Hydrotreatment Feed Preheating via Intermediary Heat Exchange Medium
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hydrotreatment processes face challenges with the presence of halides and nitrogen in hydrocarbon streams, leading to salt precipitation and corrosion issues due to exothermal reactions and temperature fluctuations in heat exchangers, which can result in process line blockages and energy inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A process utilizing a heat exchange medium with a temperature above the solidification temperature of the effluent, mediated by a physically separated fluid, to preheat the hydrocarbon feed and maintain temperatures above precipitation points, combined with a catalytically active material for converting organically bound halides and nitrogen into inorganic halides and ammonia, preventing solidification and optimizing energy use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If heat exchange is performed between feed and effluent to optimize energy consumption, then energy efficiency is improved, but salt precipitation occurs in cold zones of the heat exchanger
Solution Approach 1:
A hot stream heat exchange medium is introduced as an intermediary between the effluent and feed. The effluent heats the heat exchange medium, which then preheats the feed. This intermediary approach allows heat transfer while maintaining the feed temperature above the salt precipitation threshold, avoiding blockages while preserving energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature parameter of the feed is controlled by using a heat exchange medium maintained at a temperature sufficiently high to keep the feed above the salt precipitation temperature. This parameter control prevents salt formation while enabling effective heat recovery from the effluent.
2Reliability
If feed temperature is increased to prevent salt precipitation, then reliability is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feed is preheated before entering the reactor using thermal energy recovered from the effluent stream. This preliminary heating action reduces the additional energy required to maintain the reactor temperature and prevents salt precipitation in the feed line, achieving both reliability and energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal energy in the effluent, which would otherwise be wasted, is recovered and used to preheat the feed. This converts a potential waste stream into a useful heat source, reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining temperatures that prevent salt precipitation.
3Productivity
If ammonia and halides are present in the effluent, then hydrotreatment effectiveness is improved, but salt precipitation occurs below precipitation temperature
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchange medium serves as a thermal intermediary that allows the effluent to transfer its heat to the feed without the feed temperature dropping below the salt precipitation point. This prevents ammonium halide precipitation while maintaining the hydrotreatment process effectiveness for halide removal.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach ensures robust hydrotreatment operations by avoiding solidification in process lines, maintaining energy efficiency, and effectively removing halides, thereby preventing corrosion and blockages while producing a halide-free intermediate product suitable for further processing.
Implementation Method 1
said feed is preheated by heat exchange, utilizing thermal energy from said effluent
Implementation Method 2
heat exchange being mediated by a fluid heat exchange medium being physically separated from said feed and said effluent
Implementation Method 3
by hydrotreatment, in the presence of a material catalytically active in hydrotreatment and an amount of hydrogen
Implementation Method 4
converting organically bound halides and organically bound nitrogen into inorganic halides and ammonia
Implementation Method 5
wherein said conversion is exothermal
Data Source
AI summary
A process plant and process for conversion of a hydrocarbonaceous feed, having a feed temperature, to a hydrocarbonaceous effluent, having an effluent temperature, by hydrotreatment, in the presence of a material catalytically active in hydrotreatment and an amount of hydrogen, wherein the conversion is exothermal and wherein an amount of the effluent will solidify at a solidification temperature above the feed temperature and below the effluent temperature, and wherein the feed is preheated by heat exchange, utilizing thermal energy from said effluent, wherein the heat exchange is mediated by a fluid heat exchange medium being physically separated from the feed and the effluent and having a temperature above the solidification temperature, with the associated benefit of such a process being highly energy effective, while avoiding solidification in the process lines, especially when hydrotreating feedstocks including halides.