Brief description of the main technological processes of fuel production. The current state of oil refining in Russia Modern technologies for oil refining

World oil refining is a global, strategically important industry. One of the most knowledge-intensive and high-tech industries and, accordingly, one of the most capital-intensive. An industry with a rich history and long-term plans.

A number of factors contribute to the development of modern oil refining today. First, the growth of the economy by region of the world. Developing countries are consuming more and more fuel. Every year their energy needs are growing exponentially. Therefore, most of the new large refineries are being built in the Asia-Pacific region, South America and the Middle East. To date, the most powerful refinery in the world is the plant of the private Indian company Reliance Industries (RIL) in Jamnagar (western Gujarat). It was put into operation in 1999 and today it processes almost 72 million tons of oil per year! The three largest enterprises in the world also include Ulsan Refinery in South Korea and Paraguana Refinery Complex in Venezuela (about 55 million tons of oil per year). For comparison, the largest domestic enterprise, the Omsk Oil Refinery, owned by Gazprom Neft, processes about 22 million tons of oil per year.

At the same time, it should be noted that the main trend in the development of refineries is not just an increase in volumes, but an increase in the depth of processing. After all, the more expensive light oil products can be obtained from the same volume of oil, the more profitable the production will be. To increase the depth of processing, the share of secondary processes is increasing all over the world. The efficiency of a modern refinery reflects the so-called Nelson Index, a measure of the level of secondary conversion capacity at a refinery in relation to the primary distillation capacity. The Nelson Complexity Index assigns a factor to each facility in the plant based on its complexity and cost compared to downstream equipment, which is assigned a complexity factor of 1.0. For example, a catalytic cracker has a factor of 4.0, which means it is 4 times more complex than a crude oil distillation plant at the same capacity. The Nelson index for the refinery in Jamnagar is 15. For the same Omsk refinery, it is now 8.5. But the adopted program for the modernization of domestic plants until 2020 involves the commissioning of new capacities of secondary processes, which will “pull up” this indicator. So the calculated Nelson index of the TANECO plant in Tatarstan after the completion of construction should be 15 units!

The second most important factor in the development of world oil refining is the constant tightening of environmental requirements. The requirements for the content of sulfur and aromatic hydrocarbons in fuels are becoming more and more stringent. The fight for the environment, which began in the United States and Western Europe, is gradually moving to the markets of developing countries. Even 10 years ago it was difficult to imagine the introduction of environmental class 5 requirements in our country, but for more than a year now we have been living with these standards.

Compliance with stringent environmental regulations is not an easy task. It is also complicated by the fact that the quality of oil, on average, is only deteriorating. The reserves of easily accessible high-quality oils are coming to an end. The share of heavy, bituminous and shale raw materials, containing less and less gasoline and diesel fractions, is increasing.

Scientists and engineers around the world are working to solve these problems. The result of their developments is complex expensive installations and the most modern multi-component catalysts that allow squeezing the maximum of environmentally friendly fuels even from the lowest quality oil. However, all this leads to significant costs for refineries, directly affecting the profitability of plants. The downward trend in their income is visible around the world.

All the trends described above are obvious for Russia as well. Being a part of the world economy and accepting the general rules of work, more and more funds are being invested in our country in the development of domestic oil refining, engineering, and science. This is complicated by the fact that practically not a single enterprise was built in the 90s and 2000s, much was lost for domestic science, and new qualified personnel for the industry were not trained. But the adopted state program “Energy Efficiency and Economic Development”, designed to radically improve the state of domestic oil refining until 2020, will make it possible to catch up. Its fruits can already be seen today at every gas station, where there is practically no fuel below the 5th ecological class.

