LPG Report
LPG Report
LPG Report
We would also like to thank the TAs from this course who helped us with the ASPEN
simulations and cleared our minor doubts.
Abstract:
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Liquefied petroleum gas(LPG) is a combination of propane, butane, and trace amounts of other
chemicals, including pentane. It is widely used as fuel in heating appliances, cooking equipment,
vehicles, etc. In this project, we study this product, raw materials for its production, reaction
details and also analyze the market for this product and its production techniques. We also
discuss the various possibilities of optimizing the existing process.
This report contains information for setting up a plant to manufacture LPG economically. The
inferences for the availability of raw materials was taken from the data provided by the
government websites. The material and energy balance sheets were taken from ASPEN
simulations.
Lastly, this report contains different optimization techniques for the process of LPG production
for increased efficiency and has information on the different risks with the INDMAX process.
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………...3
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2. Physical and Chemical Properties of LPG…………………………………………...4
3. Industrial Applications…………………………………………………………………..5
6. Plant Location…………………………………………………………………………….7
8. INDMAX…………………………………………………………………………………...8
9. ASPEN Simulation………………………………………………………………………..12
16. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………..17
17. References………………………………………………………………………………......18
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Introduction
Natural gas (NG) supplies share about 23% of the total word energy. It is considered as
one of the safest, cleanest and more efficient energy of all energy sources. It can
replace coal and oil because natural gas gives less harmful emissions when burn. The
processing of natural gas is easier and less complicated than the processing of crude
oil, with equally important before it is used by the end users.
Natural gas liquids (NGLs) is a term applied to those hydrocarbons, ethane (C2),
propane (C3), butane (C4), pentane (C5), and heavier (C5+) which must be illuminated
from natural gas streams to consider methane (C1) as dry gas, this is because
hydrocarbons condense in methane pipe lines forming hydrates. (LPG) term is
applied to a mixture of propane (C3H8) and butane (C4H10) which are
considered as natural gas liquid (NGL), with a ratio of approximate 60% propane and
40% butane by mass. The extraction of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from natural gas
is done by a process called fractionation or distillation by using fractionation towers.
This is done based on the different boiling points of each hydrocarbon in the (NGLs)
stream. The name of the fractionator gives an idea on the hydrocarbon which will be
extracted. Ethane (C2) is extracted using deethanizer tower, propane (C3) by using
depropanizer tower, butane (C4) by using debutanizer tower, finally butane splitter to
separate ISO butane (i-C4) from normal butane (n-C4).
LPG has the same properties of natural gas, it is odorless and colorless, but a
substance called mercaptant usually is added to (LPG) to give it a characteristic
odor.(LPG) is used as fuel for vehicles instead of diesel and petrol, as it burns cleaner
with octane number close to 105.
● Chemical Composition:
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Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is made up of a combination of propane, butane,
and trace amounts of other chemicals, including pentane. Butane comprises
slightly less than 70 percent of the gas. Propane comprises nearly 29 percent of
the gas, leaving just over 1 percent for the trace components.
● Properties:
● Density:
LPG liquid has a density of about 0,54 kg/l at 15ºC and is therefore lighter
than water. LPG vapour has a density of about 1.9 times that of air and is
therefore heavier than air. This is important when considering ventilation
requirements.
● Calorific Value(CV):
For LPG, calorific value is 49.6 MJ/kg.
● Vapour Pressure:
1 litre of liquid Handigas(mixture of propane and butane) will rapidly and
totally vapourise when exposed to atmospheric pressure (100 kPa) to form
about 275 litres of vapour at 15ºC. In a closed cylinder containing some
liquid Handigas, a relatively small quantity will vaporise in the restricted
volume of the cylinder, to produce a cylinder pressure of about 250 kPa at
0ºC. This closed cylinder pressure is equal to the vapour pressure, and it
increases dramatically with temperature to 500 kPa at 20ºC and 1 550 kPa
at 60ºC.
