Method and apparatus for distilling liquid hydrocarbon products

In an apparatus for distilling residue drawn from the bottom of an atmospheric distillation column of a crude oil refinery, the apparatus including a furnace in which said residue is heated to a maximum temperature allowable for avoiding thermal deterioration of the residue, a vacuum distillation column and means connecting the vacuum distillation column to the furnace, wherein the improvement comprises:

• at least one cyclonic separator, the pressure in said at least one cyclonic separator being intermediate between atmospheric pressure and the pressure maintained inside the vacuum distillation column,
• said at least one cyclonic separator including a feed inlet coupled to the furnace for receiving a residue to be vaporized, the inlet being arranged to place said residue into contact with a side wall of the at least one cyclonic separator;
• said at least one cyclonic separator including a conduit for collecting, in a central zone of the at least one cyclonic separator, a vapor phase formed in the at least one cyclonic separator;
• a conduit connecting the bottom part of the at least one cyclonic separator to the vacuum distillation column for introducing a remaining liquid phase of the residue into the column;
• means for heating the side wall of said at least one cyclonic separator to a temperature close to the maximum temperature allowable for avoiding thermal deterioration of the residue;
• and
• means for introducing into said vacuum distillation column at least a part of the vapor phase formed in said at least one cyclonic separator at a level of said column which is higher than the level of introduction of said liquid phase into said column;
• and
• wherein the at least one cyclonic separator comprises a plurality of cyclonic separators connected to each other, and wherein the means for connecting the conduit of the vapor phase in each cyclonic separator to the vacuum column comprises a main line directly connecting each vapor phase conduit to the vacuum column.

In an apparatus for distilling residue drawn from the bottom of an atmospheric distillation column of a crude oil refinery, the apparatus including a furnace in which said residue is heated to a maximum temperature allowable for avoiding thermal deterioration of the residue, and a vacuum distillation column connected to the furnace, wherein the improvement comprises:

• at least one cyclonic separator, the pressure in said at least one cyclonic separator being intermediate between atmospheric pressure and the pressure maintained inside the vacuum distillation column,
• said at least one cyclonic separator including a feed inlet coupled to the furnace for receiving a residue to be vaporized, the inlet being arranged to place said residue into contact with a side wall of the at least one cyclonic separator;
• said at least one cyclonic separator including a conduit for collecting, in a central zone of the at least one cyclonic separator, a vapor phase formed in the at least one cyclonic separator;
• a conduit connecting the bottom part of the at least one cyclonic separator to the vacuum distillation column for introducing a remaining liquid phase of the residue into the column;
• means for heating the side wall of said at least one cyclonic separator to a temperature close to the maximum temperature allowable for avoiding thermal deterioration of the residue;
• and
• means for introducing into said vacuum distillation column at least a part of the vapor phase formed in said cyclonic separator at a level of said column which is higher than the level of introduction of said liquid phase into said column;
• and wherein the at least one cyclonic separator comprises a plurality of cyclonic separators connected to each other, and wherein the means for connecting the conduit for the vapor phase in each cyclonic separator to the vacuum distillation column comprises a main line directly connecting the vapor phase conduit in each cyclonic separator to the vacuum distillation column, and, for at least some of the separators, a branch line connecting the vapor phase conduit in each cyclonic separator to said column at a height below the column connection of the main line from said vapor phase conduit.

In an apparatus for distilling residue drawn from the bottom of an atmospheric distillation column of a crude oil refinery, the apparatus including a furnace in which said residue is heated to a maximum temperature allowable for avoiding thermal deterioration of the residue, a vacuum distillation column and means for coupling the vacuum distillation column to the furnace for receiving said residue, wherein the improvement comprises

• a plurality of cyclonic separators connected to each other in series, the pressures inside the plurality of cyclonic separators decreasing successively in the range between atmospheric pressure and the pressure maintained in the vacuum distillation column,
• each of said cyclonic separators including a feed inlet, the feed inlet of a first cyclonic separator in the series of cyclonic separators being connected to the furnace for receiving the residue to be vaporized, the inlet being arranged to place said residue in contact with a side wall of the cyclonic separator,
• each of said cyclonic separators including a conduit for collecting, in a central zone of the cyclonic separator, a vapor phase formed on the cyclonic separator, said conduit having a vapor outlet, and
• each of said cyclonic separators including a liquid outlet at the bottom of the cyclonic separator, the liquid outlet of each cyclonic separator except the last in the series of cyclonic separators being connected to the feed inlet of the next cyclonic separator in the series;
• means for heating the side wall of each of the plurality of cyclonic separators to a temperature close to the maximum temperature allowable at the pressure maintained in the cyclonic separator for avoiding thermal deterioration of the residue;
• means for connecting the vapor outlets of the successive plurality of cyclonic separators directly to successively lower levels of the vacuum distillation column;
• and
• means for connecting the liquid outlet of the last cyclonic separator to the vacuum distillation column below the lowest connection level of the vapor outlets of the plurality of cyclonic separators.