The development of the oil refining industry in Russia in recent years has a clear tendency to improve the state of the industry. With the growth of refining volumes, the quality of produced motor fuels is gradually increasing. A number of Russian refineries are building new complexes for deep oil refining, some of which have already been put into operation. However, in order to move forward, much more needs to be done, in particular, to adopt legislation that tightens the quality of petroleum products, to change the tax policy of the state in the field of oil refining. In addition, in order to accelerate the transformation of the industry and stimulate conditions for the development and implementation of competitive domestic technologies and equipment, the design market should be reorganized, primarily through the creation of a Russian state scientific and engineering center for oil refining and petrochemistry. Today, the global oil refining industry is in an exceptionally favorable situation, with the price of light oil products rising twice as fast as the price of crude oil. The increase in the profitability of the industry leads to the fact that oil-producing countries began to actively build and commission new processing facilities in order to export not raw materials, but oil products and petrochemicals. This applies to countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Venezuela, etc. Suffice it to say that only in Qatar it is planned to commission processing capacities for 31 million tons per year. The global trend, most pronounced in the industrialized countries importing oil products, has been the tightening of environmental legislation aimed at reducing harmful emissions from fuel combustion, as well as the constant growth of requirements for the quality of oil products. If we talk about the most important product of the industry - motor fuel, then the trends of recent years show that, for example, in the EU countries, the demand for distillate diesel fuels and high-quality gasolines is growing most rapidly. Gasoline consumption in the US and Asia-Pacific countries is also increasing. Demand for jet fuel will grow to a lesser extent, while market demand for boiler fuel will gradually decline. This global trend must be taken into account when modernizing the Russian oil refining industry. The oil refining industry in Russia lags far behind in its development from the industrialized countries of the world. The main problems of the industry are the low depth of oil refining, the low quality of the produced oil products, the backward production structure, the high degree of depreciation of fixed assets, and the high level of energy consumption. Russian refineries are characterized by a low level of conversion of crude oil into more valuable refined products. On average, in the Russian Federation, the output of the main motor fuels (gasoline, diesel fuel) is inferior to the indicators of oil refining in the industrialized countries of the world, and the share of fuel oil production is the highest. Due to the low depth of refining, Russian refineries are loaded at 70-75%, while for global oil refining today, due to huge demand and high prices for petroleum products, loading close to 100% is typical. In 2005, the four largest Western oil companies processed more oil than they themselves produced, while the four Russian companies processed much less oil than their production volumes. That is, if companies in the West seek to earn as much as possible from oil refining and therefore buy oil on the side, then Russian companies are forced to mainly focus on the export of crude oil, since the quality of their oil products is such that it is difficult to sell it abroad. A significant proportion of oil products produced at Russian enterprises is made up of obsolete brands of fuels, the quality of which does not meet the modern world level. The share of fuel oil in the production of Russian refineries is still high (56.6 million tons were produced in 2005, i.e. almost the same as motor gasoline). The quality of motor fuels produced in Russia reflects the technical condition of the country's vehicle fleet. In particular, the presence in the fleet of cars and trucks of outdated models that consume low-grade fuel (gasoline brand A-76) makes it necessary to maintain its production at Russian refineries. The low quality of produced oil products is due to the backward structure of oil refining at most Russian refineries, in which not only the share of destructive deepening processes is low, but also secondary processes aimed at improving the quality of produced oil products. The export of Russian oil refining is mainly made up of relatively cheap petroleum products, including straight-run gasoline, vacuum gas oil, diesel fuel of low quality in comparison with European requirements for sulfur content, as well as heating oil, base oils. The share of commercial petroleum products with high added value is extremely small. A significant problem of the Russian oil refining industry is the high degree of depreciation of fixed assets, which is up to 80%, as well as the use of outdated energy-intensive and economically imperfect technologies. As a result, Russian oil refining is characterized by a high level of energy consumption, which negatively affects the economic efficiency of the industry. The specific consumption of energy resources at operating Russian plants is 2-3 times higher than foreign counterparts. The capacities of oil refineries are located on the territory of Russia unevenly and irrationally. Most Russian refineries are located inland, far from offshore export transshipment bases, which significantly reduces the efficiency of oil product exports. The consequence of serious problems with the location of the industry is the growth in the number of mini-refineries with a primary processing capacity of 10 to 500 thousand tons per year. At present, they produce about 2% of all petroleum products produced in the country. As a rule, unskilled processing of crude oil is carried out at such mini-refineries, and their existence significantly complicates the environmental situation in the regions. Recently, there has been a tendency to improve the state of the oil refining industry in Russia. Signs of improvement are a significant increase in investment by Russian oil companies in oil refining, an increase in oil refining volumes, a gradual improvement in the quality of motor fuels produced by phasing out the production of leaded motor gasoline, an increase in the share of production of high-octane gasolines and environmentally friendly diesel fuels. The total installed capacity of Russian refineries, including mini-refineries, is 275.3 million tons, but only about 75% of the capacity is used - the rest are idle due to obsolescence and physical deterioration of equipment. Bashkortostan has the largest total oil refining capacity; they are owned by OAO Bashneftekhim and OAO Salavatnefteorgsintez. Fig.39. Oil refining (without mini-refineries) in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in 2007, million tons Kirishinefteorgsintez (17.3 million tons) and the plant of the Angarsk petrochemical corporation in Angarsk (16.4 million tons). Among oil companies, the first place in terms of installed refining capacities at the beginning of 2007. occupied by Rosneft Oil Company JSC - 61.4 million tons per year. She was the leader in oil refining in 2007. OAO NK LUKOIL (40.6 million tons) and OAO Bashneftekhim (32.2 million tons) have lesser capacities. In 2007 domestic refineries received 229.5 million tons, or about 48% of the produced oil; this is almost 8 million tons more than in 2006. Of these, 227.7 million tons, or about 99.2% of the supplied raw materials, were processed. Almost all of it is processed at 27 major refineries. Irretrievable oil losses at Russian refineries amounted to less than 1%. Figure 40. Structure of primary oil refining by Russian companies in 2007, % (excluding mini-refineries) Depth of oil refining at Russian enterprises in 2007 accounted for only 71.3%, including 70.9% at refineries (in 2006, 71.7 and 71.2%, respectively). At foreign factories, the value of this indicator is 85-90% and higher. The highest refining depth was achieved at the plant of OAO LUKOIL-Permnefteorgsintez (84.1%), at the Omsk Refinery of OAO Gazprom Neft (83.3%), and at the Novoufimsk Refinery of OAO Bashneftekhim (82.1%). The complexity factor of oil refining is low, as a result of which the possibility of producing high-quality motor fuel is limited in the country, while the share of fuel oil in the gross volume of produced petroleum products is still very high - more than 33% (in developed countries it averages 12%, in the USA - about 7 %). Nevertheless, the share of production of high-octane gasolines (A-92 and higher) in the total production of motor gasolines in the Russian Federation is constantly growing; in 2007 it amounted to 74.5%. Fig.41. Production of petroleum products in the Russian Federation in 2007, mln tons Fig.42. Structure of production of basic petroleum products in Russia in 2007, % At a number of Russian refineries in recent years, construction of new deep oil refining complexes (CGPNs) has been actively underway. A vacuum gas oil hydrocracking complex was launched at the Perm Oil Refinery (OJSC LUKOIL), CGPN was launched at Slavneft's Yaroslavl Oil Refinery, and a vacuum gas oil hydrotreatment complex was launched at the Ryazan Oil Refinery, owned by TNK-BP. The catalytic cracking complex was launched at the Nizhnekamsk Refinery of TAIF. The commissioning of the mentioned CGPN allowed to significantly increase the depth of oil refining and thereby reduce the amount of fuel oil produced by the refinery, and significantly increase the output of light oil products. At the same time, oil products of European quality began to be produced at the reconstructed refineries, and the environmental situation in the areas where the enterprises were located was improved. Due to the commissioning of new CGPN, motor fuel production volumes increased by more than 1.6 million tons per year for gasoline, and by more than 2.5 million tons per year for diesel fuel. Unfortunately, in the process of modernization of oil refining in Russia, domestic developments are practically not used. Most of the technologies and equipment required for the commissioning of new LPG at domestic refineries are purchased from leading Western manufacturers. Perhaps the only exception to the general rule was the project for the construction of a catalytic cracking complex in Nizhnekamsk, developed by the Russian VNIINP and VNIPIneft. It is known that oil produced in Tatarstan is heavy, high-sulphurous, and adding it to the Urals export mixture negatively affects the price of Russian oil on the world market. In order to reduce the export of oil with a high sulfur content, Tatarstan is forced to build new facilities on its territory to process its raw materials on the spot. The planned construction by Tatneft of a new refining complex in Nizhnekamsk, in addition to the goal of reducing oil sales abroad, also aims to obtain additional volumes of European quality motor fuel, which could be exported in the future instead of oil. Figure 43. Dynamics of production of high- and low-octane gasolines in the Russian Federation in 2000-2007, million tons Russia is expected to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) in the near future, which should have a significant impact on domestic oil refining. The positive impact can be attributed to the need to tighten environmental laws and increase the requirements for the quality of petroleum products. The introduction of European standards (Euro-4, Euro-5) will create prerequisites for the production of high-quality motor fuels and oils in Russia. Another positive aspect could be the improvement of conditions for access to foreign markets. At the same time, in order to stimulate domestic oil refining to produce high-quality oil products, it is necessary to establish preferential excise rates for oil products of Euro-4 and Euro-5 standards. The pluses include the need to amend the Russian legislation in the field of certification. The disadvantages of Russia's accession to the WTO include the opening of the domestic market for goods and services, which will lead to a significant increase in competition from foreign oil and engineering companies and equipment manufacturers. It should be noted that already today 50-70% of the catalysts used in oil refining, and more than 200 types of fuel and oil additives necessary for military and civilian equipment, are supplied by foreign companies. The world's leading licensors and engineering companies with significant financial potential have actively moved into the Russian market. This led to the cessation of the introduction in Russia of new domestic technological processes for oil refining, the displacement of Russian design organizations from the domestic market of engineering services, a sharp increase in the number of imported equipment during the modernization of oil refineries. To resist the complete capture of the Russian market by Western firms, first of all, it is necessary to strengthen state regulation in order to protect the domestic market with import and compensatory tariffs. An important measure could be the process of consolidation of Russian design organizations. Today, in the Russian oil refining market, along with traditional design organizations with significant experience and technical capabilities, there are small companies that are not able to issue high-quality project documentation. As a result, the quality of industrial installations is reduced, economic indicators and the level of production safety are deteriorating. To improve the situation on the engineering market, it is advisable to tighten the requirements for licensing engineering activities in Russia. Thus, the analysis of trends in the development of domestic oil refining in recent years allows us to conclude that there are positive changes in the industry. The process of active modernization of the fixed assets of the refinery, the construction of new complexes for deep oil refining at a number of refineries began. However, in general, a number of problems remain in the industry, the solution of which, in our opinion, could be facilitated by the following measures: - adoption of legislation that tightens the requirements for the quality of produced petroleum products; - introduction of tax incentives for the modernization of the industry; - strengthening the positions of leading domestic design organizations through the reorganization of the design market; - creation of a large domestic engineering company for oil refining and petrochemistry; - creating conditions for the development and implementation of competitive domestic technologies, equipment, catalysts and additives.