● Boiling Point:
LPG contains propane and butane, with boiling points of –42.1ºC and –
0.5ºC respectively, the mixture begins to separate - propane continues to
boil off while the butane remains in liquid form at temperatures below its
boiling point of –0.5ºC.
● Stench Additive:
LPG is practically odourless and colourless which makes leak detection
difficult. A small amount of stenching additive (ethyl mercaptan) is
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therefore added to LPG before going to market. The additive is non-
corrosive, non-toxic and the odour can be smelt in a very slight leakage.
Industrial Applications:
● Automotive Industry:
LPG for vehicles is called Autogas. It’s more efficient and more
environment friendly in terms of emissions. Unlike other types of gas, LPG
is not a Greenhouse Gas.
● Aerosol Industry:
Since LPG is environment friendly, it has become the replacement for the
Ozone depleting CFC gases that were used before in Aerosols.
● Metal Industry:
LPG is a superior fuel compared to other heavy fuels that improve the cost
of operation. It also strikes an economic balance between fuel price and
quality of the product.
● Agriculture Industry:
It is the ideal fuel for the production on agriculture. Drying of crops, flame
cultivation, livestock farming and other farm products require the use of
clean and sulphur-free fuel for drying to avoid any transfer of bad smell or
taste to the dried crops.
● Glass and Ceramic Industry:
Gas melting is a huge operation and needs a large supply of heat. Since
LPG is one of the cleanest fuels, it enhances the product quality and
reduces technical problems related to the manufacturing activities.
● Textile Industry:
LPG is also used for singeing of yarn, cotton, silk and infrared drying of
cloth. Steam is also generated using the LPG fired boilers.
● Chemical Production:
Paint, polymers, varnish and polish are some products that are part of the
chemical engineering field. By using LPG, the chemical processes are
enhanced because of its good temperature regulation and high yields of
energy that are required by this type of production.
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Indane, is a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) brand developed and owned by Indian Oil
Corporation in India. Bulk LPG is packed in LPG cylinders in bottling plants. IOCL
currently has 91 bottling plants in the country to do such bottling. In a bottling plant, bulk
LPG is received from the sources through pipelines, by road or by rail. This is then
stored in the vessels and then filled in cylinders using sophisticated filling machines
called Carousals. The world’s highest LPG bottling plant – situated 3500 metres above
sea level – is the Indane plant at Leh.
Indane has a network of more than 9100 distributors across India with a presence in
more than 6,250 towns. The sales network is backed by 45 Indane Area Offices.
Imports last year made India the world's second-largest importer of liquefied petroleum
gas (LPG), behind China. It overtook Japan, which imported 10.6 million tonnes.
The government's push to provide clean cooking fuel to every household has turned
India into the world's second largest LPG consumer whose demand is projected to rise
by 34% by 2025.
Raw material required for production of Liquified Petroleum Gas(LPG), is natural gas.
Natural gas is most often found along with crude oil.
As on 31 March 2018, India had estimated natural gas reserves of 1339.57 billion cubic
meters. The offshore deposits are the major sources of natural gas. The Eastern
Offshore deposit is the major site and has 500 billion cubic meters of natural gas while
the Western Offshore deposit has 300 billion cubic meters. The next major source is
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Assam(Digboi) with 150 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
Plant Location
Given that the major sources are on the eastern side of India, it makes sense to set up
a plant on the eastern side of India. Natural gas has to be transported from Assam or
from the Eastern Offshore site via pipelines.
Unskilled labour costs are low in Jharkhand and Bihar while still being very accessible
by roads.
Land is available and land price is moderate in Industrial Growth Centre, Aurangabad.
● Atmospheric distillation - All crude oils yield some amount of propane and
butane when distilled. Typically, they leave the distillation tower in a wet gas
stream that is sent to the saturated gas plant for separation of propane and
butane from lighter gases (methane and ethane) that are then used for refinery
fuel. A typical LPG yield from ADU reportedly consisted of merely 2.30 weight
percent (wt%) from the total crude feed. High amount of Oxides of NOx and SOx
are released in this process which is above the permissible limit.
