Increased Margin From Updated Internals and Catalyst

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Increased margin from updated

internals and catalyst


A low cost hydrocracker revamp delivered extra value to a refinery by
increasing diesel yield, cycle length and safety

Fawzi Al-Somali Saudi Aramco Shell Refinery Co.


Edwin Maas Shell Global Solutions International B.V.
Theo Visser Criterion Catalysts & Technologies

D
espite the important role that reactor The refiners objectives were to retune the unit
internals play, many refineries continue to to maximise middle distillates and, to further
use conventional or bubble-cap distribu- enhance its profitability, increase the units
tion trays in their hydrocrackers. In doing so, capacity and cycle length. However, it was
they may be failing to capture the maximum crucial that any changes were implemented effi-
value from their units. For example, the latest ciently and in one turnaround in order to
generation reactor internals may enable the use maximise the project economics.
of a higher selectivity catalyst to produce higher To achieve these objectives, SASREF worked
volumes of valuable middle distillates; this could closely with Shell Global Solutions and
be worth $3.5 million per year for a 200 t/h unit Criterion Catalysts & Technologies (Criterion).
(based on a $14/bbl naphthadiesel spread). Teamwork was a key factor in the success of this
The benefits for some refiners, such as SASREF, project; there was high quality interaction
a joint venture between Saudi Aramco and Royal between the three parties that enabled the
Dutch Shell, have been even greater. project to benefit from the refiners site specific
Saudi Aramco Shell Refinery (SASREF) is one knowledge and the licensor and catalyst suppli-
of the worlds largest and most technologically ers global operational and technical expertise.
advanced refineries. It has a complex configura- The implementation phase was particularly
tion that includes a hydrocracker, a visbreaker, successful. It is difficult to overstate the impor-
a thermal gas oil unit and an aromatics section. tance to SASREF of getting it right first time,
This enables it to generate a high value safely and on schedule, but the refiner showed
product slate that includes diesel, kerosene, strong leadership during preparation and imple-
liquefied petroleum gas and naphtha, which it mentation was safely completed around eight
uses as a chemical feedstock and gasoline days ahead of schedule.
component.
The SASREF hydrocracker was initially The reactor internals
designed to have a 6000 t/d capacity. Before the Over the years, some of the liquid distributors in
revamp, this had increased to 7500 t/d, which SASREFs hydrocracker had been upgraded but
made it one of the largest such units in the not replaced by latest generation reactor inter-
world. When it was built in 1982, the hydroc- nals. This unit revamp, therefore, provided a
racker was configured for maximum naphtha major opportunity for improvement in this area.
but, by 2012, the momentum in global dieselisa- The latest generation reactor internals include:
tion meant that middle distillates, not naphtha, High dispersion trays, which achieve near-per-
was now the highest value product stream. So, fect wetting of the catalyst right at the top of the
keen to maintain its position as one of the bed, thus enabling an ultra uniform utilisation of
worlds most competitive refineries, SASREF the catalyst and minimising radial temperature
took bold, decisive action. differences