Oil refining is a rather complicated process, which requires involvement. Many products are obtained from the extracted natural raw materials - various types of fuel, bitumen, kerosene, solvents, lubricants, petroleum oils and others. Oil refining begins with the transportation of hydrocarbons to the plant. The production process takes place in several stages, each of which is very important from a technological point of view.

Recycling process

The process of oil refining begins with its specialized preparation. This is due to the presence of numerous impurities in natural raw materials. An oil deposit contains sand, salts, water, soil, and gaseous particles. Water is used to extract a large number of products and save energy deposits. This has its advantages, but significantly reduces the quality of the resulting material.

The presence of impurities in the composition of petroleum products makes it impossible to transport them to the plant. They provoke the formation of plaque on heat exchangers and other containers, which significantly reduces their service life.

Therefore, the extracted materials are subjected to complex cleaning - mechanical and fine. At this stage of the production process, the resulting raw material is separated into oil and. This happens with the help of special oil separators.

To purify the raw material, it is mainly settled in hermetic tanks. To activate the separation process, the material is subjected to cold or high temperature. Electric desalination plants are used to remove salts contained in raw materials.

How does the process of separating oil and water take place?

After primary purification, a sparingly soluble emulsion is obtained. It is a mixture in which particles of one liquid are evenly distributed in the second. On this basis, 2 types of emulsions are distinguished:

• hydrophilic. It is a mixture where oil particles are in water;
• hydrophobic. The emulsion mainly consists of oil, where there are particles of water.

The process of breaking the emulsion can occur mechanically, electrically or chemically. The first method involves settling the liquid. This happens under certain conditions - heating to a temperature of 120-160 degrees, increasing the pressure to 8-15 atmospheres. The stratification of the mixture usually occurs within 2-3 hours.

In order for the process of separation of the emulsion to be successful, it is necessary to prevent the evaporation of water. Also, the extraction of pure oil is carried out using powerful centrifuges. The emulsion is divided into fractions when reaching 3.5-50 thousand revolutions per minute.

The use of a chemical method involves the use of special surfactants called demulsifiers. They help to dissolve the adsorption film, as a result of which the oil is cleaned of water particles. The chemical method is often used in conjunction with the electrical method. The last cleaning method involves exposing the emulsion to an electric current. It provokes the association of water particles. As a result, it is more easily removed from the mixture, resulting in the highest quality oil.

Primary processing

Extraction and processing of oil takes place in several stages. A feature of the production of various products from natural raw materials is that even after high-quality purification, the resulting product cannot be used for its intended purpose.

The starting material is characterized by the content of various hydrocarbons, which differ significantly in molecular weight and boiling point. It contains substances of naphthenic, aromatic, paraffinic nature. Also, the feedstock contains sulfur, nitrogen and oxygen compounds of the organic type, which must also be removed.

All existing methods of oil refining are aimed at dividing it into groups. During the production process, a wide range of products with different characteristics is obtained.

Primary processing of natural raw materials is carried out on the basis of different boiling points of its constituent parts. For the implementation of this process, specialized installations are involved, which make it possible to obtain various oil products - from fuel oil to tar.

If natural raw materials are processed in this way, it will not be possible to obtain a material ready for further use. Primary distillation is aimed only at determining the physical and chemical properties of oil. After it is carried out, it is possible to determine the need for further processing. They also set the type of equipment that needs to be involved to perform the necessary processes.

Primary oil refining

Oil distillation methods

There are the following methods of oil refining (distillation):

• single evaporation;
• repeated evaporation;
• distillation with gradual evaporation.

The flash method involves the processing of oil under the influence of a high temperature with a given value. As a result, vapors are formed that enter a special apparatus. It is called an evaporator. In this cylindrical device, the vapors are separated from the liquid fraction.

With repeated evaporation, the raw material is subjected to processing, in which the temperature is increased several times according to a given algorithm. The last distillation method is more complex. Processing of oil with gradual evaporation implies a smooth change in the main operating parameters.

Distillation equipment

Industrial oil refining is carried out using several devices.

Tube furnaces. In turn, they are also divided into several types. These are atmospheric, vacuum, atmospheric-vacuum furnaces. With the help of equipment of the first type, shallow processing of petroleum products is carried out, which makes it possible to obtain fuel oil, gasoline, kerosene and diesel fractions. In vacuum furnaces, as a result of more efficient operation, the raw materials are divided into:

• tar;
• oil particles;
• gas oil particles.

The resulting products are fully suitable for the production of coke, bitumen, lubricants.

distillation columns. The process of processing crude oil using this equipment involves heating it in a coil to a temperature of 320 degrees. After that, the mixture enters the intermediate levels of the distillation column. On average, it has 30-60 chutes, each spaced at a certain interval and equipped with a liquid bath. Due to this, the vapors flow down in the form of droplets, as condensation forms.

There is also processing using heat exchangers.

Recycling

After determining the properties of the oil, depending on the need for a particular final product, the type of secondary distillation is selected. Basically, it consists in a thermal-catalytic effect on the feedstock. Deep processing of oil can occur using several methods.

Fuel. The use of this method of secondary distillation makes it possible to obtain a number of high-quality products - motor gasoline, diesel, jet, and boiler fuels. Recycling does not require a lot of equipment. As a result of applying this method, a finished product is obtained from the heavy fractions of raw materials and sediment. The fuel distillation method includes:

• cracking;
• reforming;
• hydrotreating;
• hydrocracking.

Fuel oil. As a result of this distillation method, not only various fuels are obtained, but also asphalt, lubricating oils. This is done using the extraction method, deasphalting.

Petrochemical. As a result of applying this method with the involvement of high-tech equipment, a large number of products are obtained. This is not only fuel, oils, but also plastics, rubber, fertilizers, acetone, alcohol and much more.