● FCC- In the FCC conversion process, large amounts of C3s and C4s are
produced, including both saturated propane and butane and unsaturated
propylene and butylene. Often the unsaturated olefins are separated for use as
feed to the alkylation unit or as feed to petrochemicals units. High yield of LPG(
40-65 wt% feed). In this process Oxides of Sulphur and Nitrogen are in
permissible limit which is 80 microgram/m^3. Noise Pollution is also in limits.
● Coker - Similar to the FCC, the coker conversion process generates mixed C3s
and C4s containing saturated and unsaturated molecules. However, it is less
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common for coker C3s and C4s to have their olefins separated out. The yield is
comparatively less than FCC and ADU. Land Contamination is there in this
process along with noise pollution and air contamination due to oxides of sulphur
and nitrogen.
● Reformer - Reformers will yield approximately 5% (by volume) of both C3s and
C4s in the conversion process. Impact on water bodies due to release of effluent
from refinery and air contamination due to oxides released by plant.
FCC is the most preferred process to produce LPG as it produces the highest yield and
minimum environmental emission. Almost all industries use this process to produce an
amount of LPG but IOCL has improved this process using different catalysts and major
LPG production in IOCL is by this process(INDMax).
INDMax
INDMax is typically an FCC process with slight modifications from Indian Oil R&D
Sector. The catalyst used is not disclosed due to privacy reasons. There are a total of 3
Feeds for INDMax. RCO(Reduced Crude Oil), CFO(Coker Fuel Oil) and CG( Coker
Gasoline). RCO and CFO are mixed together and CG is sent separately due to their
differences in density. These 3 feeds are carried up with the help of steam into the riser
where 99% of reactions take place. The remaining reactions take place in the reactor. In
the reactor, there are 2 cyclones which separate the produced hydrocarbon and the
spent catalyst. Spent Catalyst is sent back to the regenerator. Here the spent catalyst is
treated with hot air and coke to regenerate the catalyst along with some fresh catalyst is
also added along with the previous slot. From here the catalyst is again sent to the riser
where the reaction takes place. The hydrocarbons produced from the reactions are
sent to the main column where distillation happens along with the removal of impurities
in the absorber from which various products are formed, the majority of which is LPG.
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Flow sheet of Crude Oil Distillation
Desalter: In the desalter, demulsifier mixed crude is mixed with hot water through a
mixing valve. Thus,the salt in crude dissolves in water and separated from the oil.
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Riser: The riser is a vertical pipe through which the mixture of catalyst and oil vapors
flows co-currently. Stabilization steam enters through a single nozzle right at the base of
the riser to keep the catalyst in fluidized state. If any upset in pressure or failure of feed
supply to the riser takes place, the catalyst in the riser will slump. The riser will then get
plugged with a mass of catalyst. This condition should not be allowed to occur and
immediate action must be taken with the blasting steam facility to prevent the plugging
of the riser. The regenerated catalyst that enters the riser through the regenerated
catalyst slide valve (RCSV), determine the riser top temperature. The hot regenerated
catalyst supplies the sensible heat, latent heat of vaporization and heat of reaction
required by the oil feed. The wye section (where the catalysts take turn from downward
to upward) may cause turbulence and non-uniform catalyst flow patterns. A high-density
zone is provided to absorb shocks and stabilize the catalyst flow during the transition to
upward flow. A pressure control valve is provided at the main column O/H reflux drum
for steady operating pressure of the reactor system. This control valve determines the
O/H pressure of Main Fractionator. Reactor pressure floats on the Main Fractionator
Pressure and not directly controlled.
Reactor:
1. To provide disengaging a space for the separation of catalyst from oil vapors.
2. To provide a space for the cyclone separator, which recovers most of the
entrained catalyst and return it to the catalyst bed.
