Opportunity Crude Processing:

Challenges and Solutions

Tech Training, Sugar Land

May 4 – 8, 2009
Introduction

• What is an opportunity
crude and why are they
important?
• Problem crude processing
• Nalco’s processes and
mitigation strategies
• Case study discussion

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Opportunity Crude Definition

Opportunity crudes (also termed challenging or problem crudes) can be:

New crudes with unknown or Crudes already available
poorly understood properties with well understood
and processing challenges processing issues

In general, what makes these crudes problematic are:

• Inherent Contaminates
• Oil Field Additives
• Blending Practices
• Equipment Limitations

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Opportunity Crude Traits

• Low Gravity
• Asphaltene Incompatibility
• High Water/High Salt
• High TAN
• High Metals
• High Solids
• Organic Acids
• Organic Fouling Precursors
• High Pour Crudes
• High H2S
• High Conductivity

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Opportunity Crude Trends

• Declining conventional oil production

• Opportunity crude oil production to
increase from 5% to 11% by 2011

33.5 1.6
Gravity Sulfur
33.0 1.4

32.5 1.2

32.0 1.0
Gravity (API)

Wt. % Sulfur
31.5 0.8

31.0 0.6
• Decreasing API Gravity 30.5 0.4

• Increasing Sulfur Content 30.0 0.2

29.5 0.0
1985 1987 1990 1993 1995 1998 2001 2004 2006 2009

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Problem Crude Processing
Wharf
Systems are stressed

Desalter

Refinery Tank Farm Downstream Units

Brine
Continuing change
in crude quality

Terminals

Opportunity crudes offer

> $10/bbl discounts WWTP

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Mitigation Strategies
Crude Characterization

Improve safety, flexibility, reliability and profit.

NPRA Annual
• Desalting properties meeting: Identifying
and Mitigating
– dehydration, filterable solids, desaltability, etc. opportunity crude

• Waste water treatment needs

5
– Potential for solids, oil, metals loading, etc. 4
• Corrosion tendencies Probability 3
2
– TAN, NAT, organic/inorganic acids,
1
phenolic compounds, H2S, CO2, etc. A B C D E

• Fouling traits Consequences

– Asphaltene deposition, thermal destabilization, blending studies, etc.

– Vacuum resid impact on Visbreaker/Coker

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Mitigation Strategies
System Assessment

• A thorough engineering review of each affected refinery unit

– Better understand processing limits (design vs. actual)
– Mechanical, Operational, Chemical issues impacted by the particular
opportunity crude or crude blend.
– Benchmarking and best practices review
• High acid crude risk assessment
– High naphthenic or sulphidic crude processing ability
• A WWTP audit
– Primary and biological units’ health and status
• Review of unit monitoring and testing protocols
– Ensure mitigation strategies are implemented
– New and existing KPIs are kept in compliance

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Mitigation Strategies
- Desalting and Corrosion Control

• Desalter audits and optimization studies

• Heavy crude/high solids emulsion breakers
• Contaminant removal (metals)
• Tank farm management and blending practices (emulsion stability)
• Wash water quality/sources review, acidification, amine loading….

Effective corrosion control programs based on:

• Acid distribution of the crude
• Naphthenic acids distillation (proprietary)
• High acid crude risk assessment (SCORPION®)
• Aqueous corrosion simulator (PATHFINDER®)
• Light ends corrosion control (downstream)

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Mitigation Strategies
- Fouling and Waste Water

• Fouling mechanism determination

(inorganic/organic, sediments and salt, corrosion
by products and hydrocarbon degradation).
• Antifoulant evaluation from asphaltene
instability testing and thermal decomposition.
• Heat exchanger network fouling simulator
(MONITOR™)
– Crude unit and Hydrotreater/ Hydrocracker
preheats; FCCU Slurry steam generators

• WWTP biological respirometry modeling

• Nitrification inhibition studies
• Bench modeling and testing

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Opportunity Crude Case Study
- Desalting

• Asian Refiner – a new crude (Al Shaheen) was planned to be run at 40% of
the typical crude slate. However only 23% could be achieved before a
large stable emulsion formed, excessive oil undercarry and WWTP
restrictions causing reduced throughputs to avoid a unit shutdown.
• A desalting/tank farm audit and additional characterization of the crude
and treatment program was performed. Asphaltene incompatibility in the
crude slate was highlighted and a new asphaltene stabilizer was added.
• Now 40% is consistently achieved with no emulsion layer build up or oil
undercarry – saving >US$158k/day.