How objects around us are obtained from oil and gas - accessible and understandable

This method is considered the most common. With its help, the processing of sour or sour oil is carried out. Hydrotreating can significantly improve the quality of the resulting fuels. Various additives are removed from them - sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen compounds. The material is processed on special catalysts in a hydrogen environment. At the same time, the temperature in the equipment reaches 300-400 degrees, and the pressure - 2-4 MPa.

As a result of distillation, organic compounds contained in raw materials decompose when interacting with hydrogen circulating inside the apparatus. As a result, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are formed, which are removed from the catalyst. Hydrotreating makes it possible to recycle 95-99% of raw materials.

catalytic cracking

Distillation is carried out using zeolite-containing catalysts at a temperature of 550 degrees. Cracking is considered to be a very efficient method of processing prepared raw materials. With its help, high-octane motor gasoline can be obtained from fuel oil fractions. The yield of pure product in this case is 40-60%. Liquid gas is also obtained (10-15% of the original volume).

catalytic reforming

Reforming is carried out using an aluminum-platinum catalyst at a temperature of 500 degrees and a pressure of 1-4 MPa. At the same time, a hydrogen environment is present inside the equipment. This method is used to convert naphthenic and paraffinic hydrocarbons to aromatics. This allows you to significantly increase the octane number of products. When using catalytic reforming, the yield of pure material is 73-90% of the feedstock.

Hydrocracking

Allows you to get liquid fuel when exposed to high pressure (280 atmospheres) and temperature (450 degrees). Also, this process occurs with the use of strong catalysts - molybdenum oxides.

If hydrocracking is combined with other methods of processing natural raw materials, the yield of pure products in the form of gasoline and jet fuel is 75-80%. When using high-quality catalysts, their regeneration may not be carried out for 2-3 years.

Extraction and deasphalting

Extraction involves the separation of the prepared raw materials into the desired fractions using solvents. Subsequently, deparaffinization is carried out. It allows you to significantly reduce the pour point of the oil. Also, to obtain high quality products, it is subjected to hydrotreatment. As a result of the extraction, distilled diesel fuel can be obtained. Also, using this technique, aromatic hydrocarbons are extracted from the prepared raw materials.

Deasphalting is necessary in order to obtain resinous-asphaltene compounds from the end products of the distillation of petroleum feedstock. The resulting substances are actively used for the production of bitumen, as catalysts for other processing methods.

Other processing methods

Processing of natural raw materials after primary distillation can be carried out in other ways.

Alkylation. After processing the prepared materials, high-quality components for gasoline are obtained. The method is based on the chemical interaction of olefinic and paraffinic hydrocarbons, resulting in a high-boiling paraffinic hydrocarbon.

Isomerization. The use of this method makes it possible to obtain a substance with a higher octane number from low-octane paraffinic hydrocarbons.

Polymerization. Allows the conversion of butylenes and propylene into oligomeric compounds. As a result, materials are obtained for the production of gasoline and for various petrochemical processes.

Coking. It is used for the production of petroleum coke from heavy fractions obtained after the distillation of oil.

The oil refining industry is a promising and developing one. The production process is constantly being improved through the introduction of new equipment and techniques.

Video: Oil refining

Oil is a mineral that is an oily liquid insoluble in water, which can be either almost colorless or dark brown. The properties and methods of oil refining depend on the percentage of predominantly hydrocarbons in its composition, which varies in different fields.

So, in the Sosninskoye deposit (Siberia), alkanes (paraffin group) occupy a share of 52 percent, cycloalkanes - about 36%, aromatic hydrocarbons - 12 percent. And, for example, in the Romashkinskoye deposit (Tatarstan), the share of alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons is higher - 55 and 18 percent, respectively, while cycloalkanes have a share of 25 percent. In addition to hydrocarbons, this raw material may include sulfur, nitrogen compounds, mineral impurities, etc.

Oil was first "refined" in 1745 in Russia

In its raw form, this natural resource is not used. To obtain technically valuable products (solvents, motor fuels, components for chemical industries), oil is processed using primary or secondary methods. Attempts to transform this raw material were made as early as the middle of the eighteenth century, when, in addition to candles and torches used by the population, "garne oil" was used in the lamps of a number of churches, which was a mixture of vegetable oil and refined oil.

Oil refining options

Refining is often not included directly in oil refining processes. It is rather a preliminary stage, which may consist of:

Chemical cleaning, when oil is treated with oleum and concentrated sulfuric acid. This removes aromatic and unsaturated hydrocarbons.

adsorption cleaning. Here, resins and acids can be removed from oil products by treatment with hot air or by passing oil through an adsorbent.

Catalytic purification - mild hydrogenation to remove nitrogen and sulfur compounds.

Physical and chemical cleaning. In this case, excess components are selectively isolated by means of solvents. For example, the polar solvent phenol is used to remove nitrogenous and sulfurous compounds, and non-polar solvents - butane and propane - release tars, aromatic hydrocarbons, etc.

No chemical changes...

Oil processing through primary processes does not involve chemical transformations of the feedstock. Here, the mineral is simply divided into its constituent components. The first oil distillation device was invented in 1823 in the Russian Empire. The Dubinin brothers guessed to put the boiler in a heated oven, from where a pipe went through a barrel of cold water into an empty container. In the furnace boiler, the oil was heated, passed through the “cooler” and precipitated.

