Energy savings in preheat trains
with preflash
An eastern European refinery combined pinch technology and process
simulation to achieve the most cost effective energy savings
Chris Bealing, Juan Gomez-Prado and Jim Sheldon KBC Process Technology
I
ncreasing global competition and more strin-
gent regulation on greenhouse gas emissions
have pushed refineries to look for available
methods to reduce their carbon footprint and
energy bill in a cost effective manner. In this
regard, crude distillation units (CDU) are
particularly important as this type of unit typi-
cally accounts for approximately 25% of an
existing refinery’s total energy consumption.
This shows the need to improve the economic
efficiency of the operation, which is key for over-
all site energy efficiency.
Pinch technology is one of the ways to improve
economic efficiency and reduce carbon footprint.
‘Energy pinch’ is a well established, rigorous,
structured, thermodynamic approach for identi-
fying energy efficiency opportunities that can be
used to tackle a wide range of such process and
utility related problems as, for example, reduc-
ing operating costs, debottlenecking processes,
and improving energy efficiency. However, tradi-
tional pinch techniques alone do not allow the
rigorous assessment of the impact on the overall
heat and material balance of modifying the inlet
conditions of existing preflash drums/towers.
Therefore, unless inlet conditions to the preflash
remain unchanged, a combination of traditional
pinch techniques and process simulators should
be used when evaluating energy savings projects
on CDU preheat trains with preflash. For these
tasks, KBC uses its in-house software
SuperTarget for determining energy saving ideas
and Petro-SIM (KBC’s process simulator) for
evaluating the effect of any changes to product
yields, as well as confirming possible fuel
savings.
www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001275
This article gives a brief introduction to energy
pinch and illustrates how combining pinch with
process know-how helps to overcome the chal-
lenge of achieving energy savings on CDUs with
preflash.
CDUs separate and recover the relatively
lighter fractions from fresh crude oil charge,
while the vacuum distillation unit processes the
crude distillation bottoms to produce an
increased yield of liquid distillates and heavy
residual material. The function of a preflash
device (either drum or tower) is simply to
remove light components of the crude before
entering the CDU furnace. While the vapour
stream is then sent either to the furnace outlet,
to a desired location in the crude column, or to
downstream columns (such as debutanisers) for
further separation after being mixed with naph-
tha from the CDU, flashed crude, in its turn, is
either sent directly to the CDU furnace or to a
preheat train for further heating before being
sent to the furnace.
Crude units account for approximately 25% of
a refinery’s total liquid fuel consumption. Their
operation is, therefore, key in terms of a refin-
ery’s overall energy efficiency. Over the last few
years, high fuel prices in addition to an ever
more carbon-conscious operation have driven
refiners to look for ways to improve the energy
efficiency of their units, in particular of CDU
preheat trains, as one of the few available
avenues for effective cost reduction.
What is pinch technology?
Pinch technology is a systematic approach that
analyses all process heating and cooling
PTQ Q2 2016 1
 first divided into sources and
400 sinks, corresponding to hot and
DT = 30ºC
Atm resid to VDU
Qh = 89.0
Vac resid
cold streams. The hot and cold
Qc = 64.6
Flashed crude
streams are then plotted in
300
Temperature, ºC

VDU MPA terms of quality (temperature)

CDU BPA against quantity (heat duty).
HVGO Desalted crude The resulting curves enclose a
200 LGO representation of the amount of
CDU TPA
heat in the process and the
Desalted crude
100
CDU ovhds temperature range over which it
Preflash ovhds is available.
Raw crude
Hot composite
Cold composite
By combining these curves on
0 one diagram, the minimum
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 amount of hot and cold utility
Enthalpy, Gcal/h requirements (or targets) can be
determined. Process heat recov-
Figure 1 Composite curves ery is possible where the hot and
cold composite curves overlap.
demands in terms of quantity (duty) and quality The remainder of the heat balance must be made
(temperature). The study of these factors ensures up by external hot and cold utilities. Comparing
that all opportunities to recover waste heat this target with the actual utility consumption
within a process are identified and maximised, quantifies the scope for savings achievable. The
reducing the demand for hot and cold utilities. ‘pinch’ that gives its name to the technology is the
The fundamental principle behind this technol- point of the closest approach between the two
ogy is the ability to match individual demands composite curves in the plot.
for a commodity (in this case heat) with a suita- As mentioned previously, in the case of preheat
ble supply. One of the principal tools used in trains with preflash devices, traditional pinch
pinch analysis is composite curves (see Figure 1). techniques alone do not account for changes to
The basic principle of their generation is as the heat and material balance that result from
follows: the process streams to be analysed are modifying the crude inlet conditions to the

