NCUT Upgrading and Refining Conference - ETX Systems · Environmental uncertainties Political uncertainties Challenging capital markets ... Liquid yield Liquid quality Capacity

IYQ Upgrading at a 1 bbl/d ScaleIYQ Upgrading at a 1 bbl/d Scale

NCUT Upgrading and Refining Conference

September 14, 2009

ETX Systems Inc. © 2007

The ChallengeThe Challenge

How to meet future energy demands in the face of:

Diminishing conventional oil resourcesEscalating capital costsg pUnstable oil pricesEnvironmental uncertaintiesPolitical uncertaintiesChallenging capital markets


Role of TechnologyRole of Technology

Use technology to:

Improve economicsReduce capitalpBetter use of resource

Improve environmental footprintp pFacilitate integration with environmental technologiesBetter use of resource


The Growing Emphasis on Primary UpgradingThe Growing Emphasis on Primary Upgrading

Primary upgrading converts pitch into distillable liquids

Bitumen Production

Primary Upgrading

Secondary Upgrading

Conventional Refining

Primary upgrading benchmark is a century old

Significant performance gap relative to “ideal coking”


From I.A. Wiehe, “Process Chemistry of Petroleum Macromolecules”

Comparing Primary Upgrading Technology is SimpleComparing Primary Upgrading Technology is Simple…

The technology metrics are:Liquid yieldLiquid qualityCapacity / Capital

The winner achieves benefits in some categories, but compromises in noneo e


but Finding the Winning Concept is Difficult…but Finding the Winning Concept is Difficult

Current picture of upgrading science

Products OvercrackedgasesGas

phase

Products

p

Feed

Liquidphase

Coke

How to meet opposing constraints in liquid and vapour phases with a single technology?g gy


IYQ Upgrading Leverages Current UnderstandingIYQ Upgrading Leverages Current Understanding

Thin films limit liquid severity

Decoupling of vapour and liquid phase residence times allow constraints of vapour phase to be met without compromising p p p gcapacity

Liquid feedFluidization gas

and reaction products

Cool solids

Hot solids

Reactor characteristics enable reduction in operating temperature which benefits both yield and quality

Fluidization gas


Temperature Dictates Fate of HydrogenTemperature Dictates Fate of Hydrogen

Final distribution of hydrogen among coking products is significantly ff t d b ti t taffected by reaction temperature

Positively affects qualities

Reaction Temperature

Liquid Products

Gas Coke

450°C 83% 8% 9%

470°C 82% 9% 9%

500°C 79% 13% 8%

530°C 74% 18% 8%


Demonstration of IYQ Upgrading at 1 bbl/dDemonstration of IYQ Upgrading at 1 bbl/d

Objective was to provide additional support for yield and quality claims

Full coke circulation

Accumulator

PTo Gas Chromatograph

Solids R t L

To Flare

PF

F

Return Loop

KnockoutPotProcess

Gas

E‐405 E‐406 D‐401

Reactor

F

WT‐425 V‐403Liquid feed

V‐404

CollectionPail

HeavyProduct

LightProduct

DemisterProduct

KnockoutPot Product



Assessing Yield BenefitAssessing Yield Benefit

For a given technology, coke production has been shown to be relatively insensitive to temperature

Therefore, to assess relative impact of temperature, focus on split , p p , pbetween gas and liquid production

Liquid

GasYiel

d

T t

Coke

Gas


Temperature

Assessing Yield Benefit (cont’d)Assessing Yield Benefit (cont d)

For once through yields, performance measured based on product produced per quantity of feed consumed

Liquid

eld

Pit h

Coke

GasYie Pitch


Gas Yields Show BenefitsGas Yields Show Benefits

Sulfur release indicates excellent data consistency

9

10

5

6

7

8

d (%

)

2

3

4

5

Yield

H2S

C4‐

0

1

490 500 510 520 530 540

Bed Temperature (°C)


Bed Temperature ( C)

Coke and Gasoil Yields Consistent with ExpectationsCoke and Gasoil Yields Consistent with Expectations

Coke yields relatively insensitive to temperature

Bulk of yield benefit lies in gasoil

70

75

80

7

8

9

10

%)