Modern methods of preparation of raw materials

Today, at oil refineries, oil refining technology begins with additional purification, during which the product is dehydrated on ELOU devices (electric desalination plants), freed from mechanical impurities and light-type carbohydrates (C1 - C4). Then the raw material can be sent to atmospheric distillation or vacuum distillation. In the first case, the factory equipment, according to the principle of operation, resembles that which was used back in 1823.

Only the oil refining unit itself looks different. At the enterprise there are furnaces resembling windowless houses in size, made of the best refractory bricks. Inside them are many kilometers of pipes, in which oil moves at high speed (2 meters per second) and is heated up to 300-325 C by a flame from a large nozzle (at higher temperatures, hydrocarbons simply decompose). Today, the pipe for condensation and cooling of vapors is replaced by distillation columns (they can be up to 40 meters in height), where vapors are separated and condensed, and entire towns from different reservoirs are built to receive the resulting products.

What is material balance?

Oil refining in Russia gives different material balances during the atmospheric distillation of raw materials from one or another field. This means that different proportions can be obtained at the output for different fractions - gasoline, kerosene, diesel, fuel oil, associated gas.

For example, for West Siberian oil, gas yield and losses are one percent each, gasoline fractions (released at temperatures from about 62 to 180 C) occupy a share of about 19%, kerosene - about 9.5%, diesel fraction - 19% , fuel oil - almost 50 percent (is released at temperatures from 240 to 350 degrees). The resulting materials are almost always subjected to additional processing, as they do not meet the operational requirements for the same machine motors.

Production with less waste

Vacuum oil refining is based on the principle of boiling substances at a lower temperature with a decrease in pressure. For example, some hydrocarbons in oil only boil at 450 C (atmospheric pressure), but they can be made to boil at 325 C if the pressure is lowered. Vacuum processing of raw materials is carried out in rotary vacuum evaporators, which increase the speed of distillation and make it possible to obtain ceresin, paraffins, fuel, oils from fuel oil, and use the heavy residue (tar) further for the production of bitumen. Vacuum distillation, compared to atmospheric processing, produces less waste.

Recycling allows you to get high-quality gasoline

The secondary oil refining process was invented in order to obtain more motor fuel from the same feedstock by influencing the molecules of petroleum hydrocarbons, which acquire formulas more suitable for oxidation. Recycling includes various types of so-called "cracking", including hydrocracking, thermal and catalytic options. This process was also originally invented in Russia, in 1891, by engineer V. Shukhov. It is the breakdown of hydrocarbons into forms with fewer carbon atoms per molecule.

Oil and gas processing at 600 degrees Celsius

The principle of operation of cracking plants is approximately the same as that of atmospheric pressure vacuum plants. But here, the processing of raw materials, which is most often represented by fuel oil, is carried out at temperatures close to 600 C. Under such influence, the hydrocarbons that make up the fuel oil mass break down into smaller ones, which make up the same kerosene or gasoline. Thermal cracking is based on high temperature treatment and produces gasoline with a large amount of impurities, catalytic cracking is also based on heat treatment, but with the addition of catalysts (for example, special clay dust), which allows you to get more good quality gasoline.

Hydrocracking: main types

Oil production and refining today can include various types of hydrocracking, which is a combination of hydrotreating processes, splitting large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller ones, and saturating unsaturated hydrocarbons with hydrogen. Hydrocracking can be light (pressure 5 MPa, temperature about 400 C, one reactor is used, mainly diesel fuel and material for catalytic cracking are obtained) and hard (pressure 10 MPa, temperature about 400 C, there are several reactors, diesel, gasoline and kerosene are obtained). fractions). Catalytic hydrocracking makes it possible to produce a range of oils with high viscosity coefficients and a low content of aromatic and sulphurous hydrocarbons.

Secondary oil refining, in addition, can use the following technological processes:

Visbreaking. In this case, at temperatures up to 500 C and pressures ranging from half to three MPa, secondary asphaltenes, hydrocarbon gases, gasoline are obtained from raw materials due to the splitting of paraffins and naphthenes.

Coking of heavy oil residues is a deep processing of oil, when raw materials are processed at temperatures close to 500 C under a pressure of 0.65 MPa to obtain gas oil components and petroleum coke. The process steps end in a "coke cake" preceded (in reverse order) by compaction, polycondensation, aromatization, cyclization, dehydrogenation and cracking. In addition, the product must also be dried and calcined.

Reforming. This method of processing petroleum products was invented in Russia in 1911 by engineer N. Zelinsky. Today, catalytic reforming is used to produce high-quality aromatic hydrocarbons and gasolines from naphtha and gasoline fractions, as well as hydrogen-containing gas for further processing in hydrocracking.

Isomerization. The processing of oil and gas in this case involves the production of an isomer from a chemical compound due to changes in the carbon skeleton of the substance. So, high-octane components are isolated from low-octane oil components to produce commercial gasoline.

Alkylation. This process is based on the incorporation of alkyl substituents into the organic molecule. Thus, components for high-octane gasolines are obtained from hydrocarbon gases of an unsaturated nature.

