Waste Management, Vol. 14, Nos. 3-4, pp.

231-235, 1994
Pergamon Copyright © 1994 Elsevier Science Ltd
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved
0956-053X/94 $6.00 + .00

ORIGINAL C O N T R I B U T I O N

THE E N G I N E E R I N G A S P E C T S OF A USED OIL

RECYCLING PROJECT

Charles Harrison
Texaco, Inc., P.O. Box 430, Room 944 East, Bellaire, Texas 77402-0430, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT. In an era of environmental awareness recycling projects have proven almost irresistible to both the private
and public sectors. The benefits of more recycling operations are obvious to us: less waste, less pollution and a more
prudent utilization of our precious natural resources. However, in the rush to recycle newspaper, aluminum, steel,
glass, plastics, solvents or hydrocarbons, many projects have floundered due to dismal economics ineffective technol-
ogy, or legal constraints. In order to avoid the pitfalls associated with many recycling efforts the operators must be en-
sured of both positive economics and reliable technology. This paper presents an overview of the engineering of
Texaco's used oil recycling operation which recycles an environmentally unfriendly waste to a valuable product while
achieving positive economics.

INTRODUCTION we all live, the ability to profit from recycling

In an era of environmental awareness recycling pro-
jects have proven almost irresistible to both the pri-
vate and public sectors. The benefits of more
recycling operations are obvious to us: less waste,
less pollution and a more prudent utilization of our
precious natural resources. However, in the rush to
recycle newspaper, aluminum, steel, glass, plastics,
solvents or hydrocarbons, many projects have
floundered due to dismal economics ineffective
technology, or legal constraints.
In order to avoid the pitfalls associated with
many recycling efforts the operators must be en-
sured of both positive economics and reliable tech-
nology. This paper presents an overview of the
engineering of Texaco's used oil recycling opera-
tion which recycles an environmentally unfriendly
waste to a valuable product while achieving posi-
tive economics.
useable materials, and legal concerns. Texaco's
motivation for this project encompasses all three
factors. It has been stated that one gallon of used
oil pollutes one million gallons of drinking water
and the impact improper disposal of used oil has on
the environment is well known. Texaco, as a mar-
keter of lubricating oils, wishes to share the respon-
sibility of seeing that these oils are disposed of
properly. In the absence of legislative incentive to
recycle (which is the situation at the moment), it is
very difficult to justify a project that is not eco-
nomically profitable. Reprocessing is at a very low
level in the U.S. with few companies active today.
Most used oil collected is burned in industrial heat-
ers, kilns and at electric power generation plants
which are continuously being more regulated. This
project will be profitable, meet present regulations,
and assure that Texaco is well situated to address
future legislation on this subject.

SUCCESSFUL RECYCLING PROCESS DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

There are several motivating factors which can con- Before any serious process design can be under-
tribute to a successful recycling project. These fac- taken, several items must be quantified. These in-
tors include concern for the environment in which clude such things as what is the charge stock, what

231
232 C. H A R R I S O N

is availability of the charge stock, what products

and by-products will be manufactured, and what re-
SPECIFICATIONS
REPROCESSED OIL & MDO
cycled product specifications do customers demand.
Also, what process will be used to make the prod-
DMDO
ucts and where will the plant be located. PROPERTY
ISO-8217 DMB
Regarding feed characteristics, one thing certain
about used oil is quality is variable. Unlike most API GRAVITY 25 (MIN)
refinery processes, where feed quality is reasonably SSU @ 100F tO0 (MAX)
consistent, used oil is an unknown that is a function WATER, % I ~.3o (MAX]
of what materials are dumped into it. Many of SULFUR, % 2.0 (MAX)
these materials can be contaminants. It is very ASH, %
much a function of the collection system, geo- POUR, F 32 (MAX)
graphic location, and degree to which sampling and FLASH, F 140 (MIN)
testing are monitored.
Many different components (fluids and solids)
can contaminate used oil. Examples of common FIGURE 2.Reprocessed oil and MDO specifications.

