SUCCESSFUL START-UP OF THE WORLDS NEWEST FCC

Authors: S. Tragesser - KBR J. Reeves - KBR T. Barnreiter - ConocoPhillips Ferndale Refinery Publication / Presented: KBR-EMRE FCC Licensee Symposium 2003 Date: 2003

Successful Start-up of the Worlds Newest FCC

S. Tragesser and J. Reeves Kellogg Brown & Root, Inc. 601 Jefferson Ave Houston, TX 77002 and T. Barnreiter ConocoPhillips Ferndale Refinery 3901 Unick Road Ferndale, WA 98248

ABSTRACT
With much of the attention in the refining industry being focused on clean fuels today, it is refreshing to report the startup of the worlds newest FCC unit by ConocoPhillips at the Ferndale refinery in Washington. In 1999, ConocoPhillips Ferndale refinery made a decision to replace their 1950s vintage Thermofor Catalytic Cracking Unit (TCC) with a modern KBR Orthoflow Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit (FCC). At the time of the shutdown, Ferndales TCC Unit was the last TCC operating in the United States. The basis for this decision was the improved reactor yield slate, improved reliability, reduction in catalyst cost, and environmental benefits. The new FCC Unit, located in Ferndale, Washington, was commissioned in March 2003. As a result of extensive preparation and training by ConocoPhillips, the initial startup of the unit occurred very smoothly and without any difficulties. In addition to the new FCC Unit, ConocoPhillips installed new regenerator flue gas cleanup technology including (1) a CO Incinerator for elimination of carbon monoxide and (2) a Flue Gas Scrubber system for removal of sulfur oxides and particulate matter. Also included within the revamp scope was the addition of a new regenerator air blower system and catalyst storage hoppers. The revamp reused the existing TCC main fractionator, wet gas compressor system, and vapor recovery unit. These areas under went fairly modest modifications to support the higher yields of gasoline and LPG that the FCC produces.

DESIGN BASIS
ConocoPhillips primary goal was to maximize low sulfur gasoline production from feedstocks consisting of vacuum gas oil and residuum blends with Conradson Carbon values up to 4.0 at a fresh feed rate of 30,000 BPSD. Two unique design cases were considered for the project; (1) 100% ANS Vacuum Gas Oil (VGO) and (2) Blend of Canadian VGO and Canadian Residuum. To achieve these objectives, design operating conditions

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were optimized in conjunction with KBR/ExxonMobil Research and Engineering (EMRE) advanced technologies. Included within Ferndales Orthoflow FCC Unit are Closed Cyclones riser termination to minimize over-cracking of valuable products, Riser Quench for improved conversion and gasoline yield, ATOMAX-2 Feed Injection Nozzles for improved gasoline and LPG yield, DynaFlux Stripper internals for minimizing loss of valuable products to the regenerator, and counter-current catalyst regeneration for minimizing nitrogen oxides. With the wide range of design feedstocks, unit flexibility was extremely important. KBR built flexibility into this unit by designing it to operate in both complete CO combustion, used for lower coke producing feedstocks, as well as in partial CO combustion mode used for higher coke forming feedstocks. The VGO/Residuum blend design feedstock requires a partial CO combustion regenerator mode of operation while the 100% VGO feedstock operates in full CO combustion mode. This paper summarizes the commercial performance data for the unit. Design feedstock properties and operating conditions are shown in Table 1. Current yields and operating conditions are shown in Table 2. It is worthy of note that soon after the startup, ConocoPhillips was able to increase feedrate about 7% above the design rate and gasoline yield was maximized within limits of the Vapor Recovery Unit.

PROJECT CONCEPTION
When ConocoPhillips decided to replace their TCC with a modern FCC to improve the yield slate from the main refinery conversion unit, KBR and all other FCC licensors were invited to submit proposals for this project. After an exhaustive review by ConocoPhillips, they determined that KBRs FCC technology would be best suited for their needs. Primary reasons for selecting KBR for the FCC licensor were their commercially proven FCC technology, which is discussed in more detail below, their ability to design a single stage low NOx regenerator for both VGO and residuum feedstocks, and the small plot space that their converter requires.

CONSTRUCTION
One of the unique aspects of this project is that the entire converter was built in a fabrication shop in Spain by Felguera and then shipped across the Atlantic Ocean, through the Panama Canal to the refinery site in northwest Washington state. Figure 1 shows the converter aboard a barge ready to off-load and roll to the refinery site. Being able to build the entire converter in a fabrication shop was a significant cost saving measure and is unique to the KBR design. Not only did it minimize the cost of construction, but it also

Figure 1 FCCU CONVERTER IN PORT

Orthoflow FCC

Orthoflow FCC shipped to site aboard barge External reactor-riser added once erected Total length is approximately 160 feet

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minimized the amount of work that had to be done in the field. The shipped converter was approximately 160 feet long or high depending on whether it was on the barge or standing up and it weighed over 500 tons. It was off loaded several miles from the refinery and transported by road to the Ferndale refinery where it was erected. The only items that were not installed in the shipped converter were the cyclones and the external riser. Most abrasion resistant refractory was also installed at the fabrication shop. Gunned refractory for the regenerator and reactor walls was installed at site.

TECHNOLOGY FEATURES AND PERFORMANCE

This section describes the FCC technology features included within the Ferndale FCC Unit and the performance of the unit. These features, listed in Figure 2, are largely the product of extensive research and development performed by KBR and EMRE. The Ferndale FCC unit incorporates the latest Orthoflow design with state-of-the-art KBR/EMRE technology including ATOMAX2TM feed injection, Riser Quench, Closed Cyclones, Dynaflux Stripping technology, self aerating spent catalyst distributor and air distribution. Vessel nozzles were added to the regenerator shell for a future catalyst cooler, and support clips were added to the internal regenerator shell for the option of adding RegenMax regeneration technology at a latter date. Disengager product vapors are condensed and separated in the Main Fractionator/Vapor Recovery Unit originally designed with the TCC Unit. Modifications to the downstream equipment were made during the installation of the new FCC Unit to accommodate the FCC converter products. ATOMAX-2 Feed Injection
Disengager Cyclone Closed Cyclone System Disengager

Riser Cyclone

External Plenum

Regenerator Cyclones

Baffed Stripper with Swirl Vanes Regenerator

Riser Quench Nozzles

Reactor-Riser

Spent Catalyst Standpipe

Air Distributor

Self Aerated Spent Catalyst Distributor Spent Catalyst Well

Atomax-2 Fresh Feed Nozzles Regenerated Catalyst Standpipe Reverse Seal

Spent Catalyst Plug Valve

Regenerated Catalyst Slide Valve

Figure 2: Ferndale Converter Sketch

The feed injection system of a Fluid Catalytic Cracking unit plays a key role in the yield performance of the unit. A well-designed feed injection system must provide both rapid vaporization and intimate contact between the oil and catalyst. While both of these attributes are equally important, sometimes one or the other is overlooked in the design of the feed injection system. The ATOMAX nozzle injects medium pressure steam through annular orifices perpendicular to the inner flow of the oil, as shown in Figure 3, for primary oil feed atomization. The steam orifices are sized to efficiently utilize the energy available in the steam to impact the oil at near sonic velocity, resulting in superior atomization with minimal

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oil side pressure drop. The unique 5-slotted tip shapes the spray into an optimal pattern as it is injected into the riser. This design allows KBR to customize the spray angle and flux distribution for each application. While atomization is a critical consideration in the design of the feed injection system, it is also important to introduce the catalyst into the mix zone at the proper conditions to ensure rapid vaporization and homogeneous mixing.

Figure 3 - ATOMAX-2 NOZZLES

Orthoflow FCC

Steam

Expansion Section

Oil
Steam Orifices Multi-Slotted Tip

Mechanically reliable for years of service Optimized coverage of riser cross section Finely atomized feed 26 units in operation

The Ferndale ATOMAX-2 feed nozzles operate with an oil side pressure drop of approximately 50 psi at normal conditions. Riser Quench The Riser Quench system, patented by ExxonMobil, injects vaporizable oil, usually recycle heavy naphtha, into the riser above the feed injection nozzles. The recycle material acts as a heat sink as it is vaporized by the catalyst. At constant riser outlet temperature, quench increases the catalyst-to-oil ratio because the riser outlet temperature control point is downstream of the quench location. Introduction of quench oil also increases the temperature in the mix zone and lower section of the riser, as shown in Figure 4. The higher initial cracking temperature and higher catalyst-to-oil ratio increases gasoline yield, olefin production, and gasoline octane. Rapidly Figure 4 - Riser Quench Technology lowering the temperature at the optimally located quench point prevents secondary reactions Quench Increases Mix Zone such as saturation of olefins Temperature by 25-50F and overcracking to form dry gas. Riser quench is especially useful for residue feedstocks Quenched Profile with high boiling ranges. With Quench an elevated mix zone temperaRiser Outlet 25-50F Temperature ture, the fresh feed vaporization efficiency is improved. Since the desirable catalytic reNormal Profile actions occur in the vapor phase, vaporization of the fresh Fresh Feed Distance up Riser feed at the mix zone is very
Orthoflow FCC

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Temperature

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important. Any fresh feed not vaporized generally reacts to form coke and other less desirable products. The Ferndale quench system utilizes a heavy naphtha that is recycled from the main fractionator. Commissioning the riser quench system at Ferndale increased overall conversion by about 2 vol% at the same riser outlet temperature. Closed Cyclone Riser Termination Technology Rapid disengaging of the catalyst and oil at the end of the riser has become imperative for the high cracking temperatures used in modern FCC units. Two goals must be achieved: Eliminate dilute phase catalytic cracking downstream of the riser to prevent recracking and to improve coke selectivity. Minimize post-riser thermal cracking by reducing vapor residence time between the riser exit and the main fractionator quench zone.

The purpose of Closed Cyclone technology is to reduce the backmixing of the hydrocarbon vapors and hence reduce residence time for non-selective thermal cracking in the reactor. Backmixing in a typical reactor is approximately 40 to 50%. Installing Closed Cyclones reduces the backmixing to less than 2%. Independent laboratory research has confirmed that the hydrocarbon underflow from a Closed Cyclone system is less than 2% of the vapor flow through the cyclones. The benefits of Closed Cyclones are a decrease in dry gas production and LPG and a corresponding increase in gasoline and light cycle oil production. Typically, the average reduction in dry gas make is 30-40%. The average increase in gasoline plus light cycle oil is 2.5 volume %. In addition, butadiene production is reduced by as much as 50%. The reduction in butadiene significantly improves the downstream alkylaFigure 5 - Closed Cyclone Operability tion unit performance.
Orthoflow FCC

Referring to the sketch of the system (Figure 5), the riser cyclone dipleg discharges the catalyst slightly below the top of the stripper bed. The upper cyclone diplegs are equipped with trickle valves and are also sealed in the bed above the top of the stripper. The upper disengager cyclones are connected to the riser cyclones by a conduit, which is open at the circumference so that the steam and hydrocar-

Excellent stability, confirmed by cold flow tests & commercial experience

22 operating in ExxonMobil FCCs 36 more licensed by KBR-ExxonMobil

Easy startup procedures Catalyst forced out dipleg in upset -- prevents carryovers No mechanical seals required Easy to "disengage" for quick startup 18 years commercial experience

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bon vapors from the stripper and disengager can exit to the main fractionator with the products of reaction. The dry gas yield on Ferndale unit is approximately 2.2 wt%, which is about 20% below than design value even with a 20F higher riser outlet temperature than design. Catalyst retention in the closed cyclone system has been excellent. Catalyst content in the fractionator bottoms has averaged 0.08 wt%. The unit has been through several startups since the original startup and has no problems at all with catalyst carryover. Spent Catalyst Stripping The Ferndale FCC includes two-stage stripping, as well as DynaFlux technology, a more recent technology developed by KBR and ExxonMobil to increase catalyst residence time and flux distribution within the stripper. DynaFlux stripper baffles incorporate Lateral Mixing Elements to increase the mean residence time, minimize flow short-circuiting, and improve mixing. Steam is introduced through pipe grid distributors at two elevations in the stripper, separated by seven DynaFlux baffles. DynaFlux stripper baffles solves one of the most significant problems encountered in most commercial strippers, i.e., entrainment of hydrocarbons into the regenerator. In conventional catalyst stripper baffles poor lateral mixing is a problem --- they do not force the catalyst and steam to mix well laterally across the vessel. Consequently, catalyst maldistribution frequently remains a problem in large commercial strippers, even in well-designed units operating within conventional limits. The Ferndale stripper operates with stripping steam rates below normal due to heat balance demands. Even with these low stripping steam rates the stripper is achieving an average hydrogen-in-coke of 6wt%. Regenerator Design Features and Performance In the regenerator, coke is burnt off the catalyst to supply the heat requirements of the process and restore the catalyst's activity. The preferred system for spent catalyst regeneration is one which can burn the coke to fairly low residual levels on the catalyst, while avoiding catalyst deactivation and afterburning in the regenerator dilute phase. The initial burning rate of the coke on the catalyst particles must be con-

Figure 6 - Counter-Current Regenerator

Orthoflow FCC

Spent Catalyst (high carbon) + Low O2

Spent Cat Distributor Air Distributor

catalyst

DENSE PHASE BED

Regen Catalyst (low carbon) + High O2

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air

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trolled to prevent premature catalyst deactivation. Key technology features of the Ferndale counter-current regenerator include the pipe grid air distributor and spent catalyst distributor. These are shown in Figure 6. The pipe grid air distribution system provides a uniform combustion air supply across the regenerator cross sectional area. The mixing of catalyst particles within the regenerator bed is rapid, but not instantaneous. In FCC catalyst regeneration, distribution of spent catalyst is critical since most of the catalyst in the bed has very little coke on it. Incoming coke-laden spent catalyst creates the possibility of coke maldistribution within the bed. If an area of the bed contains almost no coke, the combustion air will escape from the bed with most of its oxygen intact. At the same time, high CO-content flue gases will be emitted from the areas of the bed which have high concentrations of coke. Afterburning results when these high CO-content flue gases mix with the high oxygen content gases in the dilute phase of the regenerator. In order to ensure a rapid and even radial distribution of spent catalyst within the regenerator bed, the Ferndale design uses a central spent catalyst distributor to evenly distribute spent catalyst across the top of the regenerator fluid bed. The design lifts the coke-laden spent catalyst through a well to the top of the regenerator bed. The catalyst then flows through six troughs located at the top of the distributor. These troughs evenly distribute the catalyst over the regenerator cross section. The symmetrical design of the spent catalyst distributor and air distributors results in uniform distribution with no bypassing of catalyst and air, as well as intimate contacting of air and catalyst particles. Counter-current regeneration also reduces NOx emissions compared to other types of regenerators. When the carbon-laden spent catalyst is distributed across the top of the regenerator bed, the following reaction occurs:

2C + 2 NO 2CO + N 2 + NO X
Table 3 shows a typical regenerator temperature profile of the Ferndale FCC. The uniform distribution of coke and air is evident from the small temperature differences between readings in the bed. The bed temperatures only vary 7F from average to low and high readings. The cyclone inlet temperatures only vary 5F. The counter current regeneration performance has been excellent with regard to NOx production. The measured NOx values from the stack have been averaging 30-50 ppm. This is even after the CO boiler which is firing auxilary gas and creating additional NOx after the regenerator. This is well below the Ferndale permit, so it will not be necessary for Ferndale to consider installation of other NOx removal technology.

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Successful Start-up of the Worlds Newest FCC New Orthoflow Converter Features
In addition to the technology features discussed above, this section highlights some of the new features of the KBR Orthoflow converter that were not incorporated in earlier Orthoflow designs. Self-Aerating Spent Catalyst Distributor Unlike earlier designs, which used air or steam for fluidizing the catalyst in the arms, the new selfaerating distributor makes use of the upward flowing air in the regenerator for fluidization. Vertical plates extend downward on the bottom of the troughs which trap the upward flowing gas bubbles under the troughs. The gas is the distributed through holes located in the bottom of the trough, which fluidize the catalyst flowing down the troughs.

Figure 7 - Self-Aerating Spent Catalyst Distributor

Orthoflow FCC

Provides simple method for aerating catalyst Captures gas from ascending bubbles Eliminates need for 6 small-bore aeration lines and associated valving and instrumentation

Kellogg Brown & Root

A Halliburton Company

This eliminates the six aeration pipes for the troughs and the associated valving and instrumentation that was previously required. Regenerated Catalyst Standpipe Wye-Piece Configuration The new KBR Orthoflow design now incorporates a Wye-Piece configuration for the regenerated catalyst standpipe in place of the lateral/boot design. One of the benefits to this design is the simplification of the aeration system without any loss of performance. There is no longer a lateral that requires multiply aeration nozzles at each elevation point along the length of the lateral. The Ferndale FCC only has a single aeration ring located at the bottom of the wye for fluidization and an emergency steam nozzle for startup and shutdown. Elongated Spent Catalyst Stripper The new stripper design is elongated and includes seven baffles compared to the previous five baffle design. The advantage to this design is that it increases the residence time for improved stripping of the entrained hydrocarbons and also reduces the required length of the spent catalyst standpipe while maintaining the same static head of catalyst for good pressure buildup above the spent catalyst plug valve. The benefits to

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the refiner are reduced delta coke, increased catalyst circulation and conversion as well as minimization of spent catalyst standpipe aeration piping.

