Refinery Basics • An Overview

• Oil-Gas Companies in India

• Refinery Flowchart

• Other refinery units

• Crude Oil components

• What is done in refining

• Physical and process Hazards

Thanks to

• John Kulluk Ph.D.

• Torrance Fire Department

• &

• Robert Distaso PE – 714/573-6253

• Orange County Fire Authority

An overview…

• As countries develop, industry, rapid

urbanization, and higher living standards

drive up energy use, most often of oil.

• Thriving economies such as India are

quickly becoming large oil consumers.

India’s oil imports are expected to more

than triple from 2005 levels by 2020, rising

to 5 million barrels per day.

• For decades, the Indian government

largely controlled the petroleum industry.

• Petroleum exploration and production

(upstream activities) were left to the two

nationalized companies Oil and Natural

Gas Corporation (ONGC) and Oil India

Ltd., while refining, distribution and

marketing (downstream activities) were

conducted by the Indian Oil, Bharat

Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum

companies.

• World’s fifth-largest energy consumer.

• Coal still dominates (57 percent).

• Oil accounts for 28 percent and natural gas

supplies 8 percent of India’s energy

consumption.

• India is the world’s sixth-largest oil consumer

and imports three-quarters of its oil from

overseas (mostly from the Middle East).

Therefore, India itself will probably remain the

sole buyer of the country’s oil and gas.

Positioning India

• India is a leading exporter of refined petroleum products in

the world, while it imports crude.

• India has around 6000 Kms of product pipelines along with

over 34,600 Government of India (GOI) owned retail outlets.

• The marketable products of oil refining are Gasoline or

Petrol, Kerosene, Diesel, Fuel Oil, Asphalt, Paraffin Wax,

Lubricating Oil, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) etc.

Oil & gas companies India

Public Sector Undertakings (PSU's):

• ONGC - Oil & Natural Gas Corp (exploration and production)

• OIL - Oil India Limited (exploration & production)

• IOC - Indian Oil Corporation (refining & marketing)

• BPCL - Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (refining and

marketing)

• HPCL - Hindustan Petroleum (refining & marketing)

• GSPC - Gujarat State Petroleum Corp

Private Oil & Gas companies in India:

• RIL - Reliance Industries Limited (Indian Oil & gas company)

• ESSAR (Indian Oil & Gas company)

• Cairns Energy India (Scottish)

• British Gas energy

• Nikko Resources (Canadian)

• Chevron Oil Limited

• Shell Oil

• BP

An achievement that deserves mention here is that five of the Indian oil & gas companies are listed in Global Fortune 500.

Reliance Petroleum

Ltd.(RPL) • 1991, Reliance industries set up a new

subsidiary, Reliance Refineries Private Ltd.

The subsidiary later changed its name to

Reliance Petroleum Limited.

• In 1993 launched a public offering, which

at that time was India's largest ever IPO.

• In 1997 Reliance announced a plan to

build one of the world's largest and most

modern petroleum refining complexes in

Jamnagar, Gujarat.

Reliance Petroleum Ltd.(RPL)

• Turnover achieved for the

quarter ended 30th June 2010

was 61,007 crores (US$ 13.1

billion), an increase of 88.1%

over the corresponding period

of the previous year.

• Increase in volume accounted

for 48.4% growth in revenue

and higher prices accounted for

39.7% growth in revenue.

• Exports were higher by 103.5%

at 32,849 crores (US$ 7.1

billion) as against ` 16,145

crores in the corresponding

period of the previous year.

What is Crude Oil?

• Mixture of organic

carbon chain

molecules

• Impurities include

sulfur and nitrogen

compounds

• Some metals and

salts too

Refining Means. . .

1. To reduce to a pure state, to remove

impurities

2. To improve or perfect

What will happen in Refining?

Separate crude into fractions

Convert low octane components to higher octane

components

Convert the very heavy stuff to heavy oils

Convert heavy oils to gasoline, diesel, jet fuel

Remove sulfur/nitrogen through reaction

Blend intermediate streams together to meet product

specifications

Components such as . . .

• Straight-Chain

Hydrocarbons

• Olefins

• Cyclic H/C

• Aromatics

(Benzene, toluene,

xylenes)

• Mercaptans

• Hydrogen Sulfide

(H2S)

• Greases

• Propane

• LPG

Other Hazardous Materials

• Sulfur

• Hydrofluoric Acid (HF)

• Sulfuric Acid (H2SO4)

• Ammonia (NH3)

• Sodium Hypochlorite

• Radioactive Materials

• Chlorine

• Amines

• MEK

• Sulfur Dioxide (SO2)

• Heavy Metal Catalysts

• Sour Water

• Caustic (fresh/spent)

• Alcohol

• Asbestos

What Goes on at a Refinery. . .?

• Separation of components by distillation, e.g.:

Atmospheric

Vacuum

Hydrotreating (uses excess hydrogen)

• Breaking apart molecules to make smaller ones, e.g.:

catalytic cracking

hydrocracking

• Joining molecules to make bigger ones, e.g.:

Reforming - alkylation that lengthens the hydrocarbon chain

Reforming - cyclic that generates hydrogen

Refinery Process Flow Chart

Dis

tilling

Flasher

Visbreaker

CCU

Alky

Sp

litter

Hydrotreating

Hydrotreating

Isom

Reformer

Gas Plant

Sulfur

Fuel Gas

Gasoline

Jet Fuel

Distillate Fuel

Residual

Fuel Leffler, 1985

Other Refinery Units

• Steam Generation

• Wastewater Treatment

• Hydrogen Generation

• Power Generation (e.g., cogen)

• Air Separation Plant

• Loading/Unloading - Railcar, Trucks, etc.

• Storage (high pressure hydrocarbon, crude oil, intermediates)

Floating-Roof Tanks - 150‘ diameter is common

Spherical Tanks - 50‘ are common

Horton Spheroid (refrigerated)

Steam-Heated Tanks for “Heavier” Products

• Self-Contained Firewater Supply

• Firewater Pumps

What’s All this Stuff?

Physical Hazards

• High Pressure/Temperature Steam

• Oil/Gas-Fired Furnaces

• Acoustic

• High Voltage (4160V, 480V, 13.2 kV)

• Falling Hazards

• Confined Space Hazards

• Cranes/Lifting Hazards

• Hot Work Hazards

• Acid Exposure

• Toxic Vapors

• Radiation

• Flammability Hazards

Common PPE Requirements

• Hardhat

• Hardsoled / Hardtoe Shoes

• Safety Glasses with Side

Protection

• Safety Goggles or Faceshield

• Fire-Resistant Clothing

Process Hazards

• Emergency Flare

• Atmospheric Pressure Relief

• High Temperature (up to 2000oF)

• Low Temperature (e.g., Brittle Fracture)

• High Pressure (up to 3000 psig)

• Low Pressure (e.g., vacuum)