contaminates are gasoline and diesel from internal

combustion engines, vegetable oils, synthetic motor
oils, asphaltenes, glycols, water, chlorinated sol-
vents, dirt, soot, wear metals, crude oil, spent and
unspent additives, tank bottoms, and hazardous ma-
terials such as polychlorobiphenols (PCB's, from
electrical transformer oils).
Figure 1 is an abbreviated list of typical charge
stock properties. One method of mitigating the in-
herent variability of used oil is to homogenize it in
larger lots in tankage. The value of this on opera-
tions must be weighed against segregated tankage
and inventory cost.
Products to be manufactured must be determined
early in a project to target customers and evaluate
economics. This phase has an impact on process
selection. Two primary options were considered.
Recycle used oil to virgin quality base oil or target
the distillate fuel market.
Considering many factors including fuel oil
prices, base oil prices, base oil avails, processing
costs and marketing logistics along with internal
factors, Texaco chose to target the high sulfur distil-
late fuel market. More specifically, the marine die-
sel oil market became the primary focus. Marine
Diesel Oil (MDO) is a fuel used to power medium
speed diesel engines commonly found aboard inter-
national cargo vessels. Figure 2 illustrates typical
specification for marine diesel oil as described by
DMDO, ISO-8217 DMB. These are the specifica-
tions that a marketer can expect their customers to
demand.
PROCESS SELECTION
Process selection is the next step to a project reali-
zation. The block flow diagram in Figure 3 illus-
trates the basics of used oil processing. The basic

SPECIFICATIONS
USED M O T O R OILS ~ U S E D OIL P R O C E S S I N G STEPS

PROPERTY TYPICAL HYDROFINISHED

LIGHT RECYCLED HYDROGEN GASOIL
APi GRAVITY 25-30
SSU @ 100F 40-140
rVATER, % 2-1 C
SULFUR, % 0.15-0.35
%SH, % O . 2 - 1 .!
POUR, F 10-20
FLASH, F 100 25% COST 75%

FIGURE l.Used motor oil specifications. FIGURE 3. Used oil processing steps.
USED OIL RECYCLING
SPECIFICATIONS
REPROCESSED OIL & MDO
REPROCESSED DM ~DO
PROPERTY USEDOIL USEDOIL ISO-8217DMB
API GRAVITY 25-30 28-32 25 (MIN)
SSU @ 100F 40-140 100 100 (MAX)
WATER, % | -10 0 0.30 (MA]
(NIA)
SULFUR, % 0.15-O.35 0.2 2.0 (MAX)
ASH, % I 1.2-1.5 0.01 0.01 (MA
POUR, F 10-20 (-5)-5 32 (MAX)
FLASH, F 100 200+ 140 (MIN)
FIGURE 4. Reprocessed oil and MDO specifications.
fundamentals o f processing to base oil for lube
manufacture are removal of heavy metals to allow
hydrotreating the lube stocks without poisoning
(deactivating) the hydrotreating catalyst. Removal
of the heavy metals can be accomplished chemi-
cally or physically. Current common practice in the
U.S. is physical separation of these ash containing
components by distillation methods.
Investment costs can be reduced by eliminating
the last two steps and electing to produce distillate
fuels. Further investment reduction is possible by
eliminating the final three steps and producing a de-
watered non-distillate fuel of high ash content
which can be marketed to the power generation in-
dustry as a blend component for low sulfur (1%)
Number 6 Fuel Oil.
After careful consideration of markets, invest-
ments and profit potential, Texaco chose the three
step route to distillate fuels.
Figure 4 shows the properties of used oil and re-
processed used oil Texaco expects to receive and
produce. The recycled distillate product is also
compared against the specification for marine diesel
oil which is intended to be a major target market.
Final process selection was aided by review of
existing operations in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Familiarization with the Phillips Rerefined Oil
Process (PROP) and Thin Film Evaporator (TFE)
distillation technology, as practiced by Evergreen
and Safety Clean, aided the selection process as did
discussions with external contractors and licensors.
Texaco has considerable experience with used oil
collection and processing as a result of our ten year
operation in Queretaro, Mexico. The review re-
sulted in the use o f Texaco in-house technology and
Texaco's Central Engineering Department to com-
plete the process design package for submittal to
233
contractors to bid on fabrication and erection of the
plant. Previous experience in the used oil operation
was of significant benefit.
L O C A T I O N OF A F A C I L I T Y
Another factor which would have a significant in-
fluence on the final design and cost of the project is
geographical location. Because used oil is not read-
ily available in large quantities at a central location,
it is likely that economics of size normally available
to large plants would be offset by high transporta-
tion costs associated with a wide tank truck collec-
tion program. However, Texaco elected to take
advantage of lower costs/large volume barge trans-
portation available on the U.S. inland waterway
system by siting this plant on the Mississippi River.
Also, Texaco decided to employ existing under-util-
ized facilities such as closed or limited operation
plants, marketing terminals, or similar facilities
with surplus infrastructure such as tanks and build-
ings. In the final analysis, the location selected for
the first Texaco used oil recycling plant was at the
Star Enterprise Marketing Terminal in Marrero,
Louisiana, near New Orleans. This is Texaco's old-
est sales terminal dating to the early 1900s. The re-
cycling plant capacity will be 3500 BPD of used oil
charge.
A terminal site presents several engineering chal-
lenges for a project of this nature in addition to pre-
viously mentioned considerations, such as feed
variation and contamination.
The design must take into consideration the ex-
tremes of feed variability. For example, water con-
tent can vary from 2-10% and fuel dilution can vary
over a wide range and processing of all combina-
tions must be possible.
No flare exists at the terminal. Land space is
limited and the terminal is in a relatively populated
area inside the city limits of Marrero, Louisiana.
These restrictions preclude the building of a con-
ventional flare.
No process cooling water is available at the site.
Some other utilities are limited as well. No steam
or pipeline nitrogen is available. The result is
heavy reliance on air cooling. City water and natu-
ral gas are available.
Waste water treatment facilities are not available.
In addition, waste water from used oil is difficult to
treat making the installation of a comprehensive
234 C. H A R R I S O N

