FUELS TECHNOLOGIES

FLEXICOKING Conversion Technology

Upgrading heavy hydrocarbons with proven costeffective, integrated coke gasication
FLEXICOKING is a commercially proven, continuous uid bed technology that thermally converts heavy oils (such as vacuum resid, atmospheric resid, oil sands bitumen, heavy whole crudes, deasphalter bottoms, or FCC bottoms) to lighter more valuable products. FLEXICOKING is an integrated process that provides greater exibility when upgrading residuum, producing both clean liquid products as well as a fuel gas or natural gas substitute. FLEXICOKING essentially eliminates petroleum coke production, while providing an economical fuel for renery furnaces and boilers. Expect these advantages: Continuous uid bed thermal conversion process with integrated coke gasication to produce a clean fuel gas or natural gas substitute Low value coke provides process heat for both coking and gasication reaction Clean FLEXICOKING gas burns well in easily modied burners in a variety of furnaces, heaters, and boilers within the renery or can be sold to nearby plants as fuel Flexibility to handle a great variety of feed types, especially those with high metals, sulfur, Conradson Carbon Residue (CCR). Capability to upgrade very heavy feeds at the resource site or at the renery, wherever the low cost clean fuel gas substitute can be best utilized Large single train capacity provides an economy of scale that lowers investment cost per unit of throughput. Can process up to 100 KB/SD of 20-plus wt% Conradson Carbon vacuum resid in a single reactor High reliability with service factors routinely exceeding 90%

How FLEXICOKING Works

Feed (typically 1050F/565C-plus vacuum resid) enters the scrubber (1) for integrated direct contact heat exchange with reactor overhead efuent vapors. The scrubber condenses higher boiling hydrocarbons in the reactor Simplied FLEXICOKING Flowplan efuent (typically > 975F/525C) and tertiary cyclones low BTU gas recycles these along with the fresh to cleanup feed to the reactor. Lighter overhead steam generation to fractionator vapors are sent to conventional 5 scrubber fractionation and light ends recovery. In venturi scrubber resid the reactor (2), feed is thermally feed 1 slurry dry fines cracked to a full range of liquid heater reactor products and coke. Coke inventory is maintained by 3 2 4 gasifier transferring bed coke from the reactor to the heater (3) via a transfer line. Hot coke from the heater is circulated back steam to the reactor (through coke transfer air blower line), supplying the heat necessary to maintain reactor temperature and to

sustain thermal cracking reactions. Excess coke is sent to the gasier (4) where the coke reacts with air and steam to produce a clean fuel gas (Flexigas) that can be used in boilers and furnaces, backing out purchased fuel gas. Approximately 97% of the coke generated in the reactor is consumed in the process, with a small amount of product coke recovered from the nes system (5).

Yield, on Feed Reactor Gas, C 4 11 wt%

Product Dispositions Refinery Fuel/Sales H2 Manufacture LPG Recovery Alkylation Feed

Coker Naphtha

15 - 20 wt%

Mogas Blending Refinery Fuel/Sales Petrochemical Feed Middle Distillate FCC/Hydrocracking Feed Petrochemical Feed FCC/Hydrocracking Feed Fuel Oil

Kuwait 1050F+ Vac. Resid 25 wt%CCR

Reactor/ Scrubber/ Fractionator

Hvy. Coker Gas Oil 35 - 36 wt% Lt. Coker Gas Oil 12 - 14 wt%

FLEXICOKING Products
The FLEXICOKING process produces a full range of products, from a C4- reactor gas stream through a full range of liquid products to a minimal product coke stream. It also produces a clean fuel gas via gasication of the majority of the gross coke produced in the reactor.

Flexigas Gross Coke (30wt%)

0. 2 FOEB/ Bbl Feed

Alternative to Fuel Gas Steam Generation Power Generation

Heater/ Gasifier
Net Coke

4 wt%

Power Generation Cement Industry Fuel Metals Recovery

The reactor gas stream is typically sent to a light ends plant in order to produce a C2- fuel gas, C3's for alkylation unit feed, chemical feedstock, or LPG, and C4's for mogas blending. The liquid products are typically cut into three fractions. The coker naphtha is sent to a hydrotreater and then used as reformer feedstock or for mogas blending. The light and heavy coker gas oils are used as FCC, hydrocracker, or petrochemical feed. While most of the coke is gasied, a small amount is produced from the FLEXICOKING process. The nes are used in metallurgical, metals recovery, and fuels applications. Product uid coke can be withdrawn from the heater to adjust the gasication level. This coke has a lower sulfur content compared to the coke produced in the reactor, making it attractive for sale.

Flexibility is Key
As the name implies, FLEXICOKING is a very exible process. There are two main reasons for this exibility. The rst is adaptability in the liquid product draws. Typically, the 975F/525C+ liquid is recycled to extinction from the scrubber back to the reactor. However, with minor modications to the scrubber, this stream can be withdrawn as an additional product. This is typically referred to as extra heavy coker gas oil, and is often blended into the renery fuel oil stock. Elimination of recycle typically results in an increase in liquid products of 4 - 6 wt% on fresh feed, reducing the overall reactor gas and coke make. Secondly, FLEXICOKING provides versatility in the gasication of coke. Adjusting the amount of coke gasied allows the rener to produce more or less fuel gas substitute depending on site needs. Since this clean gas can be used in furnaces or boilers, it can provide fuel for a wide range of processes, backing out the amount of expensive natural gas purchased by the renery. Additional process congurations including Dual Gasication FLEXICOKING enable the production of syngas and/or hydrogen.

Our Experience and Path Forward

There are at least ve units in operation with about 200 KB/SD of capacity. With the current projected high price of natural gas, FLEXICOKING technology is an excellent market t. It is more efcient than hydroconversion and other thermal conversion process alternatives, especially when deep conversion is needed. Compared with POx, IGCC and other approaches, FLEXICOKING has signicantly lower capital investment when gas or electric power is needed.
To learn more about ExxonMobil's rening technologies available for license, contact: ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company Technology Sales & Licensing 3225 Gallows Road Fairfax, Virginia 22037-0001 phone (703) 846-2568; fax (703) 846-2725 http://www.exxonmobil.com/reningtechnologies FLEXICOKING is a trademark and proprietary process name of Exxon Mobil Corporation or its afliates.