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

A fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) control assembly to enhance control of a 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 one or more first processing units associated with the refining operation, the one or more first processing units comprising an FCC processing unit, and
• analyze the hydrocarbon feedstock sample, thereby to provide hydrocarbon feedstock sample spectra;
• (ii) a second spectroscopic analyzer positioned to:
• receive on-line a unit material sample of one more unit materials produced by one or more first processing units, the one or more unit materials comprising one or more of intermediate materials or unit product materials comprising FCC effluent, the first spectroscopic analyzer and the second spectroscopic analyzer calibrated so as to generate standardized spectral responses, and
• analyze the unit material sample, thereby to provide 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, thereby 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 unit material sample, prior to being supplied to the second spectroscopic analyzer, thereby to one or more of filter the unit material sample, change a temperature of the unit material sample, dilute the unit material sample in solvent, or degas the 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 unit material sample properties associated with the unit material sample based at least in part on the unit material sample spectra, and
• control, based at least in part on the one or more hydrocarbon feedstock sample properties and the one or more unit material sample properties, one or more of:
• a feedstock parameter associated with the hydrocarbon feedstock supplied to the one or more first processing units,
• content of the intermediate materials produced by one or more of the first processing units,
• operation of the one or more first processing units,
• content of the one or more unit materials, or
• operation of one or more second processing units positioned downstream relative to the one or more first processing units,
• so that the controlling results in enhancing accuracy of target content of one or more of the intermediate materials, the unit product materials, or downstream materials produced by the one or more second processing units, thereby to more responsively control the FCC processing assembly to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on target properties.

A fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process controller to enhance control of a fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) processing assembly associated with a refining operation, the FCC process controller being in communication with one or more spectroscopic analyzers and one or more first processing units, the FCC process controller being 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 unit material sample properties associated with a unit material sample based at least in part on unit material sample spectra generated by the one or more spectroscopic analyzers;
• and
• control, based at least in part on the one or more hydrocarbon feedstock sample properties and the one or more unit material sample properties, one or more of:
• (i) a feedstock parameter associated with the hydrocarbon feedstock supplied to the one or more first processing units,
• (ii) content of the intermediate materials produced by one or more of the first processing units,
• (iii) operation of the one or more first processing units,
• (iv) content of the one or more unit materials, or
• (v) operation of one or more second processing units positioned downstream relative to the one or more first processing units,
• so that the controlling results in enhancing accuracy of target content of one or more of the intermediate materials, the unit product materials, or downstream materials produced by the one or more second processing units, thereby to more responsively control the FCC process to achieve material outputs that more accurately and responsively converge on target properties.