TEXACO FUELS AND MARINE MARKETING ~ PRIgDICTED P R O D U C T P R O P E R T I E S

USED LUBRICANT RECYCLING FACILITY, MARRERO, LA
MARINE DIESEL OIL
SIMPLIFIED FLOW DIAGRAM
TO ATMOSPHERE PROPERTY MDO
TO A13~10SpHIE[1F"
API GRAVITY 28.0
VISCOSITy, SSU @ 100 F 100
WATER, VOL % 0
SULFUR, WT % 0.2
~I WATE.
- .~,,~,'D.OC^..O=
q I
1
II I
ASH, WI'% 0.or
POUR POINT, o F 5
FEED ~ ( C H A N G I E VACUUM V A C U U M DISTILLA'nES
......... j , . . . . . . . FLASH, F 200+
MOLECULAR WEIGHT 350
I I h ...... ':F ......
aL TB B F
5% 550
w A ' n E R B LOWDOWN 50% 750
9S% 925

FIGURE 5. Simplified flow diagram of Texaco Fuels and Marine FIGURE 7. Predicted product properties marine diesel oil.
Marketing Used Lubricant Recycling Facility, Marrero, Louisiana.

system prohibitive. Solution of this problem re- ures are often the result of rapid and catastrophic
quired innovation. corrosion as well as gradual metal corrosion or ero-
Finally, one of the major advantages of locating sion losses.
in an existing facility is to make use of existing The Marrero installation required the use of
tankage, pipelines and other infrastructure. Some- some non-carbon steel metallurgy such as 316L
times these existing facilities are not exactly what is stainless steel and 347 stainless steel. If the deci-
needed and must be modified for use. An example sion had been made to recycle to base oil, additional
would be fixed roof vs. floating roof tanks. An- metallurgy such as Inconel 625 likely would have
other example was the need for a heated tank for as- been required.
phalt flux storage. The final factor influencing the design package
was the decision on design standards and philoso-
ADDITIONAL CHALLENGES
PROCESS PRODUCTS
USED OIL INITIATIVE
Used oil recycling presents challenges which are
unrelated to location. Used oil by its nature is cor- PRODUCT YIELD % DISPOSITION

