Distillation, regeneration and clarification of petroleum products
Modular installations for separation, dehydration, solvent regeneration and production of target fractions from heavy petroleum products
Separation and recovery of petroleum products
Process solutions are designed for the separation of complex liquid and paste-like petroleum products, removal of water and solvents, oil regeneration and the production of individual distillate fractions. In this process, circulating inert gas contacts the heated product and carries volatile vapors to the cooling and condensation stages.
Equipment and operating conditions are selected for the feedstock properties and target product specifications. The scope may include laboratory, pilot or industrial units, engineering documentation, equipment supply, integration into an existing plant and operational support.
Processed feedstock
Benefits of technology
Closed inert gas circuit
Inert gas circulates inside the installation, transfers vapors of volatile components to the cooling and condensation unit, and then returns to the process
Operation without high vacuum
Operation without high vacuum may be feasible for selected feedstocks and target fractions, subject to process testing and engineering assessment
Controlled temperature
Heating evaporates and separates components without burning the feedstock. Operating conditions are selected to avoid thermal degradation of the feed components
Processing complex feedstocks
The process can be assessed for viscous and thermally unstable petroleum and petrochemical mixtures
Solvent recovery
The recovered solvent is condensed and can be returned to the process cycle
Product recovery
The process can recover distillate fractions, dehydrated petroleum products and a heavy residue whose properties depend on the feedstock and operating conditions
Modularity and scalability
The process solution can be tested in a laboratory and pilot plant and scaled to industrial implementation
Integration and automation
The equipment can be integrated into existing plants and fitted with process monitoring and control systems
Process configurations
The process flowsheet is tailored to feedstock properties and target specifications for the distillate fractions and heavy residue.
Main process stages
- Feed intake and pretreatment
- Controlled heating of the material being separated
- Product contact with circulating inert gas
- Evaporation of water, solvents and volatile components into the vapor–gas stream
- Cooling and condensation of extracted components
- Separation and collection of resulting liquid products
- Returning inert gas to the process loop
- Discharge of the treated product or heavy residue
The process sequence, operating temperatures and equipment package depend on feedstock properties and target product specifications.
Modular and scalable design
The process train combines feed and heating units, inert-gas contact, cooling, condensation, separation, gas recirculation and product collection. The equipment package is specified after feedstock testing and process calculations.
Plants can be configured for laboratory, pilot, demonstration-scale or industrial use. They can operate as stand-alone systems or be integrated into or used to upgrade an existing line.
Recovered products
Distillate fractions
Light and medium fractions recovered from the heavy feedstock and sent for further use or additional processing
Recovered solvent
Solvent separated from a product by evaporation and condensation and returned to the process cycle when it meets the required characteristics
Dehydrated petroleum product
Petroleum product with reduced content of water, solvent and light components, prepared for further use or processing
Heavy residue to specification
Stabilized heavy product with specified viscosity and flash point, including the possibility of obtaining non-oxidized bitumen
Options and configurations
Laboratory-scale unit
Testing feedstock separation and determining operating temperatures, inert-gas flow rate and distillate composition
Pilot-scale unit
Testing the process flowsheet with a larger feedstock volume and collecting scale-up data
Industrial modular plant
A set of equipment for continuous or batch processing of a product with the required throughput
Integration into an existing plant
Separate process modules for modernization of existing plants and oil refineries
How a process flowsheet is selected
- Review of project data
- Collecting and analyzing a feedstock sample
- Determination of the composition and basic properties of the product
- Laboratory separation and analysis of the resulting fractions
- Pilot tests if necessary
- Selection of operating temperature, inert-gas flow rate and condensation conditions
- Scale-up assessment and equipment package selection
- Preparation of technical proposal and design input data
The final process flowsheet is based on feedstock analysis. Laboratory and pilot testing may be required for complex, viscous and unstable mixtures.
Engineering and plant upgrades
The technology can be used both as part of a stand-alone installation and in the modernization of existing oil refining and petrochemical plants.
Increased yield of light petroleum products
Recovery of additional distillate fractions from heavy streams and residues
Improving the quality of heavy products
Removal of water and excess light hydrocarbons, raising flash point and stabilizing product
Obtaining a heavy residue with specified properties
Increasing the viscosity of the residual product and the possibility of obtaining non-oxidized bitumen
Modernization of existing equipment
Development of initial data, design and engineering documentation for new process units and modernization of existing installations
Actual performance depends on feedstock properties, the existing process and the results of engineering calculations and tests.
Delivery and implementation
Available equipment configurations
We will develop a process flowsheet for your feedstock and target products
To develop a technical proposal, we need the feedstock composition, required throughput, details of existing equipment and target properties of the distillate fractions.