wide cut - main fractionators

 

Details of four wide cut fractionation APC training sessions follow:

1. CDU operation and economics (100 minutes):

• Overview
• Boiling curves; TBP, EFV, ASTM
• Product destination, specifications and unit economics.
• Equipment configuration: sidestreams, pumparounds, condenser, compressor, total draw and part draw trays, etc.
• Internal reflux profile.
• Key control handles: Top temperature, sidestreams, pumparounds and stripping steam.
• Major disturbances: feedstock switch, throughput changes, others.
• APC requirements.

2. CDU inference methodology (100 minutes):

• Empirical inference methods.
• The GCC first principles model for predicting product properties
  • Product cutpoints, flashpoints.
  • Cold properties: Pour, cloud, CFPP and freeze.
• Predicting internal reflux profile.
  • Internal reflux at key trays.
  • Overflash – the single most important operating variable.
• Flooding detection methods.
• Handling steady state inference models with dynamic inputs.
• The role of on-stream analyzers.

3. Crude unit APC (100 minutes):

• Crude switches and other major disturbances.
• Typical constraints: Furnace capacity, column flooding, weeping or tray dry-outs, condenser capacity, desalter temperature, others.
• APC structure: CV’s, DV’s and MV’s.
• Product properties, internal reflux and overflash control during crude switches.
• First level throughput maximization – constraint control.
• Second level throughput maximization – yield trade-off, quality giveaway.
• Simplified optimization.

4. Other main fractionators (50 minutes per fractionator):

Only two of the following fractionators would be covered:

• Configuration, economics and inferential modeling of vacuum columns.
• Configuration, economics and inferential modeling of high gas producing columns: FCC, coker or visbreaker fractionators.
• Configuration economics and inferential modeling of hydrocracker fractionators.