Atmospheric Crude Column 1

Atmospheric Crude Column

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1.3.6 Atmospheric Crude Column.pdf
2 Atmospheric Crude Column

Workshop
Atmospheric Crude Columns are one of the most important pieces of
equipment in the petroleum refining industry. Typically located after the
Desalter and the Crude Furnace, the Atmospheric Tower serves to distil
the crude oil into several different cuts. These include naphtha,
kerosene, light diesel, heavy diesel and AGO.

In this module, you will construct, run, analyse and manipulate an

Atmospheric Crude Column simulation. You will begin by building a
simple column and continue by adding side operations to the column.

Learning Objectives
After completing this module, you will be able to:

• Build and converge an Atmospheric Crude Column.

• Use HYSYS to analyse and predict the behaviour of a simulated
column.
• Add side operations to a column to improve operation and
efficiency.
• Add cut point specifications to increase side product quality and
quantity.

Prerequisites
Before beginning this module you will need to know how to:

• Add streams and unit operations.

• Characterize and install a crude oil.

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Process Overview
Column Overview
 Atmospheric Crude Column 5

Expanding the Flowsheet

Load your Pre-Heat Train case from the Pre-Heat Train module.

Column Product Specs

Before beginning the construction of a crude column it is useful to know
the quantity of products that you can expect to get out of the column.
HYSYS can present this information in a graphical format.

1. Return to the Basis Environment, enter the Oil Manager then enter
Oil Environment view.
2. Under the Cut/Blend tab, select the default crude blend and click
the View button.
The Distribution Plots tab
displays a bar chart
3. Go to the Tables tab. This is where the information is displayed.
depicting how an assay 4. Using the Oil Distributions Table Type and the Straight Run cut
would be roughly distributed
in a fractionation column.
option, complete the following table:

Component Volume % Volume in bbl.

Lt St Run
Naphtha
Kerosene
Diesel (Light & Heavy)
AGO
Residue
TOTAL 100% 100,000 bbl

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6 Atmospheric Crude Column

Adding the Column Steam Feed

1. Add a material stream named Btm Steam. Add the following
temperature, pressure and flow rate to the steam stream:

In this cell... Enter...

Name Bttm Steam
Vapour Fraction 1
The composition of H2O for Pressure 1380 kPa (200 psia)
all steam streams is 1.0 Temperature 3400 kg/h (7500 lb/hr)
Mass Fraction.

Add the Atmospheric Crude Column

The Atmospheric Column will be simulated as a Refluxed Absorber.

1. Select the Refluxed Absorber icon.

2. The Input Expert is now displayed. Input the data as shown

Refluxed Absorber icon In this cell... Enter...

Column Name Atmos Tower
# Stages 29
Inlet Stream ATM Feed
Inlet Stage 28_Main TS
Bottom Stage Inlet Btm Steam
Stage Numbering Top Down
Condenser Energy Stream Cond Duty
Condenser Partial
Ovhd Outlets Off Gas
Naphtha
Condenser Partial
Bottoms Liquid Outlet Atm Residue

3. Check the Water Draw checkbox and name the stream Waste Water.

The Water Draw checkbox

must be checked to prevent
two liquid phases being
formed in the column.

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 Atmospheric Crude Column 7

Figure 1

Crude Columns always

require a water stream off
the condenser.

4. Move to the next page of the Input Expert. Enter the following data:

In this cell... Enter...

Condenser Pressure 140.0 kPa (20.31 psia)
Condenser Pressure Drop 60.00 kPa (8.7 psi)
Bottom Stage Pressure 230.0 kPa (33.36 psia)

Figure 2

Always provide a pressure

for the stage 1 in a crude
column. The column may
not converge without it.

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8 Atmospheric Crude Column

5. Move to the next page of the Input Expert. Enter the following data:

Figure 3

Active specifications are

those values that are fixed.
Inactive specifications (or
Estimates) are those values
that the program can adjust
in order to converge the
column.

6. Move to the next screen of the Input Expert. Enter 0 kgmole/h in the
Vapour Rate field as shown.

Figure 4

7. After clicking Done, you are placed on the Column Property View.
Move to the Design tab and open the Monitor page.

What is the current Degrees of Freedom? _______________________________

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 Atmospheric Crude Column 9

8. Specify a Distillate Rate of 150 m3/h (22,500 bbl/day). In order to set

a volumetric flowrate for this specification, you must open its
property view and change the flowrate type. Double-click on the
In order to specify a volume specification’s name and change the flow basis to Volume.
flow rate specification, you will
have to change the flow rate 9. For this column to solve we need to activate the Vap Prod Rate
basis of this specification. specification with a flow rate of 0. This means that the condenser
will operate as a total condenser.
10. For the column to converge, the Degrees of Freedom must be 0. This
can be done by deactivating the default spec of Reflux Ratio.
11. Click the Run button to converge the column.