Striving for European standards

The technology of oil and gas processing at refineries is constantly being improved. Thus, domestic enterprises noted an increase in the efficiency of processing raw materials in terms of the depth of processing, an increase in the selection of light oil products, a decrease in irretrievable losses, etc. The plans of plants for the 10-20s of the twenty-first century include a further increase in the depth of processing (up to 88 percent) , improving the quality of manufactured products to European standards, reducing the technogenic impact on the environment.

Oil is the most important feedstock for Russian industry. Issues related to this resource have always been considered one of the most important for the country's economy. Oil refining in Russia is carried out by specialized enterprises. Next, we will consider the features of this industry in more detail.

General information

Domestic oil refineries began to appear as early as 1745. The first enterprise was founded by the Chumelov brothers on the Ukhta River. It produced kerosene and lubricating oils, which were in high demand at that time. In 1995, primary oil refining amounted to 180 million tons. Among the main factors in the placement of enterprises engaged in this industry are raw materials and consumer.

Industry development

The main oil refineries appeared in Russia in the postwar years. Until 1965, about 16 capacities were created in the country, which is more than half of those currently operating. During the economic transformation of the 1990s, there was a significant decline in production. This was due to a sharp decline in domestic oil consumption. As a result, the quality of the products produced was quite low. The refining depth ratio also fell to 67.4%. Only by 1999 did the Omsk Oil Refinery manage to get closer to European and American standards.

Modern realities

In the past few years, oil refining has begun to reach a new level. This is due to investments in this industry. Since 2006, they have amounted to more than 40 billion rubles. In addition, the coefficient of processing depth has also increased significantly. In 2010, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, it was forbidden to connect to the highways those enterprises in which it did not reach 70%. The head of state explained this by the fact that such plants need serious modernization. In the country as a whole, the number of such mini-enterprises reaches 250. By the end of 2012, it was planned to build a large complex at the end of the pipeline to the Pacific Ocean through Eastern Siberia. Its depth of processing was to be about 93%. This indicator will correspond to the level achieved at similar US enterprises. The oil refining industry, which is largely consolidated, is controlled by such companies as Rosneft, Lukoil, Gazprom, Surgutneftegaz, Bashneft, etc.

Industry Significance

Today, oil production and refining are considered one of the most promising industries. The number of large and small enterprises employed in them is constantly increasing. Oil and gas processing brings a stable income, having a positive impact on the economic condition of the country as a whole. This industry is most developed in the center of the state, Chelyabinsk and Tyumen regions. Oil refinery products are in demand not only within the country, but also abroad. Today, enterprises produce kerosene, gasoline, aviation, rocket, diesel fuel, bitumen, motor oils, fuel oil, and so on. Practically all combines are created near towers. Thanks to this, oil processing and transportation are carried out at minimal cost. The largest enterprises are located in the Volga, Siberian, Central Federal Districts. These refineries account for about 70% of all capacities. Among the constituent entities of the country, Bashkiria occupies a leading position in the industry. Oil and gas processing is carried out in Khanty-Mansiysk, Omsk region. Enterprises also operate in the Krasnodar Territory.

Statistics by region

In the European part of the country, the main production facilities are located in the Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl and Ryazan regions, the Krasnodar Territory, the Far East and southern Siberia, in such cities as Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Khabarovsk, Achinsk, Angarsk, Omsk. Modern oil refineries have been built in the Perm Territory, the Samara Region and Bashkiria. These regions have always been considered the largest centers for oil production. With the relocation of production to Western Siberia, industrial capacities in the Volga region and the Urals became redundant. In 2004, Bashkiria became the leader among the constituent entities of the Russian Federation in primary oil processing. In this region, the figures were at the level of 44 million tons. In 2002, the refineries of Bashkortostan accounted for about 15% of the total volume of oil refining in the Russian Federation. This is about 25.2 million tons. The next place was the Samara region. It gave the country about 17.5 million tons. Next in terms of volume were the Leningrad (14.8 million) and Omsk (13.3 million) regions. The total share of these four entities amounted to 29% of the total Russian oil refining.

Oil refining technology

The production cycle of enterprises includes:

• Preparation of raw materials.
• Primary oil refining.
• Secondary distillation of fractions.

In modern conditions, oil refining is carried out at enterprises equipped with machines and devices that are complex in their design. They operate in conditions of low temperature, high pressure, deep vacuum and often in aggressive environments. The oil refining process includes several stages in combined or separate units. They are designed to produce a wide range of products.

cleaning

During this stage, the processing of raw materials is carried out. The oil coming from the fields is subjected to cleaning. It contains 100-700 mg / l of salts and water (less than 1%). During cleaning, the content of the first component is brought to 3 or less mg/l. The proportion of water in this case is less than 0.1%. Cleaning is carried out on electric desalination plants.

Classification

Any oil refinery uses chemical and physical methods of processing raw materials. By means of the latter, separation into oil and fuel fractions or the removal of undesirable complex chemical elements is achieved. Refining oil by chemical methods makes it possible to obtain new components. These transformations are classified:

Main stages

The main process after purification at CDU is atmospheric distillation. During it, the selection of fuel fractions is carried out: gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, as well as lighting kerosene. Also, during atmospheric distillation, fuel oil is separated. It is used either as a raw material for the next deep processing, or as an element of boiler fuel. The fractions are then refined. They are hydrotreated from heteroatomic compounds. Gasolines undergo catalytic reforming. This process is used to improve the quality of raw materials or to obtain individual aromatic hydrocarbons - a material for petrochemistry. The latter, in particular, include benzene, toluene, xylenes, and so on. Oil is vacuum distilled. This process makes it possible to obtain a broad cut of gas oil. This raw material is further processed in hydro- or catalytic cracking units. As a result, components of motor fuels, oil narrow distillate fractions are obtained. They are then sent to the following stages of purification: selective processing, dewaxing and others. After vacuum distillation remains tar. It can be used as a raw material used in deep processing to obtain an additional volume of motor fuels, petroleum coke, building and road bitumen, or as a component of boiler fuel.

