III.

Base oil manufacturing: hydroprocessing

Amy Claxton, CEO

My Energy Consulting and Training
Agenda

1. Hydroprocessing terminology & overview

2. Base oil hydroprocessing – newer technology that

the base oil industry world

3. Example: 95 VI base oil from Arab Light crude

17 February 2020 Base Oil Hydroprocessing 2

Solvent processing was a molecule “separation” process

Aromatics

and very long paraffins Removed unwanted molecules

(wax) via solvent separation

Paraffins

Naphthenes
Remaining base oil
molecules to tankage

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Hydroprocessing is a molecule “conversion” process

• .... selective molecule smashing (conversion)

rather than molecule sorting

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Conversion permanently changes and rearranges molecules

Aromatics Remove undesirable

molecules via destruction to
lighter molecules, rearranging

and very long paraffins

(wax)

Paraffins

Naphthenes Remaining base oil

molecules to tankage

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What molecules are we trying to convert? Same as before.

• Aromatics – unstable – oxidize more easily; saturate to form

naphthenes, ring opening to form paraffins

• Paraffins – good stability under heat and pressure; isoparaffins have

the highest VI and stability

• Naphthenes – fairly good stability, excellent solubility; saturated cyclo

(ring) compounds created via aromatic saturation

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Hydroprocessing means the use of hydrogen and catalysts

• Catalyst is selected to perform specific molecular actions

• Ring opening, saturation, cleaving (cracking), branching

Pressure defines hydroprocessing severity

500# 1500# 3000#

Mild Moderate Severe

Hydrotreating
Mild hydrocracking Hydrocracking
Hydrofinishing
Hydroconversion Hydroisomerization

More hydrogen and pressure required for worse quality feeds

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Agenda

1. Hydroprocessing terminology & overview

2. Base oil hydroprocessing – newer technology that

the base oil industry world

3. Example: 95 VI base oil from Arab Light crude

17 February 2020 Base Oil Hydroprocessing 8

1950s: early lab hydrocracking to remove aromatics and wax

Concept: replace solvent separation with hydrocracking to remove aromatics and wax

Aromatics
Wax
CRACKING
Light CRACKING
Destroys base oil
Mid
Reduced Destroys wax
crude oil Heavy aromatics to
to improve
improve VI &
pour point
saturates

- Early catalyst technology: too much cracking

- Remaining oil was only slightly higher VI and
very low yield

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1960s – 1970s base oil hydrocracking developments

95 VI but poor base oil yields and low value fuel by-products due to over-cracking

VGO / lube fraction Low value fuel products

95 VI base oil – still low yield

• Commercialized at Idemitsu Kosan (Chiba) and Sun Oil (Puerto Rico)

using Gulf Oil Technology (acquired by Chevron in 1985)

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1980s: Improved lube hydrocracking catalysts, more selectivity

Higher base oil yields, higher value fuel by-products

higher value fuel

VGO / lube fraction byproducts

95 VI base oil

• Economically viable for many crude slates

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Today’s lube hydrocracking replaces solvent extraction

• Feed molecules reshaped, cracked, rings saturated with hydrogen (aromatics saturation)

gas & fuel products

Hydrocracking
Light

Multi stage
Crude Oil Mid 95 VI+, high pour
Distillation
Vacuum

Heavy lube hydrocrackate

hydrogen

• Waxy, long chain normal paraffins mostly unaffected (dewaxing step still needed)

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Early catalytic dewaxing (wax hydrocracking) replaced solvent dewaxing

First Generation: Catalytic dewaxing (CDW): hydrocracked the long wax chains
gas
fuel products
gas

Catalytic dewaxing ( wax

hydrocracking)
95 VI, low pour
Hydrocracking lube hydrocrackate
Distillation
Vacuum

hydrogen

• Long chain normal paraffins (wax) broken into smaller molecules (fuels boiling range)
• Improves pour point by cracking wax out of the lube boiling range; low lube yields

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1984: A great year for Chevron

Commercialization of multi-stage lube and wax hydrocracking, Richmond CA USA

Isolate lube
molecules Improve
saturates & Improve
Light viscosity index pour point
Crude Oil Mid 95 VI base
Distillation

Lube Catalytic oils

Heavy Hydrocracking Dewaxing (Wax
Hydro-
cracking)
hydrogen

Useful on crudes that are less paraffinic (ANS) - but yield is proportional to crude paraffin content

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Today’s hydrodewaxing to replace solvent dewaxing

