Solvent extraction is a process used to purify products in oil refineries. It involves using a solvent to extract or remove unwanted components like aromatics, dissolved metals, organic compounds containing sulfur/nitrogen/oxygen, and inorganic salts. The extraction process takes place in an extractor column where the feed contacts the solvent, dissolving the impurities. Then in a stripper column, the solvent separates from the absorbed impurities, producing a purified product stream and a contaminated solvent stream. Common solvents used include glycol, sulfolane, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone.
Original Description:
This presentation discusses the basics of solvent extraction process as employed in petroleum refining. Some processes employed in the industry are listed.
Solvent extraction is a process used to purify products in oil refineries. It involves using a solvent to extract or remove unwanted components like aromatics, dissolved metals, organic compounds containing sulfur/nitrogen/oxygen, and inorganic salts. The extraction process takes place in an extractor column where the feed contacts the solvent, dissolving the impurities. Then in a stripper column, the solvent separates from the absorbed impurities, producing a purified product stream and a contaminated solvent stream. Common solvents used include glycol, sulfolane, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone.
Solvent extraction is a process used to purify products in oil refineries. It involves using a solvent to extract or remove unwanted components like aromatics, dissolved metals, organic compounds containing sulfur/nitrogen/oxygen, and inorganic salts. The extraction process takes place in an extractor column where the feed contacts the solvent, dissolving the impurities. Then in a stripper column, the solvent separates from the absorbed impurities, producing a purified product stream and a contaminated solvent stream. Common solvents used include glycol, sulfolane, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone.
purify products in the refinery. It involves the use of a solvent to extract or remove the unwanted components present in the products. To remove components present in the product that could lead to corrosion in subsequent processing steps To remove components present in the product that could lead to catalyst poisoning in subsequent processing steps To remove components that would otherwise reduce the quality of the product.
Aromatics: These are Benzene, Toluene and Xylene collectively referred to as BTX Dissolved metals: These include nickel, vanadium and copper. Organic compounds containing sulphur, nitrogen and oxygen. Inorganic salts Double salts that were present in the crude feedstock DISSOLUTION: The impurities have a higher solubility in the solvent than they do in the feed so that when they come in contact with the solvent, they get drawn into it.
PRECIPITATION: The impurities are caused to precipitate out of the product. Naphtha Kerosene Gas oils Lubricating oil
EXTRACTION: The extraction process takes place in an extractor which consists of a vertical column with numerous contactor plates.
EXTRACTOR A B C E D KEY: A = Aromatic-rich reformate feed B = Solvent C = Non-aromatic raffinate D = Non-aromatic-heavy recycle stream E = Aromatic-rich solvent Fig. 1: A simplified diagram of extraction step in solvent extraction process SOLVENT STRIPPING: This is the step where the used solvent from the extractor is separated from the absorbed aromatics. It is carried out in the solvent stripper.
SOLVENT STRIPPER B A D E C KEY: A = Aromatic-rich solvent (from extractor) B = Condensed stripper overhead stream containing mainly solvent with trace hydrocarbons C = BTX product stream D = mixed raffinate/aromatic/solvent stream E = Nearly hydrocarbon-free solvent stream Fig. 2: A simplified diagram of stripping step in solvent extraction process EXTRACT WASHING: The extract (BTX) from the Solvent Stripper is washed with water to remove residual solvent before being sent for further processing.
RAFFINATE WASHING: Raffinate leaving the Extraction Tower is washed with water to remove residual solvent before being sent for further processing.
SOLVENT CONDITIONING: These are steps taken to maintain the solvent purity. The solvent degrades over time due to the accumulation of various high boiling and polar contaminants causing it to lose efficacy. Examples of such solvent conditioning processes include filtration, adsorption and batch distillation. S/N PROCESS SOLVENT USED 1 The Udex extraction process Diethylene glycol 2 The Sulfolane process Tetrahydrothiophene 1- 1 dioxide (sulfolane) 3 The Tetra process tetraethylene glycol 4 The Carom Process A proprietary glycol/glycol ether mix 5 The Lurgi Arosolvan Process N-methyl-2- pyrrolidinone mixed with water or glycol 6 The dimethyl sulfoxide process Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and butane 7 The Formex process N-formylmorpholine 8 The Morphylex Process N-formylmorpholine Table 1: A summary of some solvent extraction processes S/N PROCESS SOLVENT USED 9 The Redex process (Recycle Extract Dual Extraction) - 10 Mofex Process Monomehtylformamide solvent mixed with water 11 Arex Process N-Methyl -caprolactam 12 Dou-Sol Process Selecto or Selectox (which is a mixture of phenol and cresylic acids) and liquid Propane 13 CIS Process Propylene carbonate 14 Carmex Process Methyl carbonate Briggs, Terry and Patel, Vijay P. (1978) Evaluation of Benzene-Related Petroleum Processing Operations. Retrieved September 21, 2014 from: http://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/91009Y36.PDF?Dockey=91009Y3 6.PDF C&I Engineering, Inc. (2014) Aromatics Extraction Retrieved September 21, 2014 from: http://www.cieng.com/a-111-319-ISBL- Aromatics-Extraction.aspx Comyns, Alan E. (Ed.) (2000) Encyclopedic Dictionary of Named Processes in Chemical Technology. Retrieved September 21, 2014 from: http://lib.lhu.edu.vn/ViewFile/11122 Dyke, Kate Van (1997) Fundamentals of Petroleum 4th Ed. Austin, TX: Petroleum Extension Service, the University of Texas at Austin. How Products Are Made (2014) Kerosene Retrieved September 20, 2014 from: http://www.madehow.com/Volume-7/Kerosene.html King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah (no date) Aromatic hydrocarbons [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved September 21, 2014 from: www.kau.edu.sa/Files/0053956/Files/60695_Chap%202B%20p etro.ppt Mohammed-Dabo, I. A. and Balarabe, Y. U. (2014). CHEN 807 Module Two Petroleum Refining: Lecture notes. Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria. Oil refinery (2014). Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia. Retrieved September 17, 2014 from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_refinery Rousseau, Ronald W. (1987) Handbook of Separation Process Technology. John Wiley & Sons. Google books . Available from: http://books.google.com Rydberg, Jan (2004) Solvent Extraction Principles and Practice, Revised and Expanded. CRC Press. Google books. Available from: http://books.google.com