At what pressure level must the operating pressure of the initial distillation tower be increased to consider it as a pressure-boosting operation?
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The compressor-free approach involves using the pressure-raising operation of the initial distillation tower to enable the light distillate oil to dissolve the C3 and C4 components present in the gases at higher pressures; thereafter, a light naphtha containing these light hydrocarbon components is pumped into the gas recovery system for the recovery of liquefied gas. Since this process eliminates the compressor, it is simple in design, easy to operate, requires less investment in equipment, occupies less space, and is convenient for maintenance. However, the pressure increase operation in the primary distillation tower has an adverse effect on its throughput. May I ask at what pressure level should the operating pressure of the initial distillation column be raised to consider it as a pressure-raise operation?
Generally speaking, oil is relatively light; when the content of light hydrocarbons/light oil is high, a pressure-raising process using a fractionating tower can be employed. The specific pressure level needs to be optimized, and generally, the pressure at the top of the fractionating tower is above 3 kg/cm2g.
I remember that when I had a compressor before, the pressure at which the fractional distillation tower absorbed those components was 1.8–2.0 MPa
Check the processing volume: at 5 million units per year, the top pressure should be controlled at 1.3–1.8 kilograms; at 10 million units per year, it should be 2–2.5 kilograms. When the pressure is increased, the feed temperature to the initial tower also needs to be raised in order to maintain the extraction rate of the tower. Different types of light crude oils require different tower pressure controls. The pressure can be determined based on the levels of carbon 3 and carbon 4 in the gas coming from the top of the tower. The key to increasing pressure is to ensure an appropriate feed temperature for the initial tower
The advantage of initial tower pressurization is that it prevents the cracking of carbon 3 and carbon 4, thereby avoiding the generation of large amounts of dry gas