1/31/2023 Dr.

Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 69

Chapter Outline

▪ Introduction
▪ Light-Ends Separation
▪ Heavy-Ends Separation
Introduction

 The main separation processes in petroleum refining

take place in CDU (both atmospheric ADU and vacuum
distillation VDU units);
 The overhead product from ADU, known as the light-
ends will be further fractionated to separate butane and
lighter components from naphtha
 The debutanized naphtha is splitted into light and heavy
streams for further processing
 The heavy-ends product from the VDU outlet will be
further separated with dewaxing and deasphalting;

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 71

Petroleum Refining Process

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 72

Separation of Light Ends Stream

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 73

Fractionation for Light-Ends
The hydrocarbon range in overhead distillate from ADU
covers carbon numbers C1 through C10.

Typical light-ends processing units:

 Debutanizer Unit
 Depropanizer Unit
 Naphtha Splitter Unit

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 74

Debutanizer Unit
 The most common routing of the full-range naphtha from
ADU overhead
 The feed stream is heated by heat exchanger with hot
products before entering the feed tray of the debutanizer
column
 This unit normally contains 30-40 trays where butanes
and lighter gas are separated as an overhead distillate
while the naphtha is removed as the bottom product
 The overhead distillate is then heated again by heat
exchanger and fed into a depropanizer unit

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 75

Debutanizer Unit

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 76

Depropanizer Unit
 This column also has 30-40 distillation trays
 The unit separates butanes from propane and lighter gas
by fractionation.
 Butanes leave the column as the bottom product to
become butane LPG product after further sweetening
treatment (sulfur removal)
 The column overhead distillate becomes part of the
refinery’s propane LPG product after further sweetening
treatment

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 77

Naphtha Splitter Unit
 The debutanized naphtha leaving the bottom of the
debutanizer is further fractionated in the naphtha splitter
to give a light naphtha stream (with mostly C5s and nC6s)
and fed to the refinery’s gasoline pool as blending stock
 The heavy naphtha stream contains cycloparaffin
components and the higher paraffin isomers. This stream
is sent to the catalytic reformer after being hydrotreated
for sulfur and nitrogen removal.

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 78

Naphtha Splitter Unit

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 79

Quizzes
 Mechanism of the naphtha splitter unit?
 How to control the composition of the light and heavy
naphtha streams from the splitter?
 How to control the performance of the splitter?
 Can McCabe – Thiele or FUG method be used for the
calculation of minimum number of trays, reflux ratio of the
debutanizer?
 The main differences between debutanizer and naphtha
splitter?
 The role of the isothermal flash tank?

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 80

Solvent Deasphalting (SDA)
Purpose:
 to remove asphalt from the crude distillation
residue

Process
 employs solubility differences to perform
separation
 uses light hydrocarbon (C3,C4,C5) as solvents

Products
 asphaltenes
 deasphalted oil (DAO)

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 81

Role of Solvent Extraction Processes in
Petroleum Refinery
 Production of lubricating oil blending stocks

 Production of pitches and asphalt binder materials

for construction, e.g. road paving

 Pretreatment of residue to produce deasphalted

oil (DAO) with improved properties

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 82

 Typical SDA Process

Source: Hydrocarbon Processing’s 2008 Refining Processes Handbook

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 83

Operating Conditions of Solvent
Deasphalting Processes

1/31/2023 Dr. Lan Mai-Cao, HCM University of Technology, Vietnam 84