VDU TPA/Vac Diesel LVGO

303.2t/h 33.2t/h
173.4ºC 243.2ºC

Desalter water Cold feed to K1

338.4t/h 114.2ºC 127.3ºC 40.0t/h 117.6ºC
Crude
20.3ºC T1-1/2 T3 80.0ºC
787.0t/h 16.6Gcal/h 2.4Gcal/h
12.3kg/cm2 To T9-1
80.0ºC 120.0ºC 121.0ºC
182.4ºC
to T37 to T38
To T30 205.0ºC
117.4ºC
448.6t/h 50.0ºC 85.9ºC 88.0ºC 116.2ºC 117.6ºC
T2-1 T4-1 T2-2 T4-2
6.0Gcal/h 8.1Gcal/h 0.3Gcal/h 6.7Gcal/h
CDU TPA CDU MPA
180.9t/h 158.0ºC 281.8t/h
to T32 184.8ºC
173.1ºC 241.5ºC
VDU MPA draw
393.3t/h CDU BPA
289.9ºC 64.9t/h
X-2 X-1 299.3ºC
16.2Gcal/h 9.0Gcal/h
Cold feed 235.0ºC 145.6ºC 348.0t/h
117.6ºC T10-1/2 T5-1/2
20.7Gcal/h 5.7Gcal/h
To T46
208.0ºC 229.1ºC 162.9ºC
K10 MPA return/draw to T39 to T31
K-1
Preflash column 237.7ºC 240.0ºC 10.9t/h
T54
11.4t/h 0.9Gcal/h
184.6ºC 342.6ºC To T42
Stop Wax 202.7ºC
360.0ºC 345.0ºC
240.5ºC 130.0ºC 324.7t/h
T7-1/2/3 T6
295.4ºC 23.6Gcal/h 2.3Gcal/h

N1-2/3 N1-1 207.8t/h 29.2t/h

AR to VDU furnace
62.6Gcal/h 18.3Gcal/h 363.2ºC 323.8ºC
VacRes HGO

732.6t/h
263.3ºC

Figure 2 Preheat train configuration

2 PTQ Q2 2016 www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001275

 117.6ºC
Desalted crude
To T2-2

VDU MPA draw

393.3t/h CDU BPA
289.9ºC 64.8t/h
X-1 299.3ºC
6.2Gcal/h
Cold feed 235.0ºC 145.6ºC 348.0t/h
117.3ºC T10-1/2 T5-1/2
20.7Gcal/h 6.7Gcal/h
To T46
208.0ºC 229.1ºC 208.0ºC
K10 MPA return/draw to T39 to T31
K-1
Preflash column 222.1ºC 240.0ºC 10.9t/h
T54
156.0ºC 11.4t/h 0.5Gcal/h 155.0ºC
342.6ºC
To T42 Stop Wax
360.0ºC Vac Res 345.0ºC 253.2ºC
To K-2
207.6t/h 130.0ºC 240.5ºC 344.2t/h
363.2ºC
T6 T7-1/2/3
276.2ºC 1.4Gcal/h 16.9Gcal/h
Relocated exchanger
N1-2/3 N1-1 23.2t/h
56.8Gcal/h 19.8Gcal/h 323.8ºC
HGO

New heat exchanger 736.2t/h

NEW 255.5ºC
Relocated heat exchanger New exchanger 10.0Gcal/h 296.0ºC
(area 760m2)

