CPT150S - 2022 - Chapter 1 - Petroleum Industry and Petrochemicals

Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment
Department of Chemical Engineering

Symphony Way, Bellville, Cape Town, 7535
Diploma (D3CHME): Chemical Engineering

Year I
CHEMICAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY I (CPT150S)
Lecture 1 : Petroleum Refining and Petrochemical Industry
Lecturer: Mr Z Gwele
Slides prepared by: Mr Maghmood Palmer
Bellville Campus
Semester 2 2023
Content
Fossil fuels
Crude oil Extraction
Crude oil refining
Quality improvement processes
Environment & Pollution
OPEC
Learning Outcomes
o Understand the basic concepts involved in the

Petroleum and petrochemical industry
o Describe the different stages involved in the

petroleum industry
o Explain the major stages involved
o Understand the economic significance of the

industry
o Explain the impact of Petroleum industry on
the environment
Petroleum Refining and
Petrochemical Industry
Fossil fuels
o Matters formed from remains of plants and animals that lived millions of years
ago (Decomposition).
o Found in geologic formations beneath the earth surface
o Source of energy
o Have high content of carbon atoms
o Can be volatile (Low C-H ratio, e.g. CH4), liquids (petroleum), solid (Coal)
15%
34% Oil
24% Coal
Gas
27%
Non-fossil
World's main primary energy sources (2018 Data)

Fossil fuels
o fossil fuels are still the backbone of the electricity system
World's energy sources for electricity generation (2018 Data)
Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2019, 56

Petroleum industry Oil industry
Crude Oil
o Complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various
molecular weights & other liquid organic
compounds made naturally from decaying
plants and animals (organic material).
o Found in geologic formations beneath the
earth surface.
o It is the Key material processed in refinery
o Compounds have different boiling points
o Varies: Light, heavy, Sweet and sour
Oil and gas

Processing Distribution
Production
Crude Oil
o On average, crude oils are made of the

following elements or compounds:
Carbon 84%
Hydrogen 14 %
Sulphur 1 to 3 %
Nitrogen <1%
Oxygen <1%
Metals <1 % (nickel, iron, vanadium, copper, arsenic)
Salts < 1 % (sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride)

Constituents of Petroleum
Aliphatic / Open chain Ring Compounds

•n - Paraffin / Alkanes Series
•Naphthene Series /
(CnH2n+2) cycloalkanes (CnH2n)
•Iso-paraffin or iso-alkane
series
(CnH2n+2)
•Aromatic or Benzenoid Series

•Olefin / Alkene series (CnH2n)
(CnH2n-6)
Crude Oil Cont.
Hydrocarbons are molecules which contain hydrogen and carbon atoms

o They contain a lot of energy, and
o They can take on many different forms.
o They come in various lengths and structures, including straight chains,
branching chains and rings.
11 countries with the highest Crude oil production (2020)
12.108
10.835
Million Barrels per day
9.58
4.62
4.219
3.823
3.068
2.652 2.604
2.213 1.948
United Russia Saudi Iraq Canada China UAE Kuwait Brazil Iran Nigeria
States Arabia
Country
Source: worldpopulationreview
Crude Oil Cont.
Statistical Review of World Energy 2021 reveals that the COVID-19
pandemic had a dramatic impact on energy markets, with both primary
energy and carbon emissions falling at their fastest rates since the
Second World War.
South Africa Oil Consumption:
492000 barrels per day (2020)
Top 10 Oil countries consumers (2020)
18.120
Million Barrels per day
14.314
4.738
3.544 3.282 3.243 3.019 2.575 2.342 2.127
United China India Saudi Japan Russia Brazil South Canada Germany
States Arabia Korea
Country
Source: www.bp.com
Crude Oil Cont.
The Three major stages of petroleum operations (Note: some companies
integrate all three stages. E.g. Shell, BP, Exxonmobil)
Perforated well Perforated gun lowered Charges set off
Crude Oil Cont.
Upstream Stage:
Exploration and Production
Oil formation pushed up Holes created through casing

Crude Oil Cont.
Midstream Stage:
Transportation, storage & wholesale

o Pipelines
o Rails
o Oil truck
o Tankers etc.
Crude Oil Cont.
Downstream Stage:
Refining & Delivery

