, and wherein the one or more heat exchangers heat the stream from the first oil refining plant directly heating using the multiple streams from the one or more of aromatics complex sub-units.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the aromatics complex stream comprises a raffinate overheads column stream in an aromatics complex xylene separation unit, and wherein directly heating the stream comprises:
heating, in the first heat exchanger, an amine regenerator bottoms stream in the sulfur recovery plant using a first branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
heating, in a second heat exchanger, a C3/C4 splitter bottoms stream in the gas separation plant using a second branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
heating, in a third heat exchanger, a de-ethanizer bottoms stream in the gas separation plant using a third branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
flowing the heated amine regenerator bottoms stream to the sulfur recovery plant; and
flowing the heated C3/C4 splitter bottoms stream and the heated de-ethanizer bottoms stream to the gas separation plant.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in parallel.

5. The method of claim 2 , further comprising:
heating, in the first heat exchanger, a raffinate splitter bottom stream in the aromatics complex using a low temperature shift (LTS) hydrogen plant stream in the hydrogen plant;
heating, in a second heat exchanger, a first branch of a sour water stripper bottom cold stream in the sour water stripper plant using a diesel hydro-treating stripper overhead stream in the diesel hydro-treating plant;
heating, in a third heat exchanger, a second branch of the sour water stripper bottom cold stream using a diesel hydro-treating stripper bottom product stream in the diesel hydro-treating plant;
flowing the heated raffinate splitter bottom stream to the benzene extraction unit; and
flowing the heated first branch and the heated second branch of the sour water stripper bottom cold stream to the sour water stripper plant.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in parallel.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the aromatics complex stream comprises a raffinate overheads column stream in an aromatics complex xylene separation unit, and wherein directly heating the stream comprises:
heating, in the first heat exchanger, a sour water stripper bottom cold stream in the sour water stripper plant using a first branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
heating, in a second heat exchanger, a C3/C4 splitter bottoms stream in the gas separation plant using a second branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
heating, in a third heat exchanger, a de-ethanizer bottoms stream in the gas separation plant using a third branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
flowing the heated sour water stripper bottom cold stream to the sour water stripper plant; and
flowing the heated C3/C4 splitter bottoms stream and the heated de-ethanizer bottoms stream to the gas separation plant.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger are coupled to each other in parallel.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the aromatics complex stream comprises a raffinate overheads column stream in an aromatics complex xylene separation unit, and wherein directly heating the stream comprises:
heating, in the first heat exchanger, a sour water stripper bottom cold stream in the sour water stripper plant using a first branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
heating, in a second heat exchanger, an amine regenerator bottoms stream using a second branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
flowing the heated sour water stripper bottom cold stream to the sour water stripper plant; and
flowing the heated amine regenerator bottoms stream to the sulfur recovery plant.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in parallel.

11. The method of claim 2 , wherein the aromatics complex stream comprises a raffinate overheads column stream in an aromatics complex xylene separation unit, and wherein directly heating the stream comprises:
heating, in the first heat exchanger, the acid gas regenerator bottom stream in the amine regeneration plant using a first branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
heating, in a second heat exchanger, an amine regenerator bottoms stream using a second branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
flowing the heated acid gas regenerator bottom cold stream to the amine regeneration plant; and
flowing the heated amine regenerator bottoms stream to the sulfur recovery plant.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in parallel.

13. The method of claim 2 , wherein the aromatics complex stream comprises a raffinate overheads column stream in an aromatics complex xylene separation unit, and wherein directly heating the stream comprises:
heating, in the first heat exchanger, an acid gas regeneration bottom stream using a first branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
heating, in a second heat exchanger, a sour water stripper plant bottom stream using a second branch of the raffinate overheads column stream;
flowing the heated acid gas regenerator bottom cold stream to the amine regeneration plant; and
flowing the heated sour water stripper plant bottom stream to the sour water stripper plant.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in parall

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Noureldin Mahmoud Bahy Mahmoud
• Al Saed Hani Mohammed

Classifications

• C01B2203/0283

  containing a CO-shift step, i.e. a water gas shift step · CPC title

• C01B2203/0227

  containing a catalytic reforming step · CPC title

• C01B2203/127

  Catalytic desulfurisation · CPC title

• C01B3/34 Primary

  by reaction of hydrocarbons with gasifying agents · CPC title

• C01B2203/043

  Regenerative adsorption process in two or more beds, one for adsorption, the other for regeneration · CPC title