Current Generation: Hydro-dewaxing (HDW): hydro-isomerizes wax

gas &
fuel products
gas

(hydroisomerization)
Hydrodewaxing
95 VI+, low pour
Hydrocracking lube base oil
Distillation
Vacuum

hydrogen

• Hydroisomerization catalyst rearranges (isomerizes) linear paraffins to branched iso-paraffins

• Iso-paraffins have lower pour and higher VI than straight chain paraffins

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1994: Another great year for Chevron

Commercialization of multi-stage lube hydrocracking and wax hydrodewaxing (HDW)

using wax isomerization, Richmond CA USA

Isolate lube
molecules Improve
saturates & Improve
Light viscosity index pour point
Crude Oil Mid 95 VI base
Distillation

Lube Catalytic oils

Heavy Hydrocracking Dewaxing
(Wax Hydro-
isomerization)
hydrogen

Chevron’s proprietary hydrodewaxing process is called ISODEWAXING (“IDW”)

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Put it together: HCU + HDW

• Lube hydrocracking + hydrodewaxing: higher lube base oil yields & quality

Lube Hydrocracking Unit Lube Hydrodewaxing Unit

Recycle H2 Recycle H2
Makeup H2 Makeup H2

Vacuum
Gas Oil To Fuels To Fuels
Hydrocracker

Hydrotreater
Isomerization
Dewaxer
Lube
Reactor

Wide cut
Guard

base oil
Intermediate
Tankage
Vacuum Vacuum
stripping or Stripper
distillation

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Lube hydroprocessing – one more step needed

• Products from hydrocracking and hydrodewaxing must be re-fractionated on the back end

1) Hydrocracking 2) Hydrodewaxing 3) Re-fractionation

and blending
Recycle H2 Recycle H2
Makeup H2 Makeup H2

Vacuum Light
Gas Oil To Fuels
Mid

Distillation
Hydrocracker

95 VI base

Hydrotreater
Isomerization
Wide cut

Dewaxer
base oil oils
Lube

Heavy
Reactor
Guard

Vacuum
Stripper

Final distillation step required to correct viscosities – set to mimic solvent neutral viscosities
(100N, 150N, 500N) used for decades by blenders

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Put the four refinery processing steps together

1. Crude is fractionated via atmos and vacuum distillation into light and heavy VGO streams or “fractions”
2. Hydrocracking removes unwanted aromatics
3. Hydrodewaxing removes unwanted wax
4. Re-fractionation and blending to adjust viscosity

Hydro
Hydro cracking Re-fractionation
Light dewaxing base
Reduced improves VI & and blending
crude oil improves pour oil
Heavy saturates point Adjust viscosity

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Base oil properties – where controlled

Property Process where controlled Light

Distillation
Mid
Viscosity Crude distillation and back-end re-distillation after Heavy
hydrocracking / hydrodewaxing

VI Hydrocracking
+ VI increases as aromatics are removed

Saturates Hydrocracking
+ Sats increase as aromatics are removed Aromatics

Pour Point Hydrodewaxing

+ Pour point decreases as wax is removed Wax

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Differences in hydroprocessed vs. solvent processed base oils

Hydroprocessed
• Water white; color highly valued in
some applications
• Very low aromatics; better oxidative
stability under heat and pressure 100N 220N 500N

• No sulfur; sulfur must be re-added

as an anti-oxidant in engine oil
formulations
• Excellent soot handling in heavy Solvent processed
duty engine oil applications
• Improved finished lubricant
formulation flexibility
• Less soluble – a negative for some S100N S600N S150N

applications

Photos courtesy of Dr. H.E. Henderson, KEPC Consulting

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Where did the Bright Stock go?

• Hint: selective molecule smashing (conversion) isn’t always 100% “selective”

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Where did the Bright Stock go?

Viscosity reduction occurs across hydrocracking – by definition, intentionally

Feed : Hydrocracker Fuels from

higher viscosity hydrocracker:
lower viscosity

Hydrocracking
Multi stage
Lubes from
hydrocracker :
lower viscosity

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Where did the Bright Stock go?

High viscosity, big molecules are converted (“cracked”) out of the lube boiling range
into lighter viscosity, smaller molecules in the fuels boiling range

Final lube products from about 70N to ~ 500N viscosity

No heavier viscosity … no Bright Stock

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Where did the wax (long chain linear paraffin go?

Hint: we did it on purpose

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Where did the wax (linear paraffin) go?