Conversion of oil and gas into the finished
product
Crude Oil cont.
Manufacturing and Refining
Separation Processes Conversion Processes

(Physical change) (Chemical change)
o Distillation (volatilities) o Isomerisation
o Absorption (liquid-gas) o Cracking
o Adsorption (liquid-solid) o Esterification
o Extraction (liquid-liquid) o Hydrogenation
o Filtration (solids/particles) o Alkylation

o Reforming
o Polymerisation
Crude Oil cont.
Manufacturing and Refining

To remove or alter impurities in the
petroleum products
o Improve colour
o Improve odour
o Removal of sulphur to decrease the
corrosion effect
o Removal of gums, resins and asphaltic
materials
o Improvement of stability to light and air
Refining
Separation Process
o Separate compounds mixed as crude oil

o To obtain different forms of products
Separation Distillation
Method of separating mixtures based on
differences in their volatilities in a boiling
liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit
operation, or a physical separation
process, and not a chemical reaction.
Separation
Distillation
Separation
Distillation
Separation
Distillation
Products Application
Natural Natural gas (LPG)
Light Distillates Motor gasoline
Solvent Naphtha
Jet Fuel
Light heating oils
Intermediate distillates Heavy fuel oils
Diesel oils
Gas oils
Heavy distillates Heavy mineral oils (medicinal)
Heavy flotation oils
Lubricating oils
Waxes (candles, sealing, insulating)
Residues Lubricating oils
Asphalts (tar)
Coke
Separation
Sorption
Refers to the action of absorption (also desorption) or
adsorption:
o Absorption is the incorporation of a substance in one state
into another of a different state (e.g. liquids being absorbed
by a gas or gases being absorbed by a liquid).
o Adsorption is the physical adherence or bonding of ions
and molecules onto the surface of another phase.
Separation
Sorption
Gas absorption (also known as scrubbing) There is a mass transfer of
Gas mixture is contacted with a liquid for the the component of the gas
purpose of preferentially dissolving one or more from the gas phase to the
components of the gas mixture and to provide a liquid phase. The solute so
solution of them in the liquid. transferred is said to be
absorbed by the liquid.
In gas desorption (or
stripping), the mass transfer
is in the opposite direction,
i.e. from the liquid phase to
the gas phase. The principles
for both systems are the same.
Separation
Sorption
Gas absorption ─ Scrubbing
Gas desorption ─ Stripping

Separation
Liquid-liquid extraction
Also known as solvent extraction and partitioning, is a method to separate
compounds based on their relative solubilities in two different immiscible liquids,
usually water and an organic solvent.
o It is an extraction of a substance from one liquid phase into another liquid phase.
o If the two phases are immiscible liquids, the technique is called liquid-liquid
extraction. Usually, one phase is aqueous (hydrophilic) and the other is a
hydrophobic organic solvent.
o A sequence of extractions with various solvents can be used to separate, with
considerable efficiency, relatively complex mixtures.
Manufacturing
Conversion Process
o Improves product quality.

o Improved yield of desired products.
o To satisfy economic demand
Manufacturing
Isomerisation
The alteration of the arrangement of the atoms in a hydrocarbon molecule

without changing the number of atoms.
Important for producing iso-butane.

300 ˚C
AlCl3
Manufacturing
Alkylation
o Light, gaseous hydrocarbons are combined to produce high-octane components of
gasoline.
o Octane number : measures the performance of fuel. The higher the octane
number, the more compression the fuel can withstand before detonating
o Various types of Hydrocarbons are rearranged to make desired hydrocarbons (A
mixture of heavier hydrocarbons is formed).
o e.g. An alkene & aromatic or alkane can be reacted to produce a saturated
branched chain in the presence of a sulfuric-acid or hydrofluoric-acid catalyst/
pressure/ heat..
o Alkylation reactions are catalysed by strong acids
Manufacturing
Cracking
o The breakdown of large hydrocarbons molecules into smaller molecules by
heat or catalytic action.
o 3 types – thermal, catalytic and steam cracking.
o Used to make many important chemicals (Ethylene, propylene etc.)
o Hydrocracking: The breakdown of large molecules with the aid of hydrogen
o Zeolite catalyst normally used.

