Revamp Improves FCC Performance at BP's Texas City Refinery
SUMMARY
BP Texas City revamped their No. 1 FCC main fractionator to improve fractionation, reduce pressure drop and lower naphtha sulfur content. Following the revamp the unit was able to increase capacity and operate at maximum conversion. Careful pre-engineering data gathering and the application of solid engineering fundamentals were critical to the success of this revamp.
TEXT
In early 2003, BP products CO. revamped its Texas City, Tex., refinery. Changes to the FCC Unit 1 reduced the true boiling point distillation curve’s 90%-final boiling point tail for the heavy catalytic naphtha (HCN) to 36⁰F. from 58⁰F., lowered gasoline sulfur content, and improved gasoline recovery from the light catalytic cycle oil (LCCO) by 800 b/d.
Since the 2003 revamp, the unit has processed 60,000 b/d of feed at maximum conversion, which it could not do before the turnaround. Heat and material balance principles, field data gathering and interpretation, and packed-column internal design basics were critical to the success of this revamp.
BP’s Texas City refinery has three FCC units that have been modified several times since their original installation more than 50 years ago…