Desalter tricocks before

and after asphaltene
stabilizer injection

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Opportunity Crude Case Study
- Desalting

• UK Refiner – experienced product quality and excessive acid carryover in

overheads during the processing of a high Ca crude (Doba) in the typical slate.
• Ca levels were set at < 10ppm in desalted crude to meet product specifications.
• A contaminate removal program was implemented to meet the Ca limit, even
with increasing rates of the Ca-rich crude.
• The program achieved the following:
– Ca < 10ppm in desalted crude
– No affect to overhead neutralizer
usage or corrosion rates
– Desalted crude salt level was
maintained at < 1.0 PTB
– Water content of desalted crude
maintained at KPI level of < 0.2 %
– No impact on the WWTP

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Opportunity Crude Case Study
- Corrosion Control

• Asian Refiner – introduction of high acid/high sulphur Russian crudes resulted

in higher aqueous corrosion in the overheads system plus high temperature
sulphidic corrosion through the Vacuum residue circuit.
• In 2002 PATHFINDER® was introduced to control all overheads corrosion issues.
• After an extensive unit audit Hydrogen Flux
that included proprietary 3500
No injection

chemical screening processes, 3000

Passivation
Period

SCORPION® was selected to 2500

control the high temperature 2000

pl/cm2/s

sulphidic corrosion. 1500

Inhibited

• The program has allowed the 1000

refiner to increase opportunity 500

crude processing rates with no 0

1-Nov-07

8-Nov-07

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31-Jan-08

7-Feb-08

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1-May-08

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corrosion failures in the circuit.

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Opportunity Crude Case Study
- Fouling Control

• Asian Refiner – a unit audit and opportunity crude blending review was
undertaken to increase crude unit runlengths and reduce energy costs.
• An internal blending database was developed along with a MONITOR™ heat
exchanger network simulator that was used to evaluate the fouling control
performance of new asphaltene dispersants.

• The unit impact since 2004

has been:
– average runlength rise:
100 days to > 600 days
– CIT was reduced from
34oC to < 3oC
– Exchanger cleanings fell
• Total benefit = US$2.5M pa

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Opportunity Crude Case Study
- Waste Water Treatment

• Asian Refiner – planned to increase

amount of high Hg crude (Benchamas),
yet still meet < 10 ppb discharge limit.
• Conducted unit audit and bench test
modeling of patented Hg removal
program (Nalmet®).
• Also focused on best treatment area
for sludge minimization and biological
nitrification with respirometry (sensitive
secondary treatment).
• Discharge limits met
• Used exiting equipment (no Capex)
• No impact to nitrification or COD
removal

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

 Summary

• Over the next 3 years the total percentage of

opportunity crude processing will double.

• Refiners need to enhance their processing

capabilities (opportunity crude flexibility) to
hold operating margins in a tough economic
environment and/or improve profits in the
up-turn.

• The elements of Nalco’s approach help you to

keep your balance by addressing all potential
problems associated with processing
challenging crudes necessary to capitalize on
the opportunities.

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

Desalter and Opportunity crude
Toolkits

• Sales tool to enhance

the selling process with
the customer

• SOW available for

District Meetings

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009

RESOLV® Tool Kit
March 2009

Engineered Approach

Case Studies

Best Practices Dynamic

Visible
Desalter
Field Tools

Publications
6 SSS Links

How to get help

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009
Crude Management from Tankage to Desalting
RESOLV® Tool Kit
March 2009

Engineered Approach

Case Studies

Best Practices Dynamic

Visible
Desalter
Field Tools

Publications
6 SSS Links

How to get help

Desalting Tech Training – May 4-8 2009
Crude Management from Tankage to Desalting