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Exercise 1 Petroleum Refining

The document provides calculations to determine various characterization factors for different hydrocarbon compounds and petroleum fractions. It calculates the Watson K factor for n-pentane, n-hexane, 2,2,4 trimethylpentane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, benzene, and xylene, presenting the results in a table. It shows that the K factor decreases with increasing molecular weight and branching, while boiling point increases. It also calculates the UOP K factor for a petroleum fraction with specific properties. Crude oils with Watson factors less than 10 can be processed at complex refineries that can handle more difficult to separate fractions.

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YaqeenMalik
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200 views

Exercise 1 Petroleum Refining

The document provides calculations to determine various characterization factors for different hydrocarbon compounds and petroleum fractions. It calculates the Watson K factor for n-pentane, n-hexane, 2,2,4 trimethylpentane, cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, benzene, and xylene, presenting the results in a table. It shows that the K factor decreases with increasing molecular weight and branching, while boiling point increases. It also calculates the UOP K factor for a petroleum fraction with specific properties. Crude oils with Watson factors less than 10 can be processed at complex refineries that can handle more difficult to separate fractions.

Uploaded by

YaqeenMalik
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Exercise1

1) One thousand barrels of a 40API crude are blended with one thousand
barrels of a 20API crude. Estimate the API of the resulting blend. Clearly
state your assumptions and comment on your result. (Hint: Would API
blend linearly?) 15 pts
Definition of API

Assumption:
Mass combine linearly; so, the SG of the blend would be linearly combined

API
20
40

SG
0.933993
0.825073

Computing the average SG and recalculating the API yields

API

SG

29.3808

0.879533

2) Calculate Watson K factors for n-pentane, n-hexane, 2,2,4 trimethylpentane,


cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, benzene, and xylene to consider the effects of
hydrocarbon type and methyl substitution on the characterization factor. Present
your results in a table and comment on the trends you observe. (You need to
find the necessary data yourself to calculate the characterization
factor. Watch the units used in the characterization factor
correlation.) 50 pts
1

K w=

(T B )3
SpecificGravity

TB is the boiling point, and Kw is the Watson characterization factor.


Convert boiling point in R to F
Kw for n-pentane:
1

( 97 F + 460 ) 3 8.227
K w=
=
=13.06
0.63
0.63

The correlation index is calculated as follows:


87552
+473.7 ( SpecificGravity )457.8
TB
87552

+ 473.7 ( 0.63 )456.8=1.2


97+460
CI =

For n-hexane:
1
3

K w=

CI =

( 155.66 F +460 ) 8.507


=
=12.81
0.664
0.664

87552
+473.7 ( SpecificGravity )457.8
TB

87552
+ 473.7 ( 0.664 )456.8=0.1
155.66+ 460

For cyclohexane:
1
3

( 177.29 F+ 460 )
8.605
=
=10.98
0.7835
0.7835
87552
CI =
+473.7 ( SpecificGravity )457.8
TB
K w=

87552
+ 473.7 ( 0.7835 )456.8=51.68
177.29+ 460

For benzene:
1
3

K w=

( 176.18 F+ 460 )
9.723
=
=10.99
0.8845
0.8845

87552
+473.7 ( SpecificGravity )457.8
TB
87552

+ 473.7 ( 0.8845 )456.8=99.72


176.18+ 460
CI =

For 2,2,4 trimethylpentane:


1

( 210.63 F +460 ) 3 8.7530


K w=
=
=12.52
0.6993
0.6992
CI =

87552
+473.7 ( SpecificGravity )457.8
TB

87552
+ 473.7 ( 0.6992 )456.8=4.96
210.63+ 460

For methylcyclohexane:
1
3

K w=
CI =

( 213.68 F +460 ) 8.7663


=
=11.31
0.7748
0.7748

87552
+473.7 ( SpecificGravity )457.8
TB

87552
+ 473.7 ( 0.7748 ) 456.8=40.18
213.68+ 460

For xylene:
1

( 282.42 F+ 460 ) 3 9.0549


K w=
=
=10.41
0.8694
0.8694
CI =

87552
+473.7 ( SpecificGravity )457.8
TB

87552
+ 473.7 ( 0.8694 ) 456.8=72.96
282.42+ 460

3) Determine the UOP K factor for a petroleum fraction with the following
properties (25 pts):
API @60F: 23.5
ASTM Distillation Data:
Table 2.3
Vol%

T, F

10

652

30

751

50

835

70

935

90

1080

API =

141.5
131.5=23.5
Specific Gravity

SpecificGravity=0.9129
TB = 1080 F =1539.7 Rankine
1

(T B)3
11.5473 = 12.65
UOP K=
=
Specific Gravity 0.9129

4) In one sentence explain what kind of refineries can process crude oils with
Watson Characterization Factors that are less than 10, and why. (10 pts)
Crude oil is not very useful until it has been processed at an oil refinery. The process of
refining involves separating the hydrocarbons into fractions or batches using a
technique called "fractional distillation". Each fraction separates based on their

different boiling points. The crude oil is heated in a furnace approximately to 400C.
This allows all of the hydrocarbons in the crude oil to move into the bottom of the
fractionating tower while the bottom of the tower is the hottest part.

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