Pinch analysis at Preem LYR

Report, 2013

This energy inventory and pinch analysis of the Preem, Lysekil refinery is a part of the Preem – Chalmers research cooperation and has been carried out by CIT Industriell Energi AB. The result in this report will be used as a basis for the research work at Chalmers. The aim with the project is to supply the researchers at Chalmers with energy data from the refinery in a form that is suitable for different types of pinch analysis. Furthermore, the aim is to make an analysis to establish the possible energy saving potentials in the refinery at various levels of process integration constraints. To be able to perform a pinch analysis, data for process streams has to be collected. This has been made using material received from Preem. Stream data has been extracted for all streams that have been identified on the process flow diagrams for all units of the refinery. Service areas and tank farm is not included. The stream data extraction is documented in a file. For each stream there is a calculation area with the information gathered to explain the choice of data used as stream data for the individual stream. Calculation of stream load is made by using known data of flow and physical data. If necessary data is not available from the screen dumps, data has been estimated. For the most important data, process engineers at Preem have been involved to give background information and assistance to find the best estimation possible. The refinery has a net heat demand of 409 MW (for the operation case studied) which is supplied by firing fuel gas. Steam is generated in the process by cooling process streams. One part of this steam (167 MW) is used in the process and the remainder(17 MW) is expanded in turbines and used for other purposes. The energy saving potential, i.e. the theoretical savings that are achievable depend on the constraints that are put on the heat exchanging between process streams in the refinery. Three levels have been analysed. A: There are no restrictions on the process streams that may be heat exchanged in the refinery. In this case the minimum heat demand is 199 MW giving a theoretical savings potential of 210 MW. B: All streams within each process unit can be exchanged with each other, but heat exchange between process units is not permitted. In this case the minimum heat demand of each process unit must be calculated. Some of the identified pinch violations are impossible to eliminate, due to process constraints, and the minimum heat demand is thus corrected to reflect this. The total savings potential, 140 MW, is calculated by adding the savings potential for the separate units. However only a part II of the steam generated above the pinch can be eliminated since it is used for heating purposes in other process units. Only the steam surplus can be considered a savings potential and the total potential is reduced to 117 MW. C: Heat exchange between process units is allowed for those streams which are heat exchanged with utility today (e.g., steam, air, cooling water). The heat exchange takes place with the aid of one or more utility system. However, it is not allowed to modify existing process to process heat exchangers to improve heat exchange between process units. The scope of the analysis is limited by only looking at the 5 largest process units. This group of units are using ~90 %, 363 MW, of the added external heat. If heat from the flue gases is recovered at a higher temperature it is possible to reduce the external heat demand with 26 MW to 337 MW.