Linas Technology - Distillation of 21 century

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Advantages of Linas technology and Linas rectification units

Linas units for atmospheric rectification of crude oil are under continuous commercial industrial operation more 10 years. First unit SMR-8 (15) is in industrial operation since April, 2004, and first unit SMR-50 is industrial operation more than eight years. First SMR-150 is in industrial operation around 6 years from January 2009.
Sufficient operational experiences of Linas units were gathered. Therefore there is field-proven basis in comparison of Linas technology with conventional rectification technology.

Field-proven advantages of Linas tower:

1. Height of tower is shorter (Fig.1).
2. Linas tower contains internal diesel oil (or kerosene) reboiler.
3. Linas tower needs around 25-28 % less energy than the conventional tower.
4. Linas tower does not need additional internal steam to extract maximum of light products from crude oil.
5. High quality of oil products.
6. Yigh safety of Linas tower because of very low content of separated compounds inside. Mass of separating compounds inside of Linas tower is at least 100 times less compared to conventional towers.
7. Unique applicability in vacuum processes because a very low hydraulic resistance of Linas tower.
8. Capability to separate two components with overlap temperature area closes to zero under industrial conditions (Fig.2).
9. Linas tower consists of several separated modules (weight of each is between 2 and 10 tons) which are easy to transport by conventional trucks and easy to assemble and dissemble (Fig.3).
10. Picture 1 contains view of Linas tower and conventional tray tower for crude oil refinery with equal annual capacity – around 150.000 MTY. Linas tower does have better separation ability and higher yield of light products.

Fig.1

Separation capacity of Linas rectification tower*

Separation capacity of industrial Linas rectification tower is very high.
For example on Figure 1 separation capacity of industrial Linas rectification tower is presented. Conventional Siberian crude oil from pipeline was distillated on three fractions. Content of light fractions was around 60 mass %.

Fractions overlap between gasoline fraction and diesel oil fraction is nearly zero. Dry point of gasoline is 150^oC and overpoint of diesel oil is 151^oC. Initial 5 mass % of diesel oil boils till temperature 155^oC. 95 mass % of gasoline boils temperature 142C. So, a fractions overlap is 142^oC – 155^oC= -13^oC. From economic point of view this high level of separation gives additional yield of diesel oil. Position of the fraction overlap could be changed from 150^oC till 190^oC.

*- Height of Linas rectification tower is 12 m.

Key feature of Linas technology is low hydraulic resistance of Linas tower. Experts of companies Zeton BV (Netherlands) had been carried out experimental measurements of pressure difference inside Linas tower. Pressure difference is 5-6 millibars only.
Traditional rectification towers have significant hydraulic resistance. Their application in vacuum rectification frequently results in a situation when pressure at top and bottom of tower differs from tens to hundreds times.
Low hydraulic resistance makes Linas tower as unique irreplaceable processes for vacuum rectification.

Example of Linas rectification tower*

Linas tower consists of several separated modules. For example general scheme of Linas tower for unit SMR-50 is presented by Figure 3. This tower is adapted for separation three main products from crude oil – straight run gasoline, diesel oil and black fuel.

All Linas towers include the following modules:

1. Minimum 2 rectification modules.
2. Internal outlet oil product module (for example – diesel oil module or kerosene module).
3. Feed inlet module
4. Stripping
5. Bottom of tower
6. Top of tower

Fig.3
Scheme of Linas tower for SMR-50

Structure of Linas tower is not fixed. Linas tower could be modified by adding or remove some modules (Fig.3). For example for production of four oil products include kerosene the tower needs additional kerosene module above diesel oil module.

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