1. R&D in Refinery Processes for Fuel Quality Upgradation
National Workshop
Auto Fuel Policy – Way Forward
R&D in Refinery Processes for Fuel Quality Upgradation
R.P. Verma
Executive Director
Indian Oil Corporation Limited
R&D Centre, Faridabad

2. Current/future fuel specifications
Discussion on ……..
Current/future fuel specifications
Status & trends in technology for fuel quality upgradation
R&D’s role
Summary
The Hydrocdarbon industry has been passing through very turbulent and challenging times since last one decade. The increasingly stringent environmental regulations, emergence of Natural Gas as a serious competitor to liquid hydrocarbon fuels and soaring crude prices have opened newer perspectives and thrown extreme challenges to the industry. In response, industry have sought to convert these challenges to opportunities and the health of the industry would be determined by how successful we are in this endeavour.

3. Technologies used in Indian refineries for fuel quality upgradation
SULPHUR PLANT TAIL
GAS TREATING
ACID GAS
ISOMERIZATION
JET/DIESEL HT
GASOLINE
REFORMER LN HN
JET
DIESEL
HGO
ATM
TOWER SR
Coker / Visbreaker
JET/DIESEL HT
HCU/FCC
LSFO
LVGO
VAC
HCU
LCO
HVGO
VGO HT
FCCU
FCCG HDT
Crude

4. Environmental Regulations
Rapid changes in combustion technologies & fuel specifications induced by Legislative bodies
Recommendation of Euro / BS specifications for India by Mashelkar Committee

5. Gasoline Specification - Trend
Environmental regulations on gasoline quality, which began with removal of lead from gasoline in the seventies and eighties, were initiated in USA and then spread to other regions. Further regulations e.g. Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) sought to reduce ozone precursors. Following the world trend, the gasoline quality specification in India, too, has become very stringent. Newer specifications on Sulfur, Benzene, aromatics and olefins are changing the face of refining industry gradually and definitively. The production of gasoline meeting new specifications has been generally guided byLead phase out, Lower RVP, Benzene Content, Olefins Content, Oxygen Content & Sulfur Content.
* Proposed by World Fuel Charter

6. Effect of Gasoline Specifications on Major Parameters
Lower Sulfur content
Lower RVP
Lower benzene & aromatics
Lower olefin content
Limited Oxygen content
Environmental regulations on gasoline quality, which began with removal of lead from gasoline in the seventies and eighties, were initiated in USA and then spread to other regions. Further regulations e.g. Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) sought to reduce ozone precursors. Following the world trend, the gasoline quality specification in India, too, has become very stringent. Newer specifications on Sulfur, Benzene, aromatics and olefins are changing the face of refining industry gradually and definitively. The production of gasoline meeting new specifications has been generally guided byLead phase out, Lower RVP, Benzene Content, Olefins Content, Oxygen Content & Sulfur Content.

7. Technologies for Gasoline
Reformer (Major technology for MS)
Technological / operational change
Low pressure operation
Change to CCR from SR
Pre-fractionation for Benzene Spec
Integration with Isomerisation unit
FCC (Major technology for MS)
Use of low ‘S’ crude, Hydrocracker bottom/ Hydrotreated feed for ‘S’ spec
Use of desulfurisation additives
Selective desulfurisation of FCCG
Treatment of heart-cut of FCCG in reformer
Environmental regulations on gasoline quality, which began with removal of lead from gasoline in the seventies and eighties, were initiated in USA and then spread to other regions. Further regulations e.g. Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) sought to reduce ozone precursors. Following the world trend, the gasoline quality specification in India, too, has become very stringent. Newer specifications on Sulfur, Benzene, aromatics and olefins are changing the face of refining industry gradually and definitively. The production of gasoline meeting new specifications has been generally guided byLead phase out, Lower RVP, Benzene Content, Olefins Content, Oxygen Content & Sulfur Content.
Contd.

8. Technologies for Gasoline (Contd.)
Isomerisation
Ideal choice for upgrading light naphtha
Used for saturation of benzene also
Pt on Chlorinated alumina – most active catalyst
Zeolite catalyst based technology to be improved (more activity required)
Alkylation
No unit in India (High LPG demand)
Proven technology based upon HF / H2SO4 hazardous
Solid acid based process at development / demonstration stage
Environmental regulations on gasoline quality, which began with removal of lead from gasoline in the seventies and eighties, were initiated in USA and then spread to other regions. Further regulations e.g. Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) sought to reduce ozone precursors. Following the world trend, the gasoline quality specification in India, too, has become very stringent. Newer specifications on Sulfur, Benzene, aromatics and olefins are changing the face of refining industry gradually and definitively. The production of gasoline meeting new specifications has been generally guided byLead phase out, Lower RVP, Benzene Content, Olefins Content, Oxygen Content & Sulfur Content.

9. Diesel Specifications - Trend
While the drive to improve gasoline quality was initiated in USA, the tightening of diesel specification started from Sweden and California. Europe has a much higher percentage of diesel cars, and diesel regulations are of greater importance for improving the environment. Though it is difficult to correlate between the diesel properties and engine emission, some key properties have been identified which are considered to have major impact on emission. New specifications for diesel fuels are mainly guided by Low ‘S’, Low Aromatics & High Cetane.
* Proposed by World Fuel Charter

10. Effect of Diesel Specifications on Major Parameters
Low sulfur
Low aromatics / PAH
High cetane number
Lower density
Lower distillation end point
Environmental regulations on gasoline quality, which began with removal of lead from gasoline in the seventies and eighties, were initiated in USