Process units
of the
Humber refinery
Glossary
Alkylation
A process for manufacturing com-
ponents for high-octane gasoline.
Aromatics
The group of hydrocarbon prod-
ucts, so-called because of
their sweet smell, which include
benzene, toluene and provide
feedstocks for many of the main
petrochemical processes, as well
as improving the octane rating
of gasoline.
Barrel
Traditional measurement unit of
oil volume. Equal to 42 US gallons
or approximately 35 imperial gal-
lons. Dependent on specific gravity, enabling them to be transported
there are roughly 7.5 barrels to a
metric tonne of oil.
Benzene
A colourless liquid hydrocarbon,
used to manufacture a wide range
of everyday products by the petro-
chemical industry.
Catalyst
A substance that alters, accelerates
or instigates chemical reactions
without itself being affected.
Cetane number
A measure of the ignition quality
of diesel fuel: the higher the
cetane number, the more easily
the fuel is ignited.
Cracking
Secondary refining process which
uses heat and/or catalyst to break
down large chemical compounds
into smaller compounds.
Cryogenics
Handling, processing or storage of
hydrocarbon products using very
low temperatures.
Crude oil
An unrefined mixture of naturally-
occurring hydrocarbons, whose
density and properties vary widely.
Crude oils may also contain sulphur,
nitrogen and oxygen, and traces of See gasoline.
metals such as vanadium and nick-
el.
Diesel fuel
Light hydrocarbon mixture slightly
heavier than kerosene. In a diesel
engine, air is drawn into the cylin-
ders and compressed to very high
pressures; ignition occurs as fuel is
injected into the compressed and
heated air.
Distillation
Process of driving off gas or vapour
from liquids or solids, usually by
heating, and condensing the liquid
back to purify, fractionate, or form Bonding two or more simple mole-
new products.
Fraction
Hydrocarbon substance, or group
of substances, extracted from crude
oil or natural gas, usually by distil- Reforming
lation in a fractionating tower.
Gasoline
Gasoline, or petrol as it is called in
the UK, is a volatile, flammable liq-
uid hydrocarbon refined from
crude oil and used to fuel internal
combustion, spark ignition engines. element. Sulphur reduction in fuels
Hydrocarbons
Organic compounds of hydrogen
and carbon whose densities,
boiling points and freezing points
increase as their molecular weights
increase. The smallest molecules of
hydrocarbons are gaseous, the
largest solids.
PROPYLENE
I S O - B U TA N E
Alkylation Gas plants P R O PA N E
Sulphur recovery Propylene
N O R M A L B U TA N E The alkylation unit
combines a butylene-
rich 14,000 bpd
The refinery has three gas plants. Gases from
the fluid catalytic cracker are fed to its own
vapour recovery unit. Gases from the remain-
Two sulphur recovery units convert hydrogen sulphide, a
by-product of the desulphurisation process, into sulphur to
ing refinery units are routed to the cracked minimise gaseous emissions. One of the units uses licensed
Propylene stream from the fluid
catalytic cracker with gas plant. The saturate gas plant processes technology which achieves 98 per cent conversion of Propane
recovery light saturate hydrocarbon liquids from the hydrogen sulphide into liquid sulphur.
isobutane to produce
This unit recovers alkylate, a high catalytic reformers and the hydrodesulphuris-
Isomerisation
The process of altering the arrange-
a propylene-rich octane petrol blend- ers. Propane, butane and petrol are recovered
SULPHUR
Sulphur
stream from the fluid ing component. and the remaining gases are used as fuel for
ment of atoms in catalytic cracker's liq- the process unit furnaces and the utility boil-
a molecule without adding
uefied petroleum gas
or removing anything from Butamer isomerisation
stream. The propy-
ers. The cryogenic unit recovers further LPG
from the fuel gas stream. ACID GAS
Fuel gas
the original material. This 9,000 bpd unit converts normal
lene is sold as
butane into isobutane, which is used in
Kerosene a petrochemical feed-
the alkylation unit. BUTYLENES
Light flammable hydrocarbon prod- stock.
uct used as aviation fuel and in oil- FUEL GAS
fired central heating boilers.
B U TA N E
A L K Y L AT E
Butane
LPG
Liquefied petroleum gases (LPG),
principally butane and propane,
have the characteristic of being B U TA N E FCC GASOLINE
gaseous in atmospheric conditions
but easily liquefied under pressure,
LPG FUEL GAS
E
Isomerisation
T
as liquids and converted to gases GAS
A
on release of pressure.
R
An 18,000 bpd isomerisa-
E
tion unit converts the
M
Naphtha
O
Fluid catalytic cracking Catalytic reforming light naphtha from the
A volatile, flammable liquid hydro-
IS
distillate desulphurisers
carbon distilled from crude The fluid catalytic cracker has a capacity of 50,000 Two catalytic reforming units, with a combined capacity of 45,000
oil and used as a solvent, petro- and the light paraffin
bpd and processes a mixture of heavy gas oils. bpd, upgrade the heavy naphtha from the distillate desulphurisation
chemical feedstock or in stream from the aromatics
Products from the unit are LPG, a petrol blending units into a high octane blending component for petrol. They also
the manufacture of petrol. Crude topping component, light cycle oil and a heavy oil stream produce a highly aromatic feedstock, called light reformate, which
extraction unit into a high Gasoline
goes to the aromatics extraction unit. A hydrogen-rich gas stream is
octane petrol blending
Octane rating Two crude topping units, with a total called slurry oil. From the year 2000 part of the Aromatics extraction
A classification of gasoline accord- capacity of 180,000 barrels per day petrol blending component will be fed to a desul- also produced as a by-product. This is used in the isomerisation,
component. Benzene
This unit separates the ben-
ing to its anti-knock properties. (bpd) of crude oil, produce distillate - phurisation unit to help the refinery meet new hydrodealkylation and hydrodesulphurisation units.
