R&D in Refinery Processes for Fuel Quality Upgradation

1. National Workshop Auto Fuel Policy – Way Forward R&D in Refinery Processes for Fuel Quality Upgradation R.P. Verma Executive Director Indian Oil Corporation Limited R&D Centre, Faridabad

2. Discussion on …….. • Current/future fuel specifications • Status & trends in technology for fuel quality upgradation • R&D’s role • Summary

3. ACID GAS SULPHUR PLANT TAIL GAS TREATING ATM TOWER REFORMER GASOLINE LN ISOMERIZATION GASOLINE HN JET Crude DIESEL JET/DIESEL HT JET/DIESEL HGO LVGO VAC TOWER HCU LCO FCCG HDT HVGO GASOLINE VGO HT FCCU JET/DIESEL HT REFORMER HCU/FCC Coker / Visbreaker SR LSFO Technologies used in Indian refineries for fuel quality upgradation

4. Environmental Regulations • Rapid changes in combustion technologies & fuel specifications induced by Legislative bodies • Recommendation of Euro / BS specifications for India by Mashelkar Committee

5. Gasoline Specification - Trend * Proposed by World Fuel Charter

6. Effect of Gasoline Specifications on Major Parameters • Lower Sulfur content • Lower RVP • Lower benzene & aromatics • Lower olefin content • Limited Oxygen content

7. Technologies for Gasoline • Reformer (Major technology for MS) • Technological / operational change • Low pressure operation • Change to CCR from SR • Pre-fractionation for Benzene Spec • Integration with Isomerisation unit • FCC (Major technology for MS) • Technological / operational change • Use of low ‘S’ crude, Hydrocracker bottom/ Hydrotreated feed for ‘S’ spec • Use of desulfurisation additives • Selective desulfurisation of FCCG • Treatment of heart-cut of FCCG in reformer Contd.

8. Technologies for Gasoline(Contd.) • Isomerisation • Ideal choice for upgrading light naphtha • Used for saturation of benzene also • Pt on Chlorinated alumina – most active catalyst • Zeolite catalyst based technology to be improved (more activity required) • Alkylation • No unit in India (High LPG demand) • Proven technology based upon HF / H2SO4 hazardous • Solid acid based process at development / demonstration stage

9. Diesel Specifications- Trend * Proposed by World Fuel Charter

10. Effect of Diesel Specifications on Major Parameters • Low sulfur • Low aromatics / PAH • High cetane number • Lower density • Lower distillation end point

11. Technologies to meet Diesel specifications • DHDS for meeting sulfur specifications • Intensive research on DHDS catalyst for improving activity • Development of high performance internals • High Pressure DHDT/MHC for Cetane improvement • Single stage units based upon non-noble metal catalysts • MHC an attractive option along with FCC • Hydrocracking process for best quality diesel

12. R&D’s role • Technologies For Environ-friendly Fuels • Tailor-made Catalysts / Additives • Technologies For Future • Alternate Fuels

13. Technologies For Environ-friendly Fuels Conversion of Naphtha to LPG & MS: • Hydrocracking • Low pressure process of conversion of naphtha to auto-LPG and high octane, very low S MS component • Indalin + • Catalytic cracking process for conversion of naphtha to LPG and high-aromatics, low S MS component • Treating Process: IndeTreat/IndeSweet • Non-dispersive extractive process for desulfurisation of LPG and Naphtha Contd.

14. Technologies For Environ-friendly Fuels (Contd.) DHDS / DHDT • Development of Hydroprocessing technology for production of ultra low sulfur and high Cetane diesel • Commercialisation at BRPL (with EIL) and at Paradip (with EIL and Shell) • Development of high performance DHDS catalyst • Hydrodynamic studies & development of reactor internals (with EIL) Adsorptive desulfurisation • Reactive adsorption based process for desulfruisation • Most suitable as a finishing reactor Isomerisation • Development of zeolyte based catalyst (jointly with IIP) • Process development

15. Tailor-Made Catalysts / Additives FCC catalysts & additives – Developed & commercialized by Indian Oil • Lotus-24 (Catalyst with higher LPG yield) • i-Max / Super i-Max (ZSM-5 additive) Hydrocracking catalyst – Developed by Indian Oil • IZV (Along with M/s Zeolyst International) – For increase in LPG make (Commercialised) • IZN (Naphtha hydrocracking to LPG)

16. Technologies for future Coal/residue/biomass gasification - Production of premium liquid fuels, hydrogen and / or power • Reactivity studies for Indian coal, petroleum residue, biomass and combination • Pilot plants for feasibility data generation Gas to liquid technologies - High quality middle distillates • Development of catalysts • Pilot plant studies

17. Technologies for future Bio-oil refining • Thermochemical Routes from Biomass to H2 • Gasification/Water-Gas Shift • Supercritical Steam/Water Conversion • Pyrolysis/Steam Reforming • Does not require tricky gas clean-up step Processing biomass has nearly zero net CO2 impact

18. Technologies for future Pyrolysis/Steam Reforming • Liquid bio-oil can be pumped and has higher energy volumetric density than biomass • Can be processed in distributed systems • or at locations with existing hydrogen infrastructure in large-scale centralized reformers (earlier concept) • Can be co-processed with traditional fossil feedstocks • Biorefinery Integration • Produce from residues

19. Alternate Fuels Alternate fuels currently in use • CNG • LPG • Ethanol & Biodiesel Emerging fuels & engine technologies • Bio-fuels • Hydrogen • Electric vehicles • Fuel cells Considerable R&D activities in progress on bio-fuels, H2, HCNG, Fuel cells etc.

20. Hydrogen • Developments in H2 production from various sources – renewable & non-renewable • Environmental benefits realizable with use of H2 as neat fuel or in admixture with CNG in existing IC engines • High-energy conversion efficiencies & associated environmental benefits of emerging fuel cell technology • National Hydrogen Energy Board prepared an extensive report IOC-R&D the nodal agency for research on Hydrogen fuel

21. Summary • Environmental regulations have led to • Development in new processes / catalysts • Significant enhancement of catalyst performance • Re-orientation of technologies • Prominence of hydroprocessing • Innovative approach & new technologies and willingness to look beyond fossil fuels would sustain the industry in longer term

22. T H A N K Y O U