3. Conical bottom of the reactor-stripper shell is lined with hex-mesh and abrasion
resistant cement lining.
Regenerator:
Spent catalyst from the stripper flows to the regenerator through the spent catalyst
standpipe. Coke deposited on the catalyst during the course of the reaction in the riser
is burnt off in the regenerator with controlled air supplied into the regenerator. The
regenerator is designed for complete burning of coke (i.e. to less than 0.05 wt% of coke
on regenerator catalyst) deposited on the catalyst. The air rate is to be adjusted to
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maintain desired concentration of oxygen in the flue gas as the INDMAX regenerator is
designed for total combustion. However, airflow rate to the regenerator can also be
regulated by the temperature difference between dilute and dense bed. The heat of
combustion released by the burning coke heats the catalyst and eventually supplies the
heat required by riser and keep the system heat balanced.
Fractionation Section:
The main fractionator column consists of 22 valve trays (separation section) and 8 disc
and doughnut trays for heat transfer (quench section). The reactor effluent, comprised
of cracked hydrocarbon vapors, steam and inert gas, enters the fractionator at the
bottom of quench section below tray no. 30 where the cracked vapors and inerts are
cooled and the 25 bottom heavier product is condensed. Main fractionator bottom liquid
is pumped by main column bottom pump to feed/MCB exchanger where bottom liquid is
cooled. Part of the cooled bottom liquid is sent back to tray no. 22 as a quench medium.
The purpose of quench is to keep the temperature at bottom below 360oC in order to
prevent coke formation.
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ASPEN Simulation:
Material Balance:
Mass of (LPG feed1 + LPG feed2 = Methane + Ethane + Propane + Ovhd Liquids 1 +
Ovhd Liquids 2 + Liquid Products)
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Energy Balance:
Energy Supplied = Energy Consumed + Energy Accumulated + Energy Generated
Riser design - The riser residence time and velocity are optimised to maximise catalytic
cracking reactions, minimise undesirable thermal cracking reactions, and maximise
selectivity to olefins. Riser residence time is optimised through pilot plant tests and
kinetic model studies. The riser diameter, and hence velocity, is optimised by
tracking the volume expansion as the reaction mixture flows up the riser by means
of a computer model.
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Risk Associated with INDMAX
There are various potential sources of large leakage, which may release hazardous
chemicals and hydrocarbon materials into the atmosphere. These could be in the form
of:
Hazards
● Harmful Oxides of Sulphur and Nitrogen are released during the production
● High amount of coke is generated during the process
● Leakage into the environment can cause possibility of explosion
● At very high concentrations, when mixed with air, LPG vapour is anesthetic and
subsequently may cause suffocation by decreasing the availability of oxygen
● LPG can cause severe cold burns due to rapid vapourization.
Economic Potential
Total Capital Cost = 5156750 USD
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Total Benefit = (Total LPG Product Cost - Total Variable Cost)/LPG Produced(in
kg)
=> (7,50,51,226-1771460)/28,28,42,880
Conclusion
We discussed the properties of LPG and the various aspects of LPG production in India.
This report also includes a simulation of (LPG) process through different fractionation
towers by using Aspen-HYSY software. We included the material balances and energy
balances of the process. We went through the various benefits and drawbacks of the
INDMax Process, that is currently most widely used for LPG production. We concluded
the report with certain suggestions that could help optimize the current production
process.
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References
1. Wikipedia
2. https://www.iocl.com/
3. Maximise olefins through catalytic cracking Indmax FCC process by Dalip Soni,
Philip J Angevine and Rama Rao Lummus Technology, G Saidulu, D Bhattacharyya
and V Krishnan Indian Oil Corporation
4. Simulation of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) Production from Natural Gas Using
Fractionation Towers by Khaled M. ElBadawy, Mohamed A. Teamah, Ali I.
Shehata, Ahamed A. Hanfy
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