Spectroscopic FCC Feed Control for Real-Time Refinery Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for monitoring and controlling hydrotreater and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) processes suffer from delayed acquisition of useful information and inaccuracies, leading to suboptimal efficiency and product quality.
Innovation Solution
The use of spectroscopic analyzers to provide real-time, accurate information on hydrocarbon feedstock and process unit materials, enabling prescriptive control of the hydrotreating and FCC processes to achieve desired product properties.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional laboratory analysis methods are used to monitor hydrocarbon feeds and process materials, then comprehensive material characterization can be achieved, but the response time is excessively long (hours to weeks), preventing effective real-time process control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical/chemical laboratory analysis methods with spectroscopic analysis (NIR, MIR, Raman spectroscopy). This substitution enables rapid optical measurement of hydrocarbon feed and process material properties without the time-consuming physical and chemical testing required by traditional methods, achieving both real-time monitoring and accurate material characterization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates spectral copies (spectra) of the hydrocarbon feeds and process materials that contain all the necessary compositional information. These spectral copies can be rapidly acquired and analyzed computationally, providing real-time data without physically manipulating or chemically analyzing the actual materials, thus eliminating the long response times of conventional laboratory methods.
2Loss of time
If spectroscopic analyzers are used to provide real-time information, then process control responsiveness is improved, but measurement accuracy may be insufficient compared to conventional laboratory analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback system where spectroscopic measurements are continuously made on hydrocarbon feeds and process materials, the spectral data is analyzed to determine material properties, and this information is fed back to control the hydrotreating and FCC processes. This closed-loop feedback enables real-time adjustments while maintaining accuracy through continuous validation and calibration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary calibration and validation of the spectroscopic analyzers using conventional laboratory analysis methods before implementing real-time monitoring. This preliminary action establishes accurate measurement models and ensures the spectroscopic system is properly configured, so that when real-time monitoring begins, the measurements are both rapid and accurate.
3Productivity
If multiple spectroscopic analyzers are deployed to monitor various process streams, then comprehensive process monitoring capability is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs spectroscopic analyzers that can analyze multiple types of hydrocarbon materials (feeds, intermediates, products) across different process streams using the same fundamental measurement technology. This multi-functionality allows comprehensive process monitoring without requiring specialized equipment for each stream, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining broad monitoring capability.
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 allows for more efficient and responsive monitoring and control of hydrotreater and FCC processes, resulting in products with desired characteristics and improved economic efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
analyzing the hydrocarbon feedstock sample via a first spectroscopic analyzer to provide hydrocarbon feedstock sample spectra
Data Source
AI summary
Assemblies and methods to enhance hydrotreating and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) processes associated with a refining operation, during the processes, may include supplying a hydrocarbon feedstock to a cat feed hydrotreater (CFH) processing unit to produce CFH unit materials. The assemblies and methods also may include conditioning material samples, and analyzing the samples via one or more spectroscopic analyzers. The assemblies and methods further may include prescriptively controlling, via one or more FCC process controllers, based at least in part on the material properties, a FCC processing assembly, so that the prescriptively controlling results in causing the processes to produce CFH materials, intermediate materials, the unit materials, and/or the downstream materials having properties within selected ranges of target properties, thereby to cause the processes to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on one or more of the target properties.