Recovered oil dewatering process and apparatus with water vaporizing in blowdown drum

• US 5,223,152 A
• Filed: 10/08/1991
• Issued: 06/29/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company Incorporated (BP PLC), Halston Borghese International Limited
• Original Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company Incorporated (BP PLC)
• Inventors: Love, J. Paul, Brosman, Alfred G., Holloway, Richard L., Torres, Daniel L., Freymeyer, Douglas A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Drodge, Joseph W.
• Application Number:
  US07/774,045
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 196/105, 196/46, 196/104, 196/135, 208/131, 208/184, 208/187, 208/308, 208/340, 210/175, 210/194, 210/182, 210/774, 210/805, 210/806, 210/137, 210/180, 210/195.1, 210/197, 210/259, 210/770, 210/188, 55/55, 55/189
• US Class Current: 210/774
• CPC Class Codes: C10G 33/00 Dewatering or demulsification of hydrocarbon oils by distillation C10G7/04

Abstract

A process and apparatus for dewatering a recovered oil stream prior to the recovered oil stream being fed to a fractionator for reprocessing into product s rea s uses a blowdown drum controlled like a drstillatron tower so that the bottoms temperature of the blowdown drum is maintained at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the blowdown drum by a reboiler. For refineries that contain a delayed coker unit and a coker fractionator which is used for fractionating light products from residual oil serving as coker feedstock, which coker fractionator is also used to fractionate recovered oil containing water and hydrocarbons, a coker blowdown drum is controlled to maintain an appropriate bottoms temperature to achieve separation in the blowdown drum of water from the hydrocarbons in the recovered oil stream, and the blowdown drum is thus used for dewatering the recovered oil before it is fed to the coker fractionator.

Claims

1. In a refinery that contains a delayed coker unit, a process for dewatering and recovering valuable products form a refinery recovered oil stream containing water generated from sources outside the delayed coker unit, comprising the steps of:

introducing the recovered oil stream into a blowdown drum also used for receiving overhead vapor and liquids from a coke drum of the delayed coke unit while it is off line in a coking cycle and having an internal bottom portion;

maintaining the temperature of the bottom portion of the blowdown drum at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the blowdown drum so that water is vaporized;

removing the vaporized water from the blowdown drum; and

feeding a stream exiting the bottom portion of the blowdown drum to a fractionator, which is also used for fractionating feedstock to the delayed coker unit, for separation into product streams.

2. The process of claim 1 also comprising the step of heating the recovered oil stream to a temeprature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the recovered oil stream before introducing the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum.

3. The process of claim 2 wherein the recovered oil stream is heated indirectly in a reboiler for the blowdown drum.

4. The process of claim 1 wherein the blowdown drum has internal trays and the recovered oil stream is introduced into the blowdown drum below the trays.

5. The process of claim 1 wherein the blowdown drum has an internal top portion from which a stream containing the water removed from the recovered oil can exit the blowdown drum and also comprising the step of maintaining the temperature of the stream exiting the top portion of the blowdown drum at a temperature of about 275°

F.

6. The process of claim 1 wherein the blowdown drum has an internal top portion from which a stream containing the water removed from the recovered oil can exit the blowdown drum and also comprising the steps of:

diverting part of the stream from the bottom portion of the blowdown drum into a separate stream;

cooling the separate stream; and

refluxing the cooled separate stream to the top portion of the blowdown drum to minimize the amount of recovered oil carried over in the stream exiting the top portion of the blowdown drum.

7. The process of claim 1 wherein the blowdown drum has an internal top portion from which a stream contain the water removed from the recovered oil can exit the blowdown drum and also comprising the steps of:

condensing a stream containing the removed water exiting the top portion of the blowdown drum;

separating recovered oil carried over from the blowdown drum from the remainder of the condensed stream; and

recirculating the separated recovered oil back to the blowdown drum.

8. A process for dewatering and recovering valuable products from a refingery recovered oil stream containing water, comprising the steps of:

heating the recovered oil stream to at emperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the recovered oil stream before introducing the recovered oil stream into a blowdown drum;

flashing the heated recovered oil stream across a control valve to vaporize at least some of the water in the recovered oil stream before the recovered oil stream is introduced into a blowdown drum;

introducing the recovered oil stream into a blowdown drum having an internal bottom portion;

maintaining the temperature of the bottom portion of the blowdown drum at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the drum; and

feeding a stream exiting the bottom portion of the blowdown drum to a fractionator for separation into product streams.

