# US 10,502,494 B2 · Systems for recovery and re-use of waste energy in crude oil refining facility and aromatics complex through simultaneous intra-plant integration and plants' thermal coupling > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,502,494 B2 - Document ID: US10502494B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/833,639 - Filed: 2017-12-06 - Published: 2018-04-05 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2015-08-24 - Assignees: Saudi Arabian Oil Company - Applicants: Saudi Arabian Oil Company - Inventors: Mahmoud Bahy Mahmoud Noureldin; Hani Mohammed Al Saed - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10502494B2 ## CPC - F28D 7/0083: {with units having particular arrangement relative to a supplementary heat exchange medium, e.g. with interleaved units or with adjacent units arranged in common flow of supplementary heat exchange medium} - B01D 3/007: {Energy recuperation; Heat pumps} - B01D 3/32: Other features of fractionating columns {; Constructional details of fractionating columns not provided for in groups B01D3/16 - B01D3/30} - B01D 51/10: Conditioning the gas to be cleaned - B01D 53/047: Pressure swing adsorption - B01D 53/1462: {Removing mixtures of hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide} - B01D 53/185: {Liquid distributors} - B01D 53/343: {Heat recovery} - B01D 53/48: Sulfur compounds - B01D 53/8603: {Removing sulfur compounds} - B01D 53/96: Regeneration, reactivation or recycling of reactants - C01B 3/24: of hydrocarbons - C01B 3/34: by reaction of hydrocarbons with gasifying agents - C02F 1/586: {by removing ammoniacal nitrogen (for biological methods C02F3/00)} - C07C 7/08: by extractive distillation - C10G 33/06: with mechanical means, e.g. by filtration - C10G 35/04: Catalytic reforming - C10G 45/00: Refining of hydrocarbon oils using hydrogen or hydrogen-generating compounds - C10G 45/02: to eliminate hetero atoms without changing the skeleton of the hydrocarbon involved and without cracking into lower boiling hydrocarbons; Hydrofinishing - C10G 45/44: Hydrogenation of the aromatic hydrocarbons - C10G 47/00: Cracking of hydrocarbon oils, in the presence of hydrogen or hydrogen- generating compounds, to obtain lower boiling fractions (C10G15/00 takes precedence; destructive hydrogenation of non-melting solid carbonaceous or similar materials C10G1/06) - C10G 65/00: Treatment of hydrocarbon oils by two or more hydrotreatment processes only - C10G 65/12: including cracking steps and other hydrotreatment steps - C10G 69/00: Treatment of hydrocarbon oils by at least one hydrotreatment process and at least one other conversion process (C10G67/00 takes precedence) - C10K 3/04: reducing the carbon monoxide content {, e.g. water-gas shift [WGS]} - C10L 3/101: {Removal of contaminants} - C10L 3/103: {Sulfur containing contaminants} - C10L 3/104: {Carbon dioxide} - F01D 17/145: {by means of valves, e.g. for steam turbines (valves in general F16K)} - F01K 3/185: {using waste heat from outside the plant (F02G5/00 takes precedence)} - F01K 13/00: General layout or general methods of operation of complete plants - F01K 13/02: Controlling, e.g. stopping or starting - F01K 23/06: combustion heat from one cycle heating the fluid in another cycle - F01K 23/064: {in combination with an industrial process, e.g. chemical, metallurgical} - F01K 25/06: using mixtures of different fluids (plants using mixtures of steam and gas F01K21/04) - F01K 25/08: using special vapours - F01K 27/00: Plants for converting heat or fluid energy into mechanical energy, not otherwise provided for - F01K 27/02: Plants modified to use their waste heat, other than that of exhaust, e.g. engine-friction heat - F28F 9/26: Arrangements for connecting different sections of heat-exchange elements, e.g. of radiators (connecting different sections in water heaters F24H9/14 {, connecting headers with inlet or outlet fittings F28F9/0246}) - H02K 7/1823: {structurally associated with turbines or similar engines} - B01D 2252/204: Amines - C01B 2203/0227: containing a catalytic reforming step - C01B 2203/0233: the reforming step being a steam reforming step - C01B 2203/0283: containing a CO-shift step, i.e. a water gas shift step - C01B 2203/043: Regenerative adsorption process in two or more beds, one for adsorption, the other for regeneration - C01B 2203/127: Catalytic desulfurisation - C02F 2101/10: Inorganic compounds - C02F 2101/101: {Sulfur compounds} - C02F 2101/16: Nitrogen compounds, e.g. ammonia - C02F 2103/18: from the purification of gaseous effluents - C02F 2103/36: from the manufacture of organic compounds - C10G 2300/202: Heteroatoms content, i.e. S, N, O, P - C10G 2300/207: Acid gases, e.g. H2S, COS, SO2, HCN - C10G 2300/4006: Temperature - C10G 2300/4056: Retrofitting operations - C10G 2400/04: Diesel oil - C10G 2400/30: Aromatics - C10L 2290/06: Heat exchange, direct or indirect - C10L 2290/541: Absorption of impurities during preparation or upgrading of a fuel - Y02P 20/129: Energy recovery, e.g. by cogeneration, H2recovery or pressure recovery