Manufacturing
Cracking
o Catalytic - uses a catalyst to speed up the cracking reaction.
o Thermal – heats large hydrocarbons at high temperatures (sometimes high

pressures as well) until they break apart.
o Steam - high temperature steam (816 ⁰C) is used to break ethane, butane and
naphtha into ethylene and benzene, which are used to manufacture chemicals.
Manufacturing
Cracking
o Question
Get 10 (Ten) marks ahead of the total marks of the first assignment !!
o After Cracking of an hydrocarbon, which operation according to your analysis and

understanding should follow?
>> various hydrocarbons are cracked into smaller hydrocarbons, the products go
through another Separation unit (fractional distillation column) to separate them.
Manufacturing
Hydrogenation
o The addition of hydrogen to an alkene.
o Helps in the overall upgrading of products

Manufacturing
Reforming
o Smaller hydrocarbons to make larger ones (- unification)
o Alkanes are converted to produce products with higher number of double

bonds & aromatic rings (unsaturated hydrocarbons).
o The major unification process is called catalytic reforming and uses a catalyst
(platinum, platinum-rhenium mix) to combine low weight naphtha into
aromatics, which are used in making chemicals and in blending gasoline.
Manufacturing
Esterification
o Reaction between an acid and an alcohol.
Manufacturing
Polymerisation
o The linking of similar molecules, such as the joining of light alkenes
An oil refinery is a combination of all of these processes
Fuel supply chain overview
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
PROCESSES
Treating and Blending the fractions
o Processed fractions are treated to remove impurities, such as organic
compounds containing sulphur, nitrogen, oxygen, water, dissolved metals
and inorganic salts.
o After the fractions have been treated, they are cooled and then blended
together to make various products.
Blending is the physical mixture of a number of different liquid hydrocarbons

to produce a finished product with certain desired characteristics e.g. E10
(10% ethanol/90% gasoline); B5 (5% biodiesel/95% diesel)
AIMS
different mixtures of chains can create gasoline with different octane ratings
for ease in handling and to reduce the undesirable emissions produced
when the product is burned
Additives incorporated during and/or after blending to provide specific
properties not inherent in hydrocarbons.
Additives include
o octane enhancers
o anti-oxidants
o anti-knock agents (Methyl tertiary ether butyl
o gum and rust inhibitors
o detergents
Additives incorporated during and/or after blending to
provide specific properties not inherent in hydrocarbons.
Octane enhancers
o Designed to improve engine's stability under
compression by increasing the octane rating of the fuel
o Contributes to cleaner performance, as well as

protecting engine from untimely wear and tear
Additives incorporated during and/or after blending to provide specific properties
not inherent in hydrocarbons.
Anti-oxidants
Compounds that prevent oxidation. Oxidation chemical reaction can produce free
radicals and chain reactions
o Fuel stabilizers and lubricants to prevent oxidation
o Prevent the polymerization in Gasoline that leads to the formation of engine-
fouling residues
E.g. AO-22 (N,N'-di-2-butyl-1,4-

phenylenediamine)
[prevent degradation of turbine oils,
transformer oil etc]
Additives incorporated during and/or after blending to provide specific
properties not inherent in hydrocarbons.
Anti-knock agents (Methyl tertiary ether butyl)

Environmental Impacts
Sources of impacts
Exploration under sea: Disturbs communication and navigation of aquatic

animals
Drilling: Land and water pollution by Oil, Heavy metals
Processing: Noise, flaring of gas, Water and Land pollution, (global warming
→ climate change)
Sources of impacts
Refining: Air Pollution (Cox, Sox, Nox – greenhouse gases), land pollution
(by solid waste), water pollution (by liquid effluent)
Transportation, Storage & Accidents: Oil spill, leakage, oil contaminated site
(water and land pollution), Burning oil
field
Actions
Safety and precautions: Companies must ensure that they are following all
safety precautions and regulations that help lower the risks
e.g. Using double hull tankers instead of single hull tankers when
transporting oil from offshore sites
In case of spill: Companies must work hard to ensure that the environment
that has been affected is restored
Alternative source of energy: include hydro-, wind, solar, plants (biofuel) etc.
OPEC (Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries)
A permanent intergovernmental organization of 12 oil-exporting developing
nations that coordinates and unifies the petroleum policies of its Member
Countries
o Established at the Baghdad Conference in 1960
o Country members include: Algeria, Angola, Congo Republic, Equatorial
Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, United
Arab Emirates (UAE), Venezuela
o USA vs OPEC The objective is to co-ordinate and unify petroleum
policies among Member Countries, in order to secure
fair and stable prices for petroleum producers; an
efficient, economic and regular supply of petroleum to
consuming nations; and a fair return on capital to those
investing in the industry.
Tutorial 2 – part 1
Answer the question below and submit your typed 1 page (a paragraph
answer for each question) to cpt150s2023@gmail.com
The questions may be discussed with classmate, however submissions