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001273 PTQ Q2 2016 1


Anti-fouling trays designed to the same catalyst was used as in
reduce pressure drop build-up the previous cycle, this could
Quench internals for uniform help to extend the cycle length.
process and quench mixing at Alternatively, a moderate activ-
the interbeds ity catalyst could be used that
Robust catalyst support grid has higher middle distillates
panels selectivity. SASREF selected the
Ultra low bottom baskets second option.
Reactor internal skirts to SASREFs revised unit objec-
accommodate the elevations tives warranted a close look into
that may be required for mini- the possibilities to combine beds
misation of interbed spacing in this way. Extra catalyst
and maximisation of catalyst volume would be required in
bed utilisation and volumes. order to apply more middle
When installing the latest distillate selective, moderate
generation reactor internals, activity catalysts that still could
there are often opportunities to process the future higher feed
capture additional value. For rate for the entire interval
instance, depending on the axial between planned catalyst
temperature gradient, it could change-outs. The latest middle
be possible to combine beds to distillate selective catalysts are a
increase catalyst uptake. And, good fit because they limit the
when the quench internals, extent of secondary cracking to
bottom baskets and filter trays Figure 1 The Shell reactor internals naphtha and lighter products.
are designed to occupy minimal portfolio offers the opportunity to To investigate the thermal
reactor volume, they can enable combine beds because this pro- behaviour of the existing system
more catalyst to be loaded into vides enhanced vapourliquid and and the new options for the
the reactor. This can be used to thermal distribution throughout the revamp, Shell Global Solutions
help extend the catalyst cycle bed and takes up less space than conducted a thermal stability
life, lower the weighted average conventional reactor hardware. This assessment for multiple bed
enables an increase in the volume
bed temperature, increase the of catalyst that can be loaded into combination scenarios. This
throughput or process heavier, the reactor and is complemented took into account the proposed
less expensive feedstock, which by improved catalyst utilisation. At fresh feed intake, which
results in a higher margin. In SASREF, beds were combined in SASREF wanted to increase
some cases, the unit yields can both the cracking reactor (left) and from 7500 to 8000 t/d, the
be redefined for better the pretreatment reactor (right) proposed catalyst system, the
economics. capacity of the existing interbed
In addition, some latest generation reactor quench facilities and the hydrocrackers operat-
internals are designed for fast removal and ing mode. It verified that the rate of occurrence
installation, which can help to increase days on of temperature excursions could be adequately
stream and be worth significant revenue. There minimised and that excursions, should they
are also safety advantages, such as far less happen, would be adequately moderated by the
confined space working time because cutting and available operational handles.
welding are not required, and large manways At SASREF, the two pretreatment reactors had
that enable fast entry and exit. In some cases, no four beds each and the cracking reactors had six
physical entry is required to access the bed. beds each. Ultimately, the thermal stability
assessment led to a recommendation to merge
Increasing catalyst volume by combining beds beds 3 and 4 in the pretreatment reactor and
When replacing conventional reactor internals beds 1 and 2 in the cracking reactors (see Figure
with latest generation hardware, refiners can 1).
typically benefit from an increase in the volume As a result of merging the beds and the hard-
of catalyst that can be loaded into the reactor. If wares slimmer profile, the reactors catalyst

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volume increased substantially.
The catalyst load in the pretreat- Conventional tray Bubble-cap tray Latest generation tray
ment reactors increased by 16%. 10-15% wetting 20-30% wetting Near-perfect wetting
In the cracking reactors, there
was a 22% increase compared
with the original loaded catalyst
volume using conventional reac-
tor hardware.
Reducing the number of beds
has a positive impact on three
main parameters:
Less hardware is required,
which reduces capital
Dry catalyst Wet catalyst Inert material
expenditure
Less turnaround time is
required in every future catalyst Figure 2 Some modern trays optimise catalyst utilisation by achieving
exchange, as there are fewer enhanced vapour-liquid and thermal distribution. These trays can be
manways to open and close extremely efficient; some enable nearly 100% of the catalyst inventory to be
There is easier and faster utilised and offer high feed rate flexibility
catalyst loading due to longer
beds. of the catalyst load gives SASREF the opportu-
nity to increase yield and extend the catalyst
Improving catalyst utilisation with high cycle life.
dispersion trays The total catalyst utilisation improvement
In addition to increasing the catalyst volume, (catalyst loading plus wetting) was 21% for the
latest generation reactor internals can utilise the pretreatment reactors and 52% for the cracking
catalyst load better. Whereas conventional reactors.
designs typically use about 80% of the catalyst
owing to poor feed distribution, latest generation Guarding against fouling and catalyst
reactor internals enable close to 100% utilisation migration
of the catalyst load by enhancing the uniformity SASREF reported that, before the revamp, the
of the gas-liquid distribution. They also help to unit had been affected by fouling, so the revamp
ensure that the guaranteed catalyst cycle length team reviewed the filter tray configuration.
is met by minimising radial temperature maldis- Fouling in a hydrocracker can be costly. When
tribution and the associated risk of coke contaminants build up on the surface of the
formation. catalyst, a layer of foulant particles can form,
For example, SASREFs hydrocracker had been which leads to a sharp increase in the reactors
using conventional distribution trays. These are pressure drop that limits the unit throughput
notorious for low uniformity of vapour-liquid (feed pump and compressors bottleneck).
distribution and undesirable radial temperature Moreover, this can also cause residual build-up
maldistribution. Using the latest generation to loosen and flow through the reactor, thereby
trays, the revamp team believed, could help to decreasing performance further.
increase the middle distillates yield. This is The team found that the filter tray configura-
because they feature customised nozzles that use tion and top bed filters were of first generation,
the gas flow momentum to disperse the liquid as non-standard designs. Extensive welding repairs
a mist. Unlike all existing distributor trays in the were required during shutdowns and, conse-
industry, the nozzles uniformly wet the entire quently, there was a risk of catalyst migration.
catalyst surface and make very efficient use of The solution was to replace the existing filter
the upper layers of the catalyst bed (see Figure tray configuration with latest generation filter
2). elements. These have a reduced slit width to
Enabling more catalyst to be loaded into the enable even the smallest catalyst particles to be
hydrocrackers reactors and using almost 100% used as filter media. An additional benefit is that