turbines - Y02P 30/00: Technologies relating to oil refining and petrochemical industry - F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general) - B01D: SEPARATION (separating solids from solids by wet methods B03B, B03D; by pneumatic jigs or tables B03B; by other dry methods B07; magnetic or electrostatic separation of solid materials from solid materials or fluids, separation by high-voltage electric fields B03C; centrifuges, vortex apparatus B04; presses per se for squeezing-out liquid from liquid-containing material B30B9/02; treatment of water C02F, e.g. softening by ion-exchange C02F1/42; {arrangements of air intake cleaners in gas turbine plants F02C7/05} ; arrangements or mounting of filters in air-conditioning, air-humidification or ventilation F24F13/28) - C01B: NON-METALLIC ELEMENTS; COMPOUNDS THEREOF; {METALLOIDS OR COMPOUNDS THEREOF NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASS C01C} - C02F: TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE (separation in general B01D; special arrangements on waterborne vessels of installations for treating water, waste water or sewage, e.g. for producing fresh water, B63J; adding materials to water to prevent corrosion C23F; treating radioactively-contaminated liquids G21F9/04; regeneration of reactants for recirculation into processes, see the relevant places for the processes) - C07C: ACYCLIC OR CARBOCYCLIC COMPOUNDS - C10G: CRACKING HYDROCARBON OILS; PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON MIXTURES, e.g. BY DESTRUCTIVE HYDROGENATION, OLIGOMERISATION, POLYMERISATION (cracking to hydrogen or synthesis gas C01B; cracking or pyrolysis of hydrocarbon gases to individual hydrocarbons or mixtures thereof of definite or specified constitution C07C; cracking to cokes C10B); RECOVERY OF HYDROCARBON OILS FROM OIL-SHALE, OIL-SAND, OR GASES; REFINING MIXTURES MAINLY CONSISTING OF HYDROCARBONS; REFORMING OF NAPHTHA; MINERAL WAXES - C10K: PURIFYING OR MODIFYING THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF COMBUSTIBLE GASES CONTAINING CARBON MONOXIDE - C10L: FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G OR C10K; LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS; USE OF ADDITIVES TO FUELS OR FIRES; FIRE-LIGHTERS - F01D: NON-POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT MACHINES OR ENGINES, e.g. STEAM TURBINES (machines or engines for liquids F03; non-positive displacement pumps F04D) - F01K: STEAM ENGINE PLANTS; STEAM ACCUMULATORS; ENGINE PLANTS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ENGINES USING SPECIAL WORKING FLUIDS OR CYCLES (gas-turbine or jet-propulsion plants F02; nuclear power plants, engine arrangements therein G21D) - F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16) - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract Configurations and related processing schemes of direct or indirect (or both) intra-plants and thermally coupled heating systems synthesized for grassroots medium grade crude oil semi-conversion refineries to increase energy efficiency from specific portions of low grade waste heat sources are described. Configurations and related processing schemes of direct or indirect (or both) intra-plants and thermally coupled heating systems synthesized for integrated medium grade crude oil semi-conversion refineries and aromatics complex for increasing energy efficiency from specific portions of low grade waste sources are also described. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: an aromatics plant of a crude oil refining facility, the aromatics plant configured to perform at least one oil refining process, the aromatics plant comprising a plurality of aromatics plant sub-units flowing a plurality of streams at respective temperatures flowing between the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units, the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units comprising an aromatics complex xylene products separation unit and an aromatics complex benzene extraction unit; a first oil refining plant of a plurality of oil refining plants of the crude oil refining facility, the first oil refining plant being different from the aromatics plant, the first oil refining plant comprises a sulfur recovery plant; a flow control system connected to the aromatics plant and the plurality of oil refining plants, the flow control system configured to: flow one or more of the plurality of streams of the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units to a heat exchanger system, wherein the one or more of the plurality of streams comprise a raffinate overhead stream in the aromatics complex xylene products separation unit, a benzene column bottoms stream in the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit, or a raffinate splitter column bottoms stream in the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit; and flow a stream from the first oil refining plant to the heat exchanger system, wherein the stream from the first oil refining plant comprises an amine regenerator bottoms stream in a sulfur recovery plant of the plurality of oil refining plants; and the heat exchanger system comprising a first heat exchanger configured to transfer heat from one or more of the plurality of streams to the stream from the first oil refining plant. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger system is configured to directly heat the stream from the first oil refining plant using the plurality of streams from the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein, to directly heat the stream from the first oil refining plant, the heat exchanger system comprises: the first heat exchanger configured to heat the amine regenerator bottoms stream in the sulfur recovery plant of the plurality of oil refining plants using a first branch of the raffinate overhead stream; a second heat exchanger configured to heat the benzene column bottoms stream in the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit of the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units using a second branch of the raffinate overhead stream; and a third heat exchanger configured to heat the raffinate splitter column bottoms stream in the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit using a third branch of the raffinate overhead stream, and wherein the flow control system is configured to: flow the heated amine regenerator bottoms stream to the sulfur recovery plant, and flow the heated benzene column bottoms stream and the heated raffinate splitter column bottoms stream to the aromatics plant. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The system of claim 3, wherein the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in parallel. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units comprises an aromatics complex xylene products separation unit and an aromatics complex benzene extraction unit, wherein the first oil refining plant comprises a sour water stripper plant in the crude oil facility and wherein, to directly heat the stream from the first oil refining plant, the heat exchanger system comprises: the first heat exchanger configured to heat a sour water stripper bottom stream in the sour water stripper plant using a first branch of the raffinate overhead stream; a second heat exchanger configured to heat a benzene column bottoms stream in the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit using a second branch of the raffinate overhead stream; and a third heat exchanger configured to heat a raffinate splitter column bottoms stream in the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit using a third branch of the raffinate overhead stream, and wherein the flow control system is configured to flow the heated sour water stripper bottom stream, the heated benzene column bottoms stream and the heated raffinate splitter column bottoms stream to the aromatics plant. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The system of claim 5, wherein the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in parallel. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the heat exchanger system is configured to indirectly heat the stream from the first oil refining plant through a buffer fluid using the multiple streams from the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein the buffer fluid comprises at least one of oil or water. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The system of claim 7, wherein, to indirectly heat the stream from the first oil refining plant using the multiple streams from the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units, the heat exchanger system comprises: the first heat exchanger configured to heat the buffer fluid using a raffinate overhead stream in the aromatics complex xylene products separation unit of the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the flow control system is configured to flow the heated buffer fluid to an amine regeneration plant separation section, and wherein the heat exchanger system comprises a second heat exchanger configured to heat an acid gas regenerator bottom stream in the amine regeneration plant separation section using the heated buffer fluid. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The system of claim 10, wherein the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in series. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The system of claim 9, wherein the flow control system is configured to: flow the heated buffer fluid to a collection header; split the heated buffer fluid into a first branch, a second branch and a third branch of the heated buffer fluid; flow the first branch of the heated buffer fluid to a sulfur recovery plant; and flow the second branch of the heated buffer fluid to an aromatics complex benzene extraction unit; and wherein the heat exchanger system is comprises: a second heat exchanger configured to heat an amine regenerator bottoms stream in the sulfur recovery plant using the first branch of the heated buffer fluid, and a third heat exchanger configured to heat a benzene column bottoms stream in the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit using the second branch of the heated buffer fluid. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the flow control system is configured to flow the heated buffer fluid to an aromatics complex benzene extraction unit, and wherein the heat exchanger system comprises a fourth heat exchanger configured to heat a benzene column bottoms stream in the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit using the heated buffer fluid. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the flow control system is configured to: split the heated buffer fluid exiting the third heat exchanger into a first branch and a second branch of the heated buffer fluid; and flow the first branch of the heated buffer fluid to a sour water stripper plant, and flow the second branch of the heated buffer fluid to the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit; wherein the heat exchanger system comprises: a fifth heat exchanger configured to heat a sour water stripper bottom stream in the sour water stripper plant using the first branch of the heated buffer fluid; a sixth heat exchanger configured to heat a raffinate splitter column bottoms stream in the aromatics complex benzene extraction unit using the second branch of the heated buffer fluid. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The system of claim 12, wherein the first heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in series, wherein the second heat exchanger and the first exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in series, wherein the fourth heat exchanger and the third heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in series, wherein the second heat exchanger and the fourth heat exchanger are fluidically coupled to each other in parallel. ### Claim 16 A system comprising: a plurality of oil refining plants in a crude oil refining facility, each oil refining plant configured to perform at least one oil refining process including an aromatics plant comprising a plurality of aromatics sub-units, wherein a plurality of streams at respective temperatures flow between the plurality of oil refining plants; a flow control system configured to: flow multiple streams, each stream from a sub-unit of the plurality of aromatics plant sub-units to one or more heat exchangers, and flow a stream from a first oil refining plant of the plurality of oil refining plants, the first oil refining plant being different from the aromatics plant, to the one or more heat exchangers, a heat exchanger system comprising the one or more heat exchangers, which are configured to transfer heat from one or more of the multiple streams to the stream from the first oil refining plant, wherein the stream in the first oil refining plant comprises an acid gas regenerator bottom stream comprising a weak amine salt in an amine regeneration plant separation section, wherein the multiple streams of the multiple aromatics plant sub-units comprise a raffinate overhead stream in an aromatics complex xylene products separation unit, and wherein the heat exchanger system is configured to directly heat the acid gas regenerator bottom stream using the raffinate column overheads stream. ### Claim 17 A system comprising: a plurality of oil refining plants of a crude oil refining facility, each oil refining plant configured to perform at least one oil refining process, wherein a plurality of streams at respective temperatures flow between the plurality of oil refining plants, wherein a stream in a first oil refining plant of the plurality of oil refining plants comprises an amine regeneration plant separation section acid gas regenerator bottom stream in an amine regeneration plant separation section, wherein a stream in an aromatics plant of the plurality of oil refining plants comprises a raffinate overhead stream in an aromatics complex xylene products separation unit of the aromatics plant; a flow control system configured to: flow multiple streams, each stream from a sub-unit of a plurality of aromatics plant sub-units included in the aromatics plant, to one or more heat exchangers, wherein the multiple streams comprise the raffinate overhead stream, and flow the amine regeneration plant separation section acid gas regenerator bottom stream from the first oil refining plant, the first oil refining plant being different from the aromatics plant, to the one or more heat exchangers, wherein the one or more heat exchangers transfer heat from one or more of the multiple streams to the stream from the first oil refining plant; and a heat exchanger system comprising the one or more heat exchangers, which are configured to transfer heat from one or more of the multiple streams to the stream from the first oil refining plant, the one or more heat exchangers configured to: heat a buffer fluid using the raffinate column overheads stream in a first heat exchanger, and heat the amine regeneration plant separation section acid gas regenerator bottom stream using the heated buffer fluid stream in a second heat exchanger.