Energy Saving Opportunities in Heat-integrated Crude Oil Distillation Systems

摘要

The crude oil distillation system in an oil refinery includes the atmospheric and vacuum distillation columns and the associated heat exchanger network. The distillation columns have significantly complex configurations and there are strong interactions between the distillation columns and the heat exchanger network. Changes to the distillation columns or the heat exchanger network can significantly influence the overall performance of the system. Therefore, it is important to analyse the distillation columns and the heat exchanger network simultaneously to explore opportunities for savings and profit enhancement