DESIGN AND SIMULATION OF PREREFORMER UNIT IN REFINERY

Abstract

The presence of contaminants in naphtha, including sulfur, oxygen, nitrogen, and organometallic compounds, poses a substantial obstacle to the refining process of crude oil into useful products. The effectiveness and durability of the reformer's catalyst, which is essential and expensive, are threatened by these contaminants. This project's goal was to model and create a pre-reformer unit that would produce "sweet" naphtha devoid of these harmful contaminants. The study began with a thorough analysis of the literature to understand the issues and current approaches in naphtha purification. After providing a brief overview of the project, we meticulously calculated the energy and mass balances of every piece of equipment. A comprehensive evaluation of the energy and material balance was then carried out to guarantee the process's feasibility. A thorough simulation was run using the potent simulation tool HYSYS, which made it possible to assess several operational factors and setups. In order to ensure the safety and dependability of the suggested design, a Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) study was also carried out on the primary equipment to detect and minimize any risks. In addition, a thorough cost analysis was carried out for every part of the pre-reformer unit, offering information on investment considerations and economic viability. The project's design of a pre-reformer unit using Co-Mo catalyst, which showed encouraging results and supported its possible integration into refinery operations, was its climate. The study's conclusions not only provide a sustainable way to produce sweet naphtha, but they also improve refinery operations by making the best use of available resources and reducing their negative effects on the environment.