The application of advanced process models in oil refining R&D

The complexity of oil refining increases with the current tendency to convert heavy feedstocks into lighter products and to enhance product quality. This calls for an improved understanding not only of the basics of the individual processes but also of their interrelationships and hence of the synergistic effects to be expected from multiprocess integration. Another trend is towards investigating even the most complex oil processes at the molecular level. This includes the characterization of both feedstocks and products in terms of individual or grouped molecular components. This approach has been shown to facilitate process integration and to result in the development of process models which are more soundly based on physical/chemical principles and are thus more powerful than the conventional models. The validity of this approach is substantiated by process integration studies, the use of catalyst modules, product quality/performance correlations and model validations both in the laboratory and in the refinery. It is perceived that process models will play an increasingly important role in the transfer of technology between the laboratory and the design office. A major challenge in the future will be to develop models which can also contribute to the innovative phase in the research laboratory.