A process review, including the improvement of atmospheric and vacuum distillation columns, for the reformulation of the diesel pool.

“The reformulation of diesel oil fuel was introduced by the European Union in 2009. The aim of the Fuel Directive is to reduce pollution from vehicle emissions. One feature of this directive, discussed in this article, is the specification that the maximum distillation final point of the diesel oil is set at 360°C for 95% of distilled volume measured according to the ASTM D86 analysis (D86T95). Additionally, the Fuel Directive requires a reduction of sulphur content to a maximum 10 ppm. Both the specifications affect refinery operations. More specifically, catalytic processes such as hydrocracking (HDC) and hydrotreating (HDT) are used to improve the diesel yield and to limit the sulphur content respectively. A more extensive analysis, which looks at the atmospheric distillation unit (CDU) and vacuum distillation unit (VDU), may improve total
diesel production and minimise the impact on existing units of the refinery. This analysis has the benefit of lower capital cost for the project; furthermore, the improvements can no longer be postponed in view of the market regulation of diesel oil. “

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