Low-tonnage production of motor fuels at remote fields

Abstract

A reliable supply of motor fuels for automotive transport is one of the most important factors in normal functioning of the economy of any country. Crude oil and gas condensate are the traditional primary feedstock for manufacture of motor fuels -automotive gasolines and diesel fuels. In Russia, despite the large production volumes and enormous reserves of this hydrocarbon feedstock, the problem of reliably supplying different regions of the country with motor fuels, especially the Extreme North, Siberia, and Kamchatka, is pressing. Consumers of motor fuels are frequently separated from manufacturers by thousands of kilometers.The basic oil refining centers that manufacture motor fuels are primarily located in the European part of the RF, and there are only a few refineries (OR) along the Trans-Siberian Railway in the Asian part of the RF. In addition, fuel in many regions can only be supplied seasonally -either in the navigation period of marine or river transport or by truck on winter roads.For this reason, it becomes necessary to have a large tank farm for storing fuel between seasons in these regions. All of the above leads to an additional important increase in both wholesale and retail prices for motor fuels in these regions, and consequently an increase in costs for operation of vehicles, more expensive automotive services, and other negative phenomena.However, many such regions have their own natural reserves of hydrocarbon feedstock (crude oil and gas condensate) and motor fuels for the needs of the local automotive fleet and no less liquid boiler fuels can be made in low-tonnage units in the fields or in their immediate vicinity. The decision of the RF government concerning conversion of the regions in the Far North and nearby territories to self-sufficiency and the interregional program for introduction of low-tonnage units for refining hydrocarbon feedstock is aimed at solving this problem.The expediency of constructing such units in each concrete region is not only determined by economic efficacy and regional market demand but also by an entire group of positive factors that arise as a result of operation of these units, such as: uninterrupted delivery of motor fuels to consumers in the region; decreased dependence of the region on delivery of petroleum products from other areas; reduced costs for transport of motor fuels; creation of additional jobs; accelerated industrial development of the region.The idea of production of motor fuels directly in the fields is not new. The first field unit in the USSR for refining gas condensate was started up in 1960 at Shebelinka Gas Processing Plant and low-tonnage units for 2 processing stable gas condensate were already running in the 1970s in Yuzhno-Solenin, Urengoi, and Mastakh gas condensate fields [1].All of these units operate on a one-or two-tower fractionation scheme as a function of the composition of the initial condensate and manufacture commercial diesel fuel and straight-run naphtha cut and atmospheric resid as by-products. The unit in the Mastakh ...

Natural Gas Liquids into Motor Gasolines: Methodology for Processing on a Zeolite Catalyst and Development of Blending Recipes

“…Chemical reactions that allow increasing the octane number of products occur on zeolites [18][19][20]. There are examples of work on the production of motor gasoline from feedstock similar in composition (straight-run gasolines) [21]. In addition, there are works on obtaining gasoline from gas condensates; however, in these, the authors managed to obtain only low-octane gasolines [22].…”