What is the flow rate of:

Naptha? _______________________ Residue? __________________________
Wastewater?____________________ Off-Gas?___________________________

Adding the Side Strippers and the Pump Arounds

Side Strippers are added to the column in order to improve the quality of
the three main products (Kerosene, Diesel, and AGO). There are two
types of side strippers available in HYSYS: Reboiled and Steam Stripped.
We will install one reboiled side stripper and two steam stripped.

Pump Arounds help to improve the column’s efficiency. They operate by

drawing a liquid stream from one stage cooling it, and pumping it into a
higher stage. In effect, this process adds to the reflux between these two
stages.

The first side operation of each type will be added using the side ops
input expert. This tool is design to simplify the process for adding side
operations to columns.

1. On the Side Ops tab, click the Side Ops Input Expert button.
2. The Side Ops Input Expert is really five experts in one interface. The
first page of the input expert is for adding reboiled side strippers,
and the other pages are for different side operations.
When entering the stream
names, do not enter the 3. In this part of the module, a steam stripped side stripper is the
"@COL1" this term is added operation that we want to install. Click the Next button once to
automatically by HYSYS.
move to the appropriate input expert for this type of operation.

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10 Atmospheric Crude Column

4. Click the Add Side Stripper button, and complete the view with the
following connections:

In this cell... Enter...

Name AGO SS
Return Stage 21_Main TS
Draw Stage 22_Main TS
Steam Feed AGO Steam
Draw Product AGO Prod

Figure 5

5. Click the Install button. HYSYS will now add the side stripper and
associated streams to the simulation.
6. The next side operation that we will add is the pump around for the
AGO section of the column. Again, this operation will be added by
using the input expert for pump around operations.
7. Click the Next button twice to get to the appropriate input expert.
8. Click the Add Pump Around button to add the operation. Define it
with the information shown below.

In this cell... Enter...

Name AGO PA
Return Stage 21_Main TS
Draw Stage 22_Main TS

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 Atmospheric Crude Column 11

Figure 6

9. Click the Install button to add this operation to the simulation.

10. Close the Side Ops Input Expert view, and return to the Monitor
page of the Design tab. Here, the specifications that will govern the
operation of the two side operations that were added in the previous
steps will be added. In total, the side operations contribute three
degrees of freedom to the column; therefore, three active
specifications will be required before the column will be able to
solve.
11. The three specifications that we need to add are:
• AGO SS Product Flow
• AGO PA Rate
• AGO PA Duty
12. HYSYS automatically creates four specifications when the side
operations are added via the input expert. We only have to set the
specified value for the specifications and select which ones we need
as active. Set the following values for the various specifications.
• AGO SS Prod Flow = 30 m3/h (4500 bbl/day) - Note: change flow
basis to volume before setting the value.
• AGO PA Rate = 200 m 3/h (30 000 bbl/day)
• AGO PA Duty = -3.7E7 kJ/h (-3.5E7 Btu/hr)

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12 Atmospheric Crude Column

13. On the Work Sheet tab, enter the following information for the AGO
Steam stream:

In this cell... Enter...

Remember that the Temperature 150°C (300°F)
composition of steam
Pressure 350 kPa (50 psia)
streams is always 100%
water. Mass Flow 1150 kg/h (2500 lb/hr)

After making substantial 14. Return to the Design tab and Monitor page. Ensure that the Degrees
changes to a column’s of Freedom is 0.
design, it may be necessary
to reset the specified values 15. Click the Run button to converge the column.
before the column will
converge. Simply click the
Reset icon.

Save your case!

Adding the Diesel Side-Ops

The remaining side operations (two side strippers and two pump
arounds) will be added without using the input expert.

1. In the Column Environment, on the Side-Ops tab, select Side

Stripper and click the Add button. Enter the following information:

In this cell... Enter...