Long chain paraffins (wax) are solid at room temperature; must be removed to improve pour point

Feed to dewaxer: Base oil from

Hydrodewaxing
has long chain linear hydrodewaxing:
paraffins, aka “wax” No long chain linear
paraffins

• Branched (iso) paraffins are liquid at room temp; short chain paraffins are fuels boiling range
• Either way, no more paraffin wax available from base oil hydroprocessing

17 February 2020 Base Oil Hydroprocessing 26

Agenda

1. Hydroprocessing terminology & overview

2. Base oil hydroprocessing – newer technology that

the base oil industry world

3. Example: 95 VI base oil from Arab Light crude

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Let’s make hydroprocessed base oils
VGO streams are often processed in lube hydrocrackers based on “light” versus “heavy”
VGO blocks using intermediate storage tanks

Hydrocracking Hydrodewaxing Re-distillation &

blending
Vacuum Distillation

Reduced Light
Crude Mid Wide cut
Light
base oil

Distillation
Heavy Mid

Heavy

Light and
Heavy VGO
blocks
Finished
tankage

Light and Heavy VGO tankage

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Example: let’s make hydroprocessed base oils

How much base oil from refinery running 100 kBD Arab light crude?

• Arab Light crude has ~ 32% VGO, of which about half is VGO boiling range for base oils

32 kBD Light
Reduced Light

Distillation
Distillation

Crude Oil Lube Mid

Hydro- Base Oils
Hydrocracking Heavy
Heavy Dewaxing

• Arab Light has a 75% - 76% yield across catalytic hydrocracking,

and 85 – 86% yield across catalytic dewaxing
• Assume minimal losses from final distillation and blending

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Example: let’s make hydroprocessed base oils

• ~ 10.4% base oil yield on Arab Light crude via hydroprocessing

33 kBD Light
Reduced Light

Distillation
Mid 10,440 b/d
Distillation

Crude Oil Lube 95 VI base

Hydro- Heavy oil
Heavy Hydrocracking
Dewaxing

Crude Reduced HCU HCU HDW kBD

Crude feed, b/d crude, b/d feed, b/d Yield Yield base oil
Arab Light 100,000 32,000 16,000 75% 87% 10,440

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Compare solvent vs hydroprocessing base oil yields

• ~ 9.8 base oil yield on Arab light via solvent processing

Crude Reduced Extraction Extraction Dewaxing kBD
Crude feed, b/d crude, b/d feed, b/d Yield Yield base oil
Arab Light 100,000 32,000 16,000 74% 83% 9,830

• ~ 10.4% base oil yield on Arab Light via hydroprocessing

Crude Reduced HCU HCU HDW kBD

Crude feed, b/d crude, b/d feed, b/d Yield Yield base oil
Arab Light 100,000 32,000 16,000 75% 87% 10,440

10,440 b/d – 9,830 b/d = 610 b/d more base oil via hydroprocessing

610 b/d x 365 days/yr x ~ $25/B margin over VGO = ~ $5M / year base oil profit

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Objectives / agenda: separation versus conversion processes

• SEPARATION: physical separation of crude molecules into

different streams via heating, fractionating, cooling, dissolving

Versus

• CONVERSION: chemical modification of crude molecules using

catalysts to change the molecules
• Undesirable molecules are physically modified using catalyst
and hydrogen
• Molecular “re-arranging” versus molecular ”sorting”

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Objectives / Agenda

• Lube hydroprocessing: the technology that changed the base oil industry

I replaced solvent And I replaced

extraction with solvent dewaxing
hydrocracking with hydrodewaxing

Improve saturates and Improve pour point and Re-establish viscosity grades
viscosity index viscosity index
1) Lube hydrocracking 2) Hydrodewaxing 3) Re-distillation
base oil to
(HCU) (HDW) and blending tankage

hydrogen

17 February 2020 Base Oil Hydroprocessing 33

Hydroprocessing is a “conversion” process .... selective smashing!

Aromatics Removal via destruction,

rearranging

and very long Remove

paraffins (wax) unwanted molecules

Paraffins

Naphthenes
Remaining
base oil
molecules

17 February 2020 Base Oil Hydroprocessing 34

Today’s lube hydroprocessing

• More synergistic with fuels refining processes

• Higher yield at equivalent VI and same feedstock

Hydro Re-
Hydrocracking dewaxing fractionation
Reduced Light 95 VI
crude oil improves VI & improves pour and blending base
Heavy
saturates point
reset viscosity oil

No more heavy viscosity base oil (i.e. Bright Stock), no more paraffin wax

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 Thank you

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