Sensibility analysis of propane deasphalting process variables

摘要

The deasphalting process with liquid propane is a process aimed at the use of oil waste, which is still present in the composition light fractions of hydrocarbons. The study makes use of the chemical process simulator Aspen Plus, through which the authors studied the influence of certain process variables. Through simulation the authors obtained two output streams, the top stream (deasphalted oil) and the background stream (asphaltic residue). The sensitivity analysis allows the verification of the influence of variables such as temperature, pressure, and mass flow rate of solvent in the process. The results show that temperature has an influence on the quality of the top product, with the increase of temperature the stream API degree increases, indicating the presence of mostly lightweight components. The oil-solvent ratio was shown to be an important variable in the process, because depending on this ratio the yield and the API degree of the top stream changes. However, it is important to note that the influence of these variables will depend on the physical characteristics of the waste fed.