Name Diesel SS
Return Stage 16
Draw Stage 17
Flow Basis Volume (select this radio button)
Product Stream Diesel Prod
Draw Spec 130 m3/h (19,250 bbl/d)
Configuration Steam Stripped
Steam Feed Diesel Steam

2. Click the Install button when you are finished and close the view
after.

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 Atmospheric Crude Column 13

3. On the Side Ops tab, select Pump Arounds and click the Add button.
Enter the following information:

In this cell... Enter...

Name Diesel PA
Return Stage 16
Draw Stage 17

4. Click the Install button, and you will be moved to the second part of
the installation process. Under the first active and second active
specs, add the following information to complete the specifications
for this pump around.

In this cell... Enter...

Diesel PA_Rate (PA), Flow Rate 200 m3/h (30,000 bbl/d) Note: the
flow basis must be changed to
volume.
The specification type for Diesel PA_Duty (PA), Duty -3.7e7 kJ/h (-3.5e7 Btu/hr) Note: the
the second active spec must specification type must be changed
be changed to Duty instead to Duty instead of the default dT.
of the default dT. The active
spec can be changed by
double-clicking the name of 5. On the Work Sheet tab, enter the following information for the
the spec. Diesel Steam stream:

In this cell... Enter...

Temperature 150°C (300°F)
Pressure 350 kPa (50 psia)
Mass Flow 1350 kg/h (3000 lb/hr)
Composition 100% H2O

6. Return to the Design tab and Monitor page. Ensure that the Degrees
of Freedom is 0.
7. Click the Run button to converge the column.

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14 Atmospheric Crude Column

Adding the Kerosene Side-Ops

Again the Side-Ops installation procedure can be repeated to install the
Side-Ops for the Kerosene product.

1. Add another Side Stripper with the following information:

In this cell... Enter...

Name Kerosene SS
Draw Stage 9
Return Stage 8
Prod Stream Kerosene Prod
Prod Rate 62 m3/h (9300 bbl/d)
Configuration Reboiled
Boil Up Ratio 0.75
The boilup ratio is the ratio
of the vapour to the liquid
leaving the reboiler. 2. Add a third Pump Around with the following information:

In this cell... Enter...

Name Kerosene PA
Draw Stage 9
Return Stage 8
Flow Rate 330 m3/h (50,000 bbl/d)
Duty -4.5e7 kJ/h (-4.2e7 Btu/hr)

3. Return to the Design tab and Monitor page. Ensure the Degrees of
Freedom is 0.
4. Click the Run button to converge the column.

What is the flow rate of Naphtha?______________ Residue?_______________

Save your case!

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 Atmospheric Crude Column 15

Adding an Energy Stream to the Column

In modelling this column, a refluxed absorber was chosen, which does
not have a reboiler at its base. However, a side exchanger can be
simulated on Stage 28 by attaching an energy stream to the bottom of
the column and specifying a duty or another parameter.

1. On the PFD in the parent environment, create a new Energy stream

with the name Trim Duty. Do not specify a duty for this stream.
2. Double-click on the Column and click on the Connections page on
Energy Stream icon (Red) the Design tab. In the Inlet Streams group, add the Trim Duty stream
in a new External Stream cell, and specify stage 28 as its feed stage.

Adding an Energy stream that is not fully defined creates one degree of
freedom for the column. Therefore, we need to add another
specification to the column in order for it to solve.

3. Go to the Monitor page and click the Add Spec button in the
Specification group.
4. Choose Column Liquid Flow from the list that appears. Click the
Add Spec button.
5. Enter the data as shown (if using Field units, the flow value will be
3500 bbl/d) and make the specification Active.

Figure 7

The Net Liquid Flow spec is

used to represent the
overflash. A typical rate of
the overflash specification is
3.5 LV% of the crude rate:
(660 m3/hr* 3.5% = 23 m3/
hr).

6. Change the Kerosene SS BoilUp Ratio specification to an Estimate

only. This specification could conflict with the one that was just
created. However, we still need a way to define the Kerosene SS
Reboiler. A duty specification will be used for this purpose.

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16 Atmospheric Crude Column

7. Add a Column Duty specification with the information as shown

(7.5e6 Btu/hr), and make the specification Active:

Figure 8

8. Return to the Monitor page and ensure that the Degrees of Freedom
= 0. Click Run to converge the column.

Remember that in module 4, when we characterized the oil, we included

Any User Property can be the sulfur curve. To see how much sulfur contains any stream there’s a
used as a Column utility called User Property.
specification
Attach it to Diesel Prod stream.