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they have quick to open split keys to reduce trips caused by spurious high temperature meas-
shutdown time. urements (leading to unit emergency shutdowns)
The wire mesh catalyst support grids panels and the reliability of reactor safeguarding against
were also old. They required significant mainte- overheating have been brought in line with the
nance and confined space residence time during latest standards.
turnarounds and the risk of catalyst migration
was increasing. The solution was to replace the Reinstalling the liquid recycle
wire mesh panels with latest generation catalyst In addition to upgrading the reactor internals,
support grids. key process changes were made to the hydroc-
These feature a grid screen that utilises a racker. For example, a liquid recycle was
wedge-wire construction to help prevent cata- installed. The unit was originally built with a
lyst fall-through and that resists fouling. Wedge liquid recycle, but it was removed when the unit
wire offers key advantages compared with wire switched to once-through mode. Reverting to
mesh: most notably, that it is not prone to foul- this mode of operation provided an inexpensive
ing. The V-shape of the wire means that it is opportunity to increase middle distillates yield.
self-cleaning. Moreover, there are no loose If, in the future, there was a product demand
layers of wire mesh, no overlay is required for shift and SASREF wished to move back to gaso-
the wire-mesh pads and no knitting is required. line mode, the liquid recycle could simply be
Wedge wire also lasts up to five times longer interrupted again.
than wire mesh.
Customising the catalyst system
Thermometry upgrade to resolve temperature Technologists from SASREF, Shell Global
instabilities Solutions and Criterion worked together to select
In 2011, SASREF and Shell had conducted a root the most appropriate hydrocracking and
cause analysis into temperature instability issues pretreatment catalysts to meet the refinerys
that had been affecting the unit. This identified individual process needs and to develop the
that the thermometry system was contributing to most effective operating strategy for the unit.
these problems because it was unreliable. To This involved a detailed analysis that took into
resolve this, the revamp team implemented a account: the feedstock quality; the desired prod-
major upgrade: previously, each reactor had uct slate; the design of the hydrocracker and its
been fitted with two old-fashioned vertical ther- normal operating regime; the amount of hydro-
mobars, enabling six temperature measurements gen available; and the target cycle length.
to be taken at just two radial and two axial loca- A catalyst study was performed that evaluated
tions in each catalyst bed. three different catalyst systems proposed by
The thermometry upgrade replaced the ther- Criterion alongside five different feed blends (see
mobars with multiple state-of-the-art flexible Table 1).
thermocouples. These thermocouples enable These evaluations also took into account the
both radial and axial coverage that is in line with liquid recycle option as a process parameter to
the latest design guidelines on tight, hydrocrack- boost middle distillate yield and to shift the yield
ing bed temperature control and extensive more towards naphtha, when needed, by operat-
temperature monitoring. In addition, the plants ing the hydrocracker in once-through mode only,
distributed control system and safety instru- thus switching off the liquid recycle.
mented system were upgraded to collect and The focus was to have maximum middle distil-
process the information from these additional late yields within the targeted four-year cycle
thermocouples. This has provided both site length, taking into account the maximum draw-
operations and technologists with more robust off capacities for kerosene and diesel.
automatic temperature control and with tools to Criterion also advised SASREF to reuse part of
identify early indications of temperature insta- the regenerated catalyst that was available
bility or maldistribution so that remedial action on-site in order to reduce fill costs.
can be taken in a timely manner. Following the catalyst selection study, SASREF
By carefully selecting reliable thermocouples opted to fill the pretreatment reactors with Ascent
and appropriate voting systems, both the rate of DN-3551 hydrocracking feed pretreatment cata-