rosive at certain operating conditions. Used oil LUBE DISTILLATE 67-78% MARINE FUEL & CUTTER
contains organic and naphthenic acids. Some of ROAD AND ROOFING
ASPHALT FLUX 12-15%
these occur naturally and some are formed as prod- ASPHALT

ucts of combustion in automobile engines. Some LIGHT ENDS 5-10% PLANT FUEL

corrosive materials such as halogens or mineral ac- WATER 5-10% INCINERATED

ids may be introduced into the used oil from outside
INSOLUBLE GASES TRACE INCINERATED
sources. Experience with processing used oil over
10 years in Mexico has shown that equipment fail- FIGURE 8. Process products: Used oil initiative.

~.~ TEXACO USED O)L RECYCLING FACILITY

MARRERO, LOUISIANA

TFAMM PLANT DATA

• CHARGE3500 BPD OR (APPROX)44 MM GPY (OPERATING

300 DAYS/YEAR)

• YI ELDS
• 5-10% WATER
• 5-10% L I G H T EN DS
• 67-78% M E D I U M / H E A V Y DISTILLATE
• 12-15% V A C U U M B O T T O M S

• 15-20 EMPLOYEES

• LESS 1/2 ACRE FOR PROCESS UNITS

• LESS 2 ACRES FOR TOTAL PLANT

FIGURE 6. TFAMM Plant data. FIGURE 9. Texaco's Used Oil Recycling Facility, Marrero, Louisiana.
USED OIL RECYCLING
phy. For this project the decision was made to ac-
cept normal industry standards except where safety
was an issue. Texaco design practices governed
safety issues. In addition, the design philosophy
adopted was to be willing to accept a shutdown to
make repairs in the event of an equipment failure
rather than spare all normally spared equipment.
As a result of the above, ANSI pumps were
specified for non-critical service, pumps and com-
pressors were not spared, lower TEMA ratings on
heat exchangers were acceptable, and shorter than
normal plant life was specified.
FINAL DESIGN R E S U L T S
The final design results are shown in Figure 5,
which is a simplified process flow diagram. Used
oil feed is exchanged with product prior to entering
an atmospheric flash tower. This tower is control-
led to remove all water present in the used oil feed.
Since the tower is a simple one-stage flash tower,
the overhead stream will also contain some low
boiling hydrocarbons. This stream is fed to the
heater to burn the organic portion for energy recov-
ery. Supplemental heat is provided by natural gas
to provide the required process duty. Water in the
form of steam leaves the heater stack with the other
stack gases. Caustic scrubbing removes the acid
gases (SOx, COx, NOx, HCL, etc.) from the stack
gases which are vented to the atmosphere.
The dry feed goes to a conventional vacuum dis-
tillation tower which produces three product
235
streams: l.) light ends consisting of gasoline/kero-
sene/diesel boiling range material, 2.) vacuum dis-
tillates (vacuum gas oil) and 3.) a residual bottom
stream. The distillate streams are cooled by ex-
change with incoming feed and air fans in route to
tankage. The bottoms are cooled by a water box
cooler.
The vacuum distillates and some portion of the
light ends are blended to make marine diesel oil for
sale and the bottoms will be sold into the asphalt
market.
Because no flare exists, emergency relief for
both the atmospheric and vacuum fractionators is
routed to a water quench tower. Relief materials
are collected and recycled to the process after the
emergency has abated. This allows their recovery
under normal operating conditions.
Figure 6 illustrates expectations for the opera-
tion. The yield values are shown as ranges due to
the variability of used oil. Figure 7 shows the prop-
erties expected for Marine Diesel Oil and Figure 8
shows Texaco's proposed disposition of the prod-
ucts. The status of the project is ongoing. Texaco
has approved the project and Petrocon was the suc-
cessful bidder. Equipment fabrication and procure-
ment is essentially complete and erection is in
progress. Start-up is planned for the second quarter
of 1994.
Figure 9 gives an artists conception of how the
plant will appear when it is completed and opera-
tional. It can be seen from this figure that the plant
is compact and does not occupy a large land area.