ABSTRACT
Crude oil, a complex mixture of hydrocarbons with varying molecular weights, presents a challenge in refining due to the presence of a significant proportion of heavier molecules that are difficult to separate into marketable fractions. This challenge is addressed by the FCCU, which employs these heavier fractions, specifically the atmospheric gas oil and vacuum gas oil, as feedstocks. The FCCU operates by subjecting these feedstocks to catalytic cracking, converting them into lighter hydrocarbons, notably gasoline. In the context of this project, a fundamental refinery process was formulated, utilizing atmospheric gas oil obtained from the distillation column as the feedstock for the FCCU. Plant data was obtained from prior research conducted by (Theologous et al. 1993), with necessary modifications to ensure accurate process simulation. Furthermore, experimental investigations was conducted involving parameter variations to assess their impact on key performance metrics such as gasoline production, coke formation, and overall conversion efficiency within the FCCU. Additionally, the effects of employing different catalysts and comparing results between a dual riser configuration and a single riser configuration within a specified operating range were observed. Increasing the feed flow rate, catalyst-oil-ratio and reactor pressure saw initial increases on gasoline yield at low values of the parameters at 17000bpd, 5.2C/O, 42psia respectively, reaching maximum and start to decline. The catalyst type chosen for the study were A/F-3 and conquest 95 zeolite catalyst, it was found that A/F-3 gave smaller yield with higher quality gasoline (octane rating), but conquest 95 had more yield on gasoline. Explanation for the above and for coke yield and total conversion are given in the result section. The study was not without few challenges like obtaining the appropriate operational data necessary for the simulation and the complexity of the feedstock.