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lyst and partly regenerated and
Study of three catalyst systems and five feed blends
fresh Zeolyst Z-503, a cracking
catalyst that has high selectivity
for middle distillates. Cracking catalyst Z-733/Z-FX10 All Z-FX10 Z-FX10/Z-623
Cycle length (months)
The cracking reactors were Valid feed case
filled with regenerated Zeolyst 101 78 71 50
102 127 105 93
Z-733, a cracking catalyst 108 C 80 77 55
designed to produce middle 105 71 68 48
distillate range products with 106 59 57 38
Combined kerosene and diesel yield (t/d)
improved properties such as Valid feed case
density, smoke point and cetane 101 4145 4305 4446
102 3336 3487 3587
number, and Zeolyst Z-FX10, a 108 C 3778 3945 4057
flexible catalyst that can be used 105 3847 4025 4142
106 4138 4320 4446
for high yields of middle distil-
lates or naphtha. Key: Below target; Valid; Invalid

Efficiently executed project Table 1


The hydrocracker is, of course,
the heart of the refinery and drives its profitabil- tices and key lessons from other refineries. It
ity. The units normal turnaround window was visited other sites and learned from their projects.
extended from 18 to 38 days (excluding start-up High quality people: SASREF formed a multi-
and shutdown days) to enable the reactor inter- disciplinary team to work on the project from its
nals and catalysts to be installed. SASREF was most highly qualified and experienced people,
determined to ensure that the unit would come and acknowledges that Shell and Criterion did
back on stream according to this project time- the same. SASREF also involved young Saudi
line. This was economically imperative; it had to graduates so that they could benefit from knowl-
be right first time, as there would be no second edge transfer.
chance. Selecting an experienced contractor: Shell
However, SASREF, which led the preparation Global Solutions proposed construction contrac-
and execution phases, closely supported by Shell tors that had experience of similar projects, but
Global Solutions, faced major challenges. For SASREF was keen to evaluate their track records
example, it had never executed a project of this and technical capabilities. It also paid special
type and there were complicating factors such as attention to the contractors leadership teams
the need to cut out beds and the presence of because it felt this would drive the success of the
asbestos in the reactors. project.
In addition, there were the challenges that are Building reactor mock-ups: during the turna-
common to all refineries: installation has to be round window, the reactor internals had to be
completed during a single turnaround window, assembled inside the four reactors, but by build-
during which time there are many contractors ing reactor mock-ups beforehand the contractors
on-site tackling numerous activities in a highly had the opportunity to practise their assembly
congested area. offline. The contractors repeated this assembly
SASREF believes that the way in which it miti- until they were confident that they could install
gated challenges such as these was crucial to the the new hardware safely and efficiently during
success of this project. Key elements of its the turnaround window.
approach include: Developing a detailed execution plan: this plan
High level sponsorship: senior managers widely addressed all the activities to be carried out in
communicated that this was the refinerys high- all the reactors during the turnaround window
est priority project of the year, and everyone and helped to ensure alignment with other activ-
aligned to this common goal. ities planned in the same area.
Adopting successful practices from other sites: Holding a scope optimisation workshop:
because SASREFs experience with projects of this through this activity, Shell Global Solutions,
type was limited, it actively sought out best prac- SASREF and the execution contractor challenged