9. A process for dewatering and recovering valuable products from a refinery recovered oil stream containing water, comprising the steps of:

heating the recovered oil stream to a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the recovered oil stream before introducing the recovered oil stream into a blowdown drum, the heating of the recovered oil stream occurring indirectly in a reboiler for the blowdown drum;

providing a control valve downstream of the reboiler adapted to maintain a back pressure on the reboiler sufficient to substantially suppress vaporization of the water in the recovered oil stream at the reboiler and to vaporize at least some of the water in the recovered oil stream before the recovered oil stream is introduced into a blowdown drum;

introducing the recovered oil stream into a blowdown drum having an internal bottom portion;

maintaining the temperature of the bottom portion of the blowdown drum at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the drum; and

feeding a stream exiting the bottom portion of the blowdown drum to a fractionator for separation into product streams.

10. In a refinery that contains a delayed coker unit, apparatus adapted for dewatering and recovering valuable products from a refinery recovered oil stream containing water generated from sources outside the delayed coker unit, comprising:

a blowdown drum adapted to also be used for receiving overhead vapor and liquids from a coke drum of the delayed coke unit while it is off line in a coking cycle and having an internal bottom portion;

means for conducting the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum;

means for maintaining the temperature of the bottom portion of the blowdown drum at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the blowdown drum so that water is vaporized;

means for removing the vaporized water from the blowdown drum;

a fractionator coupled to means for feeding fractionated feedstock to the delayed coker unit; and

means for conducting a stream exiting the bottom portion of the blowdown drum to the fractionator for separation into product streams.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 also comprising means for heating the recovered oil stream to a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the recovered oil stream in the means for conducting the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the means for heating is a reboiler adapted for heating by indirect heat exchange.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the blowdown drum has internal trays and the means for conducting the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum enters the blowdown drum below the trays.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the blowdown drum has an internal top portion and also comprising means for conducting a stream containing the water removed from the recovered oil from the top portion of the blowdown drum and means for maintaining the temperature of the stream exiting the top portion of the blowdown drum at a temperature of about 275°

F.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the blowdown drum has an internal top portion and also comprising:

means for conducting a stream containing the water removed form the recovered oil from thet op portion of the blowdown drum;

means for diverting part of the stream from the bottom portion of the blowdown drum into a separate stream;

means for cooling the separate stream; and

means for refluxing the cooled separate stream to the top portion of the blowdown drum to minimize the amount of recovered oil carried over in the stream exiting the top portion of the blowdown drum.

16. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the blowdown drum has an internal top portion and also comprising:

means for conducting a stream containing the water removed from the recovered oil from the top portion of the blowdown drum;

means for condensing the stream exiting the top portion of the blowdown drum;

means for separating recovered oil carried over from the blowdown drum from the remainder of the condensed stream; and

means for recirculating the separated recovered oil back to the blowdown drum.

17. Apparatus adapted for dewatering and recovering valuable products from a refingery recovered oil stream containing water, comprising:

a blowdown drum having an internal bottom portion;

means for conducting the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum;

means for heating the recovered oil stream to a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the recovered oil stream in the means for conducting the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum;

a control valve, adapted to vaporize at least some of the water in the recovered oil stream, in the means for conducting the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum downstream of the means for heating in that means for conducting;

means for maintaining the temperature of the bottom portion of the blowdown drum at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the drum;

a fractionator; and

means for conducting a stream exiting the bototm portion of the blowdown drum to the fractionator for separation into product streams.

18. Apparatus adapted for dewatering and recovering valuable products from a refinery recovered oil stream containing water comprising:

a blowdown drum having an internal bottom portion;

means for conducting the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum;

means for heating the recovered oil stream to a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the recovered oil stream in the means for conducting the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum, wherein the means for heating is a reboiler adapted for heating by indirect heat exchange;

a control valve, downstream of the reboiler in the means for conducting the recovered oil stream into the blowdown drum, adapted to maintain a back pressure on the reboiler sufficient to substantially suppress vaporization of the water in the recovered oil stream at the reboiler and to vaporize at least some of the water in the recovered oil stream before the recovered oil stream is introduced into the blowdown drum;

means for maintaining the temperature of the bottom portion of the blowdown drum at a temperature above the dewpoint temperature of the water in the drum;

a fractionator; and

means for conducting a stream exiting the bottom portion of the blowdown drum to the fractionator for separation into product streams.