are individual
Question 1
Discuss how covid-19 impacted the petroleum industry
Question 2
Which stage of the petroleum industry contribute more to the cost of oil and gas? Explain
Question 3
Other than achieving the desired octane number, what are the motives of blending different liquid hydrocarbons
Question 4
Considering Brics summit 2023, which countries have been approved to be part of Brics and how is this a progressive or
unprogressive move pertaining the petroleum industry
References
• Shreve, R.N. and Austin, G.T. 2000. Shreve’s Chemical Process

Industries International edition.
• CAPT (Center for the Advancement of Process Tech), 2007.
• Heaton, A. 1996. An Introduction to Industrial Chemistry 3rd Ed.
Springer-science+business Media, B.V.
• Moulijn J.A., Makkee, M. & Van Diepen, A. 2001. Chemical Process
Technology. Publisher: Wiley Publishing
• Turton, R., Shaeiwitz, J., Bhattacharyya, D. & Whiting, W. 2018.
Analysis, Synthesis, and Design of Chemical Processes 5th Ed.
Prentice Hall.
• Silla, H. Chemical Process Engineering Design and Economics.
2003. Marcel Dekker, Inc.
49
Get statistics of South Africa Energy
Status @ http://www.energy.gov.za.
QUESTIONS?
50

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Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment

Department of Chemical Engineering

Diploma (D3CHME): Chemical Engineering

Crude oil Extraction

Crude oil refining

Quality improvement processes

Environment & Pollution

o Understand the basic concepts involved in the

o Describe the different stages involved in the

o Explain the major stages involved

o Understand the economic significance of the

World's main primary energy sources (2018 Data)

World's energy sources for electricity generation (2018 Data)

Source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2019, 56

Oil and gas

o On average, crude oils are made of the

Salts < 1 % (sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium chloride)

Aliphatic / Open chain Ring Compounds

•Aromatic or Benzenoid Series

Hydrocarbons are molecules which contain hydrogen and carbon atoms

Exploration and Production

Oil formation pushed up Holes created through casing

Transportation, storage & wholesale

Refining & Delivery

Manufacturing and Refining

Separation Processes Conversion Processes

o Distillation (volatilities) o Isomerisation

o Absorption (liquid-gas) o Cracking

o Adsorption (liquid-solid) o Esterification

o Extraction (liquid-liquid) o Hydrogenation

o Filtration (solids/particles) o Alkylation

Manufacturing and Refining

o Separate compounds mixed as crude oil

Gas desorption ─ Stripping

o Improves product quality.

The alteration of the arrangement of the atoms in a hydrocarbon molecule

Important for producing iso-butane.

o 3 types – thermal, catalytic and steam cracking.

o Used to make many important chemicals (Ethylene, propylene etc.)

o Hydrocracking: The breakdown of large molecules with the aid of hydrogen

o Zeolite catalyst normally used.

o Thermal – heats large hydrocarbons at high temperatures (sometimes high

o After Cracking of an hydrocarbon, which operation according to your analysis and

o Helps in the overall upgrading of products

o Alkanes are converted to produce products with higher number of double

Blending is the physical mixture of a number of different liquid hydrocarbons

o Contributes to cleaner performance, as well as

E.g. AO-22 (N,N'-di-2-butyl-1,4-

Anti-knock agents (Methyl tertiary ether butyl)

Exploration under sea: Disturbs communication and navigation of aquatic

The questions may be discussed with classmate, however submissions

• Shreve, R.N. and Austin, G.T. 2000. Shreve’s Chemical Process

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