What is the Sulfur content of the Diesel Product?

____________________________________________________________________

Save your case!

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 Atmospheric Crude Column 17

Exploring with the Simulation

Maximizing the Naphtha Product
The column is now solved using product flow rate specifications. These
flow rate values were obtained from the Distribution Plot in the Oil
Manager (remember the exercise on page 5 of this module). Flow rate
specifications are probably the easiest to understand conceptually;
A good clue that the however, they are also the most inflexible way of defining the column.
material and/or heat
balance is failing is when the If the crude flow rate were to change substantially, for example, the
equilibrium error goes to
zero while the heat/
column may fail to converge because the material balance would not
specification error fails to compute.
converge.
As another example, it is desired to maximize the production of a
particular cut, such as Kerosene. One could simply increase the
Kerosene flow rate spec but this may produce a negative consequence as
the quality of the product may be reduced.

Therefore, another method of defining the streams may be better in

these cases. One of the most common ways of doing this is to use Cut
Point specifications to define the product streams.

The Distribution Plot page in the Oil Manager (under the Blend view)
shows the cut points that were used to generate that plot. In order to
maximize the proportion of Kerosene the Cut Point range is widened
slightly.

For example, it is desired to maximize the production of Naphtha. Since

the flow rate of Naphtha is related to the flow rate of Kerosene, both of
these streams will be defined in terms of cut point values.

Before we maximize the production of the various products, the base

case needs to be defined. Use the BP Curves utility to complete the

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18 Atmospheric Crude Column

following table:

Flow D86 CutPoint Temperatures, °C

3
m /h (bbl/d) 5% 95%
Naphtha 150 (22, 500)
Kerosene 62 (9, 300)
Diesel 130 (19, 250)
AGO 30 (4, 500)

To maximize the products, you will need to add Cut Point specifications
to replace the product flow specifications.

Save your case!

Exercise 1
Maximize the Production of Full Range Naphtha
To maximize the production of Naphtha, it is necessary to increase its 95
vol% cutpoint temperature. At the same time, the Kerosene’s 5 vol%
cutpoint temperature will show a corresponding increase as the lighter
Kerosene components are transferred into the Naphtha product
(becoming the heavier Naphtha components). By changing the flow rate
specifications for both the Naphtha and Kerosene products to ASTM
D86 95% vol% cutpoints, we can maximize the production of a full range
Naphtha from the column.

Product Specifications Flow, m3/h (bbl/d)

Naphtha 95% D86 Naphtha
190°C (375°F)
You will need to make the
Kerosene 95% D86 Kerosene
Naphtha and Kerosene flow
245°C (470°F)
specifications Inactive and
the Cut Point specification Diesel Flow 130 m3/h (19500 bbl/d)
Active. AGO Flow 30 m3/h (5000 bbl/d)

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 Atmospheric Crude Column 19

Exercise 2
Maximize the Production of a Full Range Kerosene
To maximize the production of Kerosene, its boiling point range has to
be expanded. The ASTM D86 95 vol% cutpoint for Naphtha should be
lowered to 162°C (325°F), the base case value, and the 95 vol% of
Kerosene raised to 275°C (525°F). Change the Diesel product flowrate
specification to an ASTM D86 95 vol% cutpoint specification of 330°C
(625°F).

Product Specifications Flow, m3/h (bbl/d)

Naphtha 95% D86 Naphtha
162°C (325°F)
Kerosene 95% D86 Kerosene
275°C (525°F)
Diesel 95% D86 Diesel
330°C (625°F)
AGO Flow 30 m3/h (5000 bbl/d)

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20 Atmospheric Crude Column

Exercise 3
Maximize the Production of a Full Range Diesel
The production of Diesel can be maximized in a similar manner to
maximizing Kerosene. The ASTM D86 95 vol% for Naphtha is 162°C
(325°F). The Kerosene ASTM D86 95 vol% is lowered to 220°C (430°F).
The ASTM 95 vol% Diesel specification should be increased to 360°C
(675°F). Since the AGO flowrate will have to change, its flowrate
specification should be changed to an ASTM D86 95 vol% cutpoint
specification of 415°C (780°F).

Product Specifications Flow, m3/h (bbl/d)

Naphtha 95% D86 Naphtha
162°C (325°F)
Kerosene 95% D86 Kerosene
220°C (430°F)
Diesel 95% D86 Diesel
360°C (675°F)
AGO 95% D86 AGO
415°C (780°F)

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