%)

60

65

70

2

3

4

5

6

Gasoil Y

ield (%

Coke Yield (%

Coke

Gasoil

50

55

0

1

2

490 500 510 520 530 540




Assessing Quality BenefitAssessing Quality Benefit

Primary factor driving quality is hydrogen content

Hydrogen content of gas is much higher than liquids

Olefinic character of gas related to severity of treatment


Quality metrics support IYQ Upgrading ClaimsQuality metrics support IYQ Upgrading Claims

Indications that overcracking dramatically reduced

3.8

4

1

1.2

3

3.2

3.4

3.6

0.6

0.8

1

mol/m

ol)

H2S

(wt/wt)

Propylene

2 2

2.4

2.6

2.8

0.2

0.4 H/C (m

Ratio

with

Propylene

Olefinic C4

Butadiene

H/C

2

2.2

0

490 500 510 520 530 540




Hydrogen Losses to Gas Phase ReducedHydrogen Losses to Gas Phase Reduced

Conservative?


Assessing PerformanceAssessing Performance

Must consider unreacted pitch

90

100

35

40

%)

50

60

70

80

20

25

30

id Yield (%

)

r Carryover (%

10

20

30

40

5

10

15

Total Liqui

Pitch Yield or Pitch Carryover

Pitch Yield

Total Liquid

0

10

0

5

490 500 510 520 530 540

P




Results Support Claims on Once Through BasisResults Support Claims on Once Through Basis

More liquids produced per amount of pitch reacted

Liquids are of higher quality


Recycle to ExtinctionRecycle to Extinction

Model in good agreement with experimental data

Product Yield (Mass %)

Model Pilot Results

Product Liquids 76.1 75.2

Pitch 14.2 14.2

Coke 6.5 6.3

Gas 3.0 3.01

H2S 1.2 1.4


Advantage Leveraged Upon RecycleAdvantage Leveraged Upon Recycle

Link between once through and recycle to extinction well established

Product Mass Yields (%)

IYQ Upgrading Fluid Coking IYQ Advantage

Liquids 66.4 60.8 +5.6

HGO 41.6 36.5 +5.1

LGO 13.2 11.6 +1.6

Naphtha 11.6 12.7 ‐1.1

Coke 25.7 28.3 ‐2.6

Gas 7.9 10.9 ‐3.0

Volume Yields (%)

Liquids 76.7 70.0 +6.7

HGO 45.0 38.9 +6.1

LGO 15.6 13.5 +2.1

Naphtha 16.1 17.6 ‐1.5


Commercial ImplementationCommercial Implementation

Recent commercial projects advertise yields of 80% (vol/vol) from implementation of delayed coking (whole bitumen basis)

Through lower operating temperatures IYQ Upgrading achieves g p g p Q pg gliquid yields of 90% with:

Increased hydrogen retentionIncreased hydrogen retentionLower capital investment

IYQ performance adds $8 of value per barrel processedI Q performance adds $8 of value per barrel processed


Upgrading without CompromiseUpgrading without Compromise

Current results support that IYQ Upgrading can deliver:

Improved liquid yields with;Improved product qualitiesp p q

Previous studies show a reduction in capital cost of ~30% relative to competing alternatives (Jacobs Consultancy)co pet g a te at es (Jacobs Co su ta cy)

Therefore, IYQ Upgrading can deliver on all three metrics


Beyond the 1 bbl/d PilotBeyond the 1 bbl/d Pilot

ETX Systems has followed a rigorous development path

Gating process requires third party evaluation at each stage

Key activity remaining is to prove operability

Commercial rollout

Technology Demonstration

Technology Development


Conception Commercially Proven

DevelopmentComplete

Proving OperabilityProving Operability

Project involves testing implementation with 2,000 bbl/d reactor feed

Land purchased in Belle Plaine, SK to support this undertaking


Questions?Questions?

Wayne BrownCTO, ETX [email protected]


Documents

NCUT Upgrading and Refining Conference - ETX Systems · Environmental uncertainties Political uncertainties Challenging capital markets ... Liquid yield Liquid quality Capacity