FCCU Oxygen Enrichment  [ Return towards  Applications  ]

The first FCCU oxygen enrichment application for AIR LIQUIDE began in the early 1980’s. AIR LIQUIDE has taken a leading role in the successful implementation of oxygen enrichment for FCCUs by providing the essential oxygen and injection devices, effective safety management, reliable and accurate flow skids and detailed process evaluations.

The overwhelming benefit of utilizing oxygen enrichment for the FCCU is to increase its profitability without having to shut down to carry out modifications. This increase in profitability is due to:

- Increasing unit throughput
- Processing cheaper crudes
- Increasing gasoline yield
- Reducing emissions

Oxygen enrichment is typically used to overcome a limitation in regenerator coke burning.
The oxygen is used when some equipment limits the quantity of air needed to burn coke from the spent catalyst.
Oxygen enrichment can overcome this by improving the performance of certain equipment and process conditions, such as:

- Combustion air blower limitation
- Air distribution
- Superficial velocity
- Inlet cyclone velocity
- Coke on regenerated catalyst and
- Incomplete combustion (carbon monoxide destruction)

A careful evaluation of the FFCU equipment will determine the quantity of oxygen required to meet the refiner’s objectives. The maximum quantity of oxygen that can be applied is generally determined by temperature limitations on high regenerators, superficial velocity on downstream equipment, such as the main fractionator capacity, wet gas compressor or gas recovery unit.

Our proprietary simulation software can provide an estimate of the potential benefits and limitations on your units. Once the model is calibrated, the model can be used to estimate the required oxygen level that will maximize refiner benefits. The amount of oxygen required will also indicate what type of supply mode will be best for the application.

The benefits for the refiner process depend on the issues highlighted above together with equipment constraints on the unit. Our clients have measured benefits from between $ 4,000 and $ 25,000 per day. Contact us for an evaluation of the benefits of oxygen enrichment for your site. We can also tell you about existing case studies and some of the new technologies we are developing.