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the scope and proposed duration. This also middle distillates, which will increase SASREFs
helped to ensure that nothing had been missed. bottom line by $10.5 million a year (assumes
Conducting a readiness assessment review: a $14/bbl diesel-naphtha price differential, 7500
different Shell team took a fresh look to confirm t/d intake, 350 operating days a year and 4%
that the project was ready to be implemented. shift from naphtha to diesel).
Establishing very clear interfaces with the In addition, adjusting the hydrocrackers mode
other activities and contractors that were work- of operation by implementing the liquid recycle
ing in the same area. adds flexibility as it can enable the product slate
Performing risk assessments for every critical to swing from naphtha to middle distillates with-
activity. out any investment. Moreover, turnarounds will
Because of this preparation, the team actually be shorter and there are safety advantages.
gained on its schedule during the shutdown and In addition, the catalyst system that Criterion
was able to hand over the unit for start-up some designed and SASREF validated has a reduced
eight days early. Crucially, it did so with an catalyst refill cost of a further $7 million for this
excellent safety record. cycle because it uses partly regenerated catalyst.

Less shutdown time and enhanced safety Key takeaways


SASREFs future hydrocracker shutdowns will SASREFs revamp, which consisted of upgrading
also be shorter. This is because the latest genera- the reactor internals in all four reactors, modify-
tion reactor internals can be serviced much ing the bed configuration in each reactor,
quicker: they are designed to eliminate the need installing new thermometry, innovative catalyst
for cutting and welding, and to make catalyst selection, revising the quench system and
loading and unloading easier and faster, and increasing safety, required little capital expendi-
there are now fewer interbed manway panels to ture but enhanced its profitability by over $10
open and close. In fact, the new hardware has cut million a year.
the time required for shutdowns at SASREF by This was a major project whose success hinged
some four days, which is worth about $2.56 on bold decisions taken by its owner, SASREF,
million per turnaround (assumes $80/t margin). and the mutual focus and close collaborative
Moreover, there are safety advantages because relationship with the other key stakeholders,
the reactor internals reduce the time required Shell Global Solutions and Criterion.
for confined space entry to at least a quarter of Value can often be lost during the implemen-
the time generally taken when compared with tation phase of such a project, so it is vital that
older hardware. This is because they are quicker the project team is well prepared. SASREF was
to open, clean, inspect and close, and the able to avoid unforeseen issues by, for example,
confined space entry requirements have been an experienced contractor, setting up an exten-
greatly reduced, especially because some of the sive working document and building mock-ups
beds have been combined. of the reactors to enable the contractors to prac-
In addition, the reactor internals have the larg- tise installing the internals off the projects
est possible manways to enable people to move critical path.
very quickly through the trays and quenches, Latest generation reactor internals were also
which is particularly important in the case of a key because they:
serious incident. For example, the larger Take up less space than conventional hard-
manways facilitate faster recovery of an uncon- ware, thereby enabling high reactor volume
scious person from the reactor. Furthermore, utilisation for catalyst loading while increasing
they have been designed to eliminate the need catalyst run length
for hot work in the reactors because they can be Provide enhanced vapourliquid and thermal
installed without welding and opened and closed distribution under a wide range of operating
using just a hammer. conditions to provide safe and optimised opera-
tion using nearly 100% of the loaded catalyst
Value to SASREF Have a boltless, weldless and ergonomic
Calculations show that the new reactor internals design that facilitates fast installation, easy
and catalyst system will provide a 4% increase in maintenance and a shorter future turnaround.

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Fawzi Al-Somali, now General Manager, Maintenance, SASREF, Africa and Russia. He has more than 35 years experience in
was responsible for the mechanical delivery of the hydrocracker hydroprocessing catalyst research and development, and is an
turnaround when he was the manager of the refinerys projects expert in plant design and operations.
department. He has 22 years experience at the refinery, and has Email: [email protected]
also worked as Senior Electrical Engineer and Deputy Manager at
Brunei LNG.
Email: [email protected] LINKS
Edwin Maas is Global Manager, Hydroprocessing Reactor
Internals, Shell Global Solutions. He has over 36 years experience More articles from: Shell Global Solutions International
in the oil and gas industry, of which 13 have been as a mechanical
engineering subject matter expert.
More articles from the following categories:
Email: [email protected]
Catalysts and Additives
Theo Visser is Senior Technologist Hydrocracking, Criterion
Diesel Maximisation
Catalysts & Technologies, serving Europe, the Middle East,
Hydroprocessing Mass Transfer

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