Oil refining methods: hydrotreating

This method is considered the most common. With the help of hydrotreating, sour and sour oil is processed. This method improves the quality of motor fuels. During the process, sulfur, oxygen and nitrogen compounds are removed, olefins of raw materials are hydrogenated in a hydrogen medium on aluminum-cobalt-molybdenum or nickel-molybdenum catalysts at a pressure of 2-4 MPa and a temperature of 300-400 degrees. In other words, during hydrotreatment, organic substances containing nitrogen and sulfur decompose. They react with the hydrogen that circulates in the system. As a result, hydrogen sulfide and ammonia are formed. Received connections are removed from the system. During the entire process, 95-99% of the feedstock is converted into a purified product. Together with this, a small amount of gasoline is formed. The active catalyst undergoes periodic regeneration.

catalytic cracking

It flows without pressure at a temperature of 500-550 degrees on zeolite-containing catalysts. This process is considered the most efficient and deepening oil refining. This is due to the fact that in the course of it, up to 40-60% of a high-octane motor gasoline component can be obtained from high-boiling fuel oil fractions (vacuum gas oil). In addition, fatty gas is emitted from them (about 10-25%). It, in turn, is used in alkylation plants or ester production to produce high-octane components of auto or aviation gasolines. During cracking, carbon deposits form on the catalyst. They sharply reduce its activity - cracking ability in this case. To restore the component is regenerated. The most common installations in which the circulation of the catalyst is carried out in a fluidized or fluidized bed and in a moving stream.

catalytic reforming

This is a modern and fairly widely used process for producing low- and high-octane gasolines. It is carried out at a temperature of 500 degrees and a pressure of 1-4 MPa in a hydrogen environment on an aluminum-platinum catalyst. With the help of catalytic reforming, mainly chemical transformations of paraffinic and naphthenic hydrocarbons into aromatic hydrocarbons are carried out. As a result, the octane number increases significantly (up to 100 points). The products that are obtained during catalytic reforming include xylenes, toluene, benzene, which are then used in the petrochemical industry. Reformate yields are typically 73-90%. To maintain activity, the catalyst is periodically subjected to regeneration. The lower the pressure in the system, the more often the recovery is performed. The exception to this is the platforming process. During it, the catalyst is not subjected to regeneration. The main feature of the whole process is that it takes place in a hydrogen environment, the excess of which is removed from the system. It is much cheaper than specially obtained. Excess hydrogen is then used in hydrogenation processes for oil refining.

Alkylation

This process makes it possible to obtain high-quality components of automotive and aviation gasolines. It is based on the interaction of olefinic and paraffinic hydrocarbons to obtain a higher-boiling paraffinic hydrocarbon. Until recently, industrial variation of this process was limited to the catalytic alkylation of butylene with isobutanes in the presence of hydrofluoric or sulfuric acids. In recent years, in addition to these compounds, propylene, ethylene and even amylenes, and in some cases mixtures of these olefins, have been used.

Isomerization

It is a process during which the conversion of paraffinic low-octane hydrocarbons into the corresponding isoparaffinic fractions having a higher octane number is carried out. The C5 and C6 fractions or their mixtures are predominantly used. In industrial plants, under appropriate conditions, up to 97-99.7% of products can be obtained. Isomerization takes place in a hydrogen environment. The catalyst is periodically regenerated.

Polymerization

This process is the conversion of butylenes and propylene into oligomeric liquid compounds. They are used as components of motor gasolines. These compounds are also feedstock for petrochemical processes. Depending on the starting material, production mode and catalyst, the output volume can vary within fairly wide limits.

Promising directions

Over the past decades, special attention has been paid to combining and strengthening the capacities employed in primary oil refining. Another topical area is the introduction of large-capacity complexes for the planned deepening of the processing of raw materials. Due to this, the production volume of fuel oil will be reduced and the output of light motor fuel, petrochemical products for polymer chemistry and organic synthesis will be increased.

Competitiveness

The oil refining industry today is a very promising industry. It is highly competitive in both domestic and international markets. Own production facilities allow you to fully cover the needs within the state. As for imports, they are carried out in relatively small volumes, locally and occasionally. Russia today is considered the largest exporter of petroleum products among other countries. High competitiveness is due to the absolute availability of raw materials and the relatively low level of costs for additional material resources, electricity, and environmental protection. One of the negative factors in this industrial sector is the technological dependence of domestic oil refining on foreign countries. Undoubtedly, this is not the only problem that exists in the industry. At the government level, work is constantly underway to improve the situation in this industrial sector. In particular, programs are being developed to modernize enterprises. Of particular importance in this area is the activity of large oil companies, manufacturers of modern production equipment.