Figure 3 Heat recovery from vacuum residue

preflash device. Therefore, unless inlet conditions While performing the energy evaluation of the
to the preflash remain as for the base case, a existing design, it was noticed that the vacuum
combination of traditional pinch techniques and residue (VR) is used to preheat the crude through
process simulators should be used when evaluat- various heat exchangers before being sent to the
ing energy saving ideas. air cooler at 180°C, where its heat is lost to the
The case study presented in this article corrob- atmosphere. According to the pinch analysis, the
orated the statement that a combined approach simplest and most cost effective way to debottle-
(pinch technology/process simulator) should be neck the CDU furnace would be to recover this
followed to avoid misevaluating possible savings. waste heat against the crude. The most efficient
way of doing this is by installing a new heat
Energy optimisation of a CDU preheat train exchanger downstream of the preflash column
with a preflash tower (see Figure 3).
The authors performed a strategic energy review Pinch techniques alone would mis-estimate
on a crude distillation unit, in a 7 million t/y energy savings. Deviations occur as the interac-
Eastern European refinery, aimed at improving tions within the preflash tower cannot be
the energy efficiency of the unit. The preheat captured by pinch techniques:
train configuration of this unit is illustrated in • Preflash reboiler duty will change to meet
Figure 2. At the time of the study, the CDU product specifications.
furnace was bottlenecked and the preflash • Preflash reboiler duty is not a direct function
reboiler (a fired heater) was fired up at times of crude inlet temperature, as part of the feed
when additional capacity was required. By doing heat is lost to the preflash overhead coolers.
this, the crude coil inlet temperature (CIT) to the Therefore, having defined this structural
CDU furnace increased and the CDU furnace change to the heat exchanger network using
was debottlenecked. However, this represents a pinch techniques, the full system must then be
major operational inefficiency, as much of the optimised based on process simulation. This is
heat introduced to the system by the preflash done to capture the effect of changes to the
furnace is lost to the preflash overhead coolers. preflash feed inlet temperature.
In order to analyse the alternatives to improve A full evaluation of this project was carried out
the performance of the preheat train, a simula- using a Petro-SIM simulation of the system
tion of the crude unit (preheat train and (CDU preheat train and columns). It was found
columns) using Petro-SIM based on DCS data out that this project will increase the crude CIT
provided by the refiner and KBC’s own crude to ~276°C, which represents a reduction in the
assay data was developed. The SuperTarget soft- CDU furnace absorbed duty of 5.8 Gcal/h.
ware tool was used to extract the relevant energy However, the preflash reboiler absorbed duty
data and to determine the best possible options will increase by 1.5 Gcal/h as the crude tempera-
to improve the CDU’s energy performance. ture to the preflash will decrease. The overall

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001275 PTQ Q2 2016 3

 VDU TPA/Vac Diesel Kerosene LVGO
272.2t/h 92.1t/h 33.3t/h
172.2ºC 192.9ºC 247.3ºC
New exchanger Cold feed to K1
(area 200m2) 63.0t/h Draw to T39 VDU MPA return
Desalter water 162.2ºC
338.4t/h 110.3ºC 126.2ºC 138.4ºC 40.0t/h 119.6ºC 231.8t/h
Crude
60.0ºC 91.5t/h 209.8ºC
20.3ºC T1-1/2 T-NEW4 T3
787.0t/h 14.6Gcal/h 2.5Gcal/h 2.3Gcal/h
11.0barg 72.7ºC 140.3ºC 131.9ºC 123.4ºC 166.0ºC CDU MPA
to T37 to T27 to T38 To T9-1 New exchanger New exchanger
9.5barg (area 1000m2) 281.9t/h (area 800m2)
To T30 150.0ºC 242.2ºC
117.4ºC 167.7ºC
448.6t/h 71.7ºC 93.8ºC 111.7ºC 136.0ºC 162.3ºC 182.7ºC 179.9ºC
T2-1 T4-1 T4-2 T2-2 T-NEW3 T-NEW2 8.6barg 4.5barg
Additional exchanger 10.7Gcal/h 5.0Gcal/h 4.2Gcal/h Relocated exchanger 6.5Gcal/h 10.9Gcal/h 9.0Gcal/h
(area 250m2) CDU TPA and additional area (700m2)
137.5ºC 102.3ºC
180.9t/h 192.3ºC
to T32 254.0t/h
173.1ºC
208.3ºC
140.0t/h
237.0ºC
CDU BPA
65.4t/h
X-2 X-1 308.2ºC
11.1Gcal/h 12.1Gcal/h
Cold feed 252.0ºC 195.4ºC 368.8t/h
119.6ºC T10-1/2 T5-1/2
14.7Gcal/h 4.1Gcal/h
To T46
394.0t/h 229.1ºC 308.2ºC
294.2ºC to T31
K-1
Preflash column VDU MPA / HVGO draw 261.9ºC 11.6t/h
342.7ºC
3.5barg T54
11.4t/h 0.7Gcal/h
208.3ºC 342.6ºC To T42
Stop Wax 239.4ºC
360.9ºC Vac Res 360.0ºC
203.0t/h 231.9ºC 186.2ºC 344.2t/h
363.7ºC
T7-1/2/3 T6
295.4ºC 11.0Gcal/h 1.5Gcal/h