zene/toluene-rich light refor-
'Knocking' or 'pinking' is a tenden- a diesel blending component - plus European Union fuel specifications. mate into an aromatics stream
cy for gasoline to detonate under heavy gas oil and topped crude. One L I G H T R E F O R M AT E and two paraffin streams. The
compression in an engine instead of the units - the only one of its kind Hydrodealkylation
of burning evenly. The higher the light paraffin stream goes to
in Europe - has special metallurgy to
GAS
octane number, the less prone the H E AV Y R E F O R M AT E the isomerisation unit, the This unit converts the aro-
allow the processing of crude oils
fuel is to knocking. heavy paraffin stream is blend- matics stream from the aro-
containing naphthenic acid. matics extraction unit into
ed in petrol, and the aromatics
Olefins stream passes to the high purity benzene.
The group of hydrocarbons LIGHT CYCLE OIL hydrodealkylation unit.
known as alkenes. In a refinery
olefin units produce ethylene and D I S T I L L AT E LIGHT
propylene to make polyethylene NAPHTHA
and polypropylene, used by the HEAVY
petrochemical industry to make NAPHTHA
plastics, synthetic fibres and adhe-
DIESEL
Distillate desulphurisation
sives.
The two distillate desulphurisation units are the virgin hydrodesulphurisation unit
which hydrotreats crude topping distillate and the cracked hydrodesulphurisation
Paraffins
Alkane hydrocarbons, such unit which treats distillate from cracking and coking operations. Their total capacity
is 130,000 bpd. Both units remove sulphur and nitrogen compounds. The distillate
GAS
as methane, ethane, propane,
butane and pentane. streams created are then split into light and heavy naphthas, aviation fuel, kerosene
and diesel blending components. A new desulphurisation unit is planned to be
Petrol
TOPPED CRUDE
AT M O S P H E R I C G A S O I L
CRUDE OIL FEEDSTOCK
brought on line from 2001 to reduce sulphur in diesel fuel and help the refinery
meet new diesel fuel specifications. Aviation fuel/
Petroleum kerosene
CRACKED
D I S T T I L L AT E
COKER GASOIL
C O K E R D I S T L L L AT E
GAS
GAS
Literally 'rock oil'. A natural Gas oil hydro-
organic material composed
mainly of hydrocarbons - chemical
desulphurisation Fuel oil
This 25,000 bpd unit
compounds of hydrogen and car-
bon - which may be in removes sulphur com-
a gaseous, liquid or solid state. pounds from a heavy gas
oil stream. DIESEL
Petroleum coke
Solid crystalline product made
Diesel
of carbon extracted from crude
oil, usually by means of thermal
cracking.
Polymerisation Thermal cracking CALCINED COKE
The 45,000 bpd thermal
cracker processes a mix-
cules under heat and pressure to
form larger molecules. In petro-
Vacuum distillation ture of heavy gas oils to Petroleum coke
chemical production polymer produce a thermal tar Calcining
hydrocarbons are used to make Three vacuum distillation units suitable for coking. Gas Coking
plastics. process up to 120,000 bpd of topped Three calciners process about 2,200
and distillate streams Two delayed cokers
crude and produce vacuum gas oil tonnes a day of green coke. The units
are also produced. have a combined pro-
and vacuum residue. Two of the units remove the remaining hydrocarbons
Refining process used to change
duction capacity of
run in series while the third - brought from green coke to make it suitable for
the molecular structure of 2,400 tonnes a day of
on stream in 1996 - operates alone green (raw) coke.
electrode and anode manufacture.
a naphtha feedstock.
and handles topped crude from acidic Other products are
crude processing.
Sulphur gas, distillate and
Utilities
Pale yellow non-metallic chemical VA C U U M heavy gas oil.
The utilities plants provide the refinery with cooling water, treated water, steam, electricity and com-
GAS OIL
is desirable for corrosion control pressed air. Refinery steam requirements are supplied mainly by waste heat boilers on process units,
and for health and safety reasons. supplemented by direct-fired utility boilers. Electrical power is supplied by five steam turbo alternators
and a gas turbo alternator giving a generating capacity of 30 megawatts. Hot exhaust gases from the
Toluene (methylben- gas turbine are fed to three furnaces as pre-heated air providing combined heat and power at very high
GREEN COKE
zene) efficiency.
A colourless aromatic hydrocarbon A combined heat and power plant completed in 1997 provides a further 24 megawatts of electricity
liquid used as a solvent. from four gas turbines. Exhaust gases from these turbines are used to generate steam for the process
units. Additional electricity is available from the National Grid if required. Boiler feed water is treated to
ensure that it is pure and demineralised. Recirculatory cooling water systems with a capacity of 100,000
gallons a minute supply the refinery's water cooling requirements.