associated operating penalties. In a diesel market, the cracking refinery would favor
hydrocracking over FCC.
The advantages of a cracking refinery are greatly increased crude flexibility and
the production of more high-value products per barrel of crude. This type of facility
can weather more variation in margins than either topping or hydroskimming.
To obtain the advantages, this type of refinery takes on greater operating
complexity, as well as higher capital and operating costs.
Full Conversion/Complex Refinery
The final category for refinery configurations is the full-conversion/complex refinery. You will also hear these facilities referred to as “coking” or “high-conversion”
refineries. The key feature distinguishing these facilities is the conversion of the
remaining vacuum resid to high-value products. These plants may incorporate
chemical production into the refinery, as well as fuels.
Two possible flowsheets for a full-conversion refinery are shown in Fig. 6. The
refinery pretty much looks like a cracking refinery up to a point. The key changes
from the cracking refinery flowsheet are the addition of coking, heavy oil cracking
(like a resid FCC), deasphalting, and/or resid hydrocracking (like LC-fining or
H-oil). The top configuration would focus on a gasoline-driven market, whereas the
bottom sheet would apply more to a diesel-driven market.
A full-conversion refinery has the greatest flexibility possible in crude slate and
seeks to make the maximum amount of high-value products from the crude charge
with a minimum of by-product. The products can meet more severe specifications.
Some facilities incorporate power cogeneration for additional value. Because of
their flexibility, these facilities can operate profitably through low margin periods.
On the downside, these facilities cost significantly more than the other types of
refineries and add operating complexity. A problem in a downstream unit (which is
more likely because there are more downstream units) can back up to the crude unit
and greatly impair economics. There are still some by-products that are of low
value, such as petroleum coke, that must be managed.
Geographic Trends in Refinery Configurations
The refinery configuration chosen for a given facility depends on the crudes and
markets available for that facility. For example, in a region where crude, operating,
environmental, and transportation costs are high, it will make sense to build a
facility that maximizes the amount of product made from every barrel and minimizes the by-products and other wastes. A region where the corresponding costs are
lower allows some flexibility in product slate and reduced complexity.
As a region develops, the dominant refinery configurations move from topping
toward full conversion. North America, with a fairly mature industry, is dominated
by full-conversion facilities. The Middle East has less local market, so focus is on
refining for export. This leads the Middle East refineries to be dominated by
cracking, with less need for vacuum resid conversion. Where does the resid go
now? Some is actually cracked along with VGO. A lot ends up in fuel oils. The
international movement toward lower sulfur fuel oils for ships will eventually push
Petroleum Products and a Refinery Configuration
87
hydrocracking over FCC.
The advantages of a cracking refinery are greatly increased crude flexibility and
the production of more high-value products per barrel of crude. This type of facility
can weather more variation in margins than either topping or hydroskimming.
To obtain the advantages, this type of refinery takes on greater operating
complexity, as well as higher capital and operating costs.
Full Conversion/Complex Refinery
The final category for refinery configurations is the full-conversion/complex refinery. You will also hear these facilities referred to as “coking” or “high-conversion”
refineries. The key feature distinguishing these facilities is the conversion of the
remaining vacuum resid to high-value products. These plants may incorporate
chemical production into the refinery, as well as fuels.
Two possible flowsheets for a full-conversion refinery are shown in Fig. 6. The
refinery pretty much looks like a cracking refinery up to a point. The key changes
from the cracking refinery flowsheet are the addition of coking, heavy oil cracking
(like a resid FCC), deasphalting, and/or resid hydrocracking (like LC-fining or
H-oil). The top configuration would focus on a gasoline-driven market, whereas the
bottom sheet would apply more to a diesel-driven market.
A full-conversion refinery has the greatest flexibility possible in crude slate and
seeks to make the maximum amount of high-value products from the crude charge
with a minimum of by-product. The products can meet more severe specifications.
Some facilities incorporate power cogeneration for additional value. Because of
their flexibility, these facilities can operate profitably through low margin periods.
On the downside, these facilities cost significantly more than the other types of
refineries and add operating complexity. A problem in a downstream unit (which is
more likely because there are more downstream units) can back up to the crude unit
and greatly impair economics. There are still some by-products that are of low
value, such as petroleum coke, that must be managed.
Geographic Trends in Refinery Configurations
The refinery configuration chosen for a given facility depends on the crudes and
markets available for that facility. For example, in a region where crude, operating,
environmental, and transportation costs are high, it will make sense to build a
facility that maximizes the amount of product made from every barrel and minimizes the by-products and other wastes. A region where the corresponding costs are
lower allows some flexibility in product slate and reduced complexity.
As a region develops, the dominant refinery configurations move from topping
toward full conversion. North America, with a fairly mature industry, is dominated
by full-conversion facilities. The Middle East has less local market, so focus is on
refining for export. This leads the Middle East refineries to be dominated by
cracking, with less need for vacuum resid conversion. Where does the resid go
now? Some is actually cracked along with VGO. A lot ends up in fuel oils. The
international movement toward lower sulfur fuel oils for ships will eventually push
Petroleum Products and a Refinery Configuration
87