Assemblies and methods for enhancing control of hydrotreating and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) processes using spectroscopic analyzers

A fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) control assembly to enhance control of a hydrotreating and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process associated with a refining operation, the FCC control assembly comprising:

• (i) a first spectroscopic analyzer positioned to:
• receive a hydrocarbon feedstock sample of a hydrocarbon feedstock positioned to be supplied to a cat feed hydrotreater (CFH) processing unit associated with the refining operation and positioned to produce CFH unit material, the hydrocarbon feedstock having one or more hydrocarbon feedstock properties, and
• analyze the hydrocarbon feedstock sample to provide hydrocarbon feedstock sample spectra;
• (ii) a second spectroscopic analyzer positioned to:
• receive a CFH unit material sample of the CFH unit material produced by the CFH processing unit, and
• analyze the CFH unit material sample to provide CFH unit material sample spectra;
• (iii) a sample conditioning assembly positioned to one or more of:
• condition the hydrocarbon feedstock sample, prior to being supplied to the first spectroscopic analyzer, to one or more of filter the hydrocarbon feedstock sample, change a temperature of the hydrocarbon feedstock sample, dilute the hydrocarbon feedstock sample in solvent, or degas the hydrocarbon feedstock sample, or
• condition the CFH unit material sample, prior to being supplied to the second spectroscopic analyzer, to one or more of filter the CFH unit material sample, change a temperature of the CFH unit material sample, dilute the CFH unit material sample, or degas the CFH unit material sample;
• and
• (iv) an FCC process controller in communication with the first spectroscopic analyzer and the second spectroscopic analyzer, the FCC process controller configured to:
• predict one or more hydrocarbon feedstock sample properties associated with the hydrocarbon feedstock sample based at least in part on the hydrocarbon feedstock sample spectra,
• predict one or more CFH unit material sample properties associated with the CFH unit material sample based at least in part on the CFH unit material sample spectra, and
• control, during the FCC process, based at least in part on the one or more hydrocarbon feedstock sample properties or the one or more CFH unit material sample properties, one or more of:
• (a) one or more hydrocarbon feedstock properties associated with the hydrocarbon feedstock supplied to the CFH processing unit,
• (b) one or more CFH material properties associated with the CFH unit material supplied to the one or more first processing units,
• (c) one or more intermediates properties associated with intermediate materials produced by one or more first processing units comprising an FCC processing unit,
• (d) operation of the CFH processing unit,
• (e) operation of the one or more first processing units,
• (f) one or more unit materials properties associated with one or more unit materials produced by the one or more first processing units, or
• (g) operation of one or more second processing units positioned downstream relative to the one or more first processing units,
• so that the controlling causes the FCC process to produce one or more of:
• (aa) one or more CFH unit materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more CFH materials,
• (bb) one or more intermediate materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more intermediate materials,
• (cc) one or more unit materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more unit materials, or
• (dd) one or more downstream materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more downstream materials,
• thereby to cause the FCC process to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on one or more of the target properties.

A fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process controller to enhance control of a hydrotreating and fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process associated with a refining operation, the FCC process controller in communication with one or more spectroscopic analyzers and a cat feed hydrotreater (CFH) processing unit associated with the refining operation and positioned to produce CFH unit material, the FCC process controller configured to:

• predict one or more hydrocarbon feedstock sample properties associated with a hydrocarbon feedstock sample based at least in part on hydrocarbon feedstock sample spectra generated by the one or more spectroscopic analyzers;
• predict one or more CFH unit material sample properties associated with a CFH unit material sample based at least in part on CFH unit material sample spectra generated by the one or more spectroscopic analyzers;
• and
• control, during the FCC process, based at least in part on the one or more hydrocarbon feedstock sample properties or the one or more CFH unit material sample properties, one or more of:
• (i) one or more hydrocarbon feedstock properties associated with hydrocarbon feedstock supplied to the CFH processing unit,
• (ii) one or more CFH material properties associated with CFH unit material supplied to the one or more first processing units,
• (iii) one or more intermediates properties associated with intermediate materials produced by one or more first processing units comprising an FCC processing unit,
• (iv) operation of the CFH processing unit,
• (v) operation of the one or more first processing units,
• (vi) one or more unit materials properties associated with one or more unit materials produced by the one or more first processing units, or
• (vii) operation of one or more second processing units positioned downstream relative to the one or more first processing units,
• so that the control causes the FCC process to produce one or more of:
• (a) one or more CFH unit materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more CFH materials,
• (b) one or more intermediate materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more intermediate materials,
• (c) one or more unit materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more unit materials, or
• (d) one or more downstream materials each having one or more properties within a selected range of one or more target properties of the one or more downstream materials,
• thereby to cause the FCC process to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on one or more of the target properties.