N1-2/3 N1-1 207.8t/h 32.3t/h

AR to VDU furnace
44.7Gcal/h 19.0Gcal/h 363.2ºC 307.9ºC
VacRes HGO

New heat exchanger 714.7t/h

T-NEW1 0.0ºC
Relocated heat exchanger New exchanger 9.3Gcal/h 296.0ºC
Additional area (area 1200m2)

Figure 4 The most cost effective solution

fuel saving is worth $1.2 million per year. preflash inlet temperature will have on the over-
The most efficient solution (see Figure 4), all heat and mass balance of the system.
which maximises the heat recovery of the unit, Therefore, while pinch technology can identify
was also evaluated. However, in times when prospective areas of improvement to the design
budgets are tight, pinch technology together with of the heat exchanger network, it is only by
process know-how can help to identify simple combining it with process simulation and the
solutions that lead to significant savings. In this appropriate process know-how that the full
case study, the option presented above offers system can be optimised.
around 40% of the maximum fuel saving at a This combined approach has been demon-
fraction of the cost. strated to:
It should be mentioned that, although the • Find generally optimum ways to improve a
crude temperature to the preflash tower refinery’s economic efficiency
decreases for the simple project option, the • Establish more realistic savings than tradi-
Petro-SIM simulation of the system confirms tional pinch techniques alone can achieve as
that product specifications are still met. A interactions within the preflash tower are
following article in this series will show that in included
some cases decreasing the crude temperature to • Optimise capital investment – identify simple
the preflash device could also be beneficial from solutions that lead to tangible savings
the yield point of view. • Reduce operating costs
• Satisfy plant operating constraints.
Conclusion
Pinch technology is a well established and Further reading
powerful tool that offers a systematic approach 1 Hydrocarbon Processing, Refining Processes 2006 Handbook.
to the identification of cost effective energy 2 Linnhoff B et al, User Guide on Process Integration for the
Efficient Use of Energy, Institution of Chemical Engineers, UK,
reduction opportunities in all industrial sectors.
1982.
However, in complex systems such as crude
3 Smith R, Chemical Process Design and Integration, John Wiley
preheat trains with preflash drums/towers, while
& Sons, Ltd, UK, 2005.
pinch analysis has a critical role to play, it does 4 KBC Process Technology Ltd, Pinch Technology foundation
not account for the effect changes on the course training manual, 2009.

4 PTQ Q2 2016 www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001275

5 KBC Process Technology Ltd, Best Technology White Paper,
2007.
6 Sloley A, Crude Petroleum Distillation, The Distillation Group,
Inc., 2002.
7 Errico M et al, Energy Saving in a Crude Distillation Unit by a
Preflash Implementation, Applied Thermal Engineering, 29,
2009, 1642-1647.
Jim Sheldon is a Principal Consultant with 33 years of experience
in many aspects of process consulting with KBC Process
Technology in the UK. He holds a BSc and PhD in chemical
engineering from Birmingham University.
Email: JSheldon@kbcat.com

Chris Bealing is a Principal Consultant with over 20 years of

experience working in KBC’s Energy Services group in the UK. He
holds a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from Imperial
LINKS
College, London. Email: cbealing@kbcat.com
More articles from: KBC Advanced Technologies
Juan Gomez-Prado is a Senior Consultant at KBC Process
Technology in the UK. He holds a chemical engineering degree More articles from the following categories:
from the Universidad Simón Bolívar and Master’s and Doctoral Energy Efficiency and Energy Management
degrees from the University of Manchester. Process Modelling and Simulation
Email: jgomez-prado@kbcat.com

www.digitalrefining.com/article/1001275 PTQ Q2 2016 5