Ease of Converter Startup

The startup of the Ferndale FCC unit was exceptionally smooth and without incident. The operators had been well trained even though they had no previous experience operating a FCC. They completed a rigorous training program, which included the use of a FCC simulator for hands-on training. From the time the unit was handed over to the operations team to the introduction of feed took less than four days. This would have taken even less time since problems with other units in the refinery outside of the FCCU caused delays. The converter was inventoried with catalyst in less than three hours and heated to approximately 1250F with torch oil. The catalyst was then circulated with steam to heat-up the disengager and stripper for preparation of starting the oil to the unit. Oil-in occurred on March 11, 2003 and only 16 hours after the start of catalyst loading to the unit. The feed rate was quickly increased to 60% of design and held there until the vapor recovery unit was lined out, which also allowed control loops to be tuned. The DCS printout above shows how uniform the temperatures were in the converter prior to starting feed to the unit with steam circulation of the catalyst. One of the benefits of the closed cyclone system, compared to other riser termination devices, is the high catalyst separation efficiency during steam circulation when velocities are relatively low in the cyclones.

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The ConocoPhillips refinery at Ferndale was the latest to upgrade their FCC capabilities by installing a modern grassroots KBR OrthoflowTM FCC unit. The new unit consists of some of the more recently developed FCC technologies namely ATOMAX-2TM Feed Injection, Riser Quench system, Closed Cyclone riser termination, DynaFluxTM spent catalyst stripping baffles, and counter-current regenerator design. In addition to making the latest technologies available to ConocoPhillips, significant cost savings were realized by transporting the entire FCC converter from the fabrication shop to the job site as on piece, which is only possible with the KBR OrthoflowTM design. Once installed, the new FCC unit started up without a hitch. This successful construction and startup is a direct result of the innovative technologies implemented at ConocoPhillips Ferndale refinery coupled with the refinerys well trained operations team.

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Successful Start-up of the Worlds Newest FCC Table 1 DESIGN FEEDSTOCK PROPERTIES AND OPERATING CONDITIONS
100% ANS VGO 20.3 1.36 0.207 0.2 0.8 1.7 173 1.4943 0.6 650 681 752 822 902 987 1050

RESID MIX 23.7 0.72 0.146 11.6 2.0 1.6 N/A N/A 4.0 650 690 770 866 986 1170 1258

Specific Gravity, API Sulfur Content, wt% Total Nitrogen, wt% Metals, ppmw Iron Nickel Vanadium Aniline Point, F Refractive Index @ 80C Conradson Carbon, wt% TBP Distillation, F IBP 10 vol% 30 vol% 50 vol% 70 vol% 90 vol% EP

Feed Rate, BPSD Temperatures Riser Outlet Feed Preheat Regenerator Feed Dispersion, wt% Riser Quench, vol% Catalyst to Oil Ratio, wt/wt Flue Gas CO2/CO Ratio Excess O2, vol% Carbon on Regen Cat, wt%

100% ANS VGO 30,000 960 500 1282 3.0 10 7.5 Compete Combustion 1.5 0.05

RESID MIX 30,000 970 420 1300 5.0 10 8.4 3.5 0.2 0.15

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Successful Start-up of the Worlds Newest FCC Table 2 ACTUAL OPERATING CONDITIONS AND YIELDS

Feed Rate, BPSD Temperatures Riser Outlet Feed Preheat Regenerator Feed Dispersion, wt% Riser Quench, vol% Catalyst to Oil Ratio, wt/wt Flue Gas CO2/CO Ratio Excess O2, vol% Carbon on Regen Cat, wt%

31,800 975 505 1315 2.9 10 6.6 Compete Combustion 1.5 0.05

Yields Vol% Conversion C2 and Lighter Total C3s Total C4s Gasoline (C5440F D2887) LCO (440-650F D2887) Slurry (650F + D2887) TOTAL C3+ Liquid Coke 72.41 -9.9 13.4 59.0 17.3 10.3 109.9 -Wt% 70.2 2.4 5.5 8.6 48.4 17.9 11.9 -5.0

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Table 3 CONOCOPHILLIPS FERNDALE FCC REGENERATOR TEMPERATURE PROFILE Orientation Degrees A B C D E F Bed 1319 -1308 -1308 -Cyclone Inlet 1333 1336 1341 1339 1341 1338 Cyclone Outlet 1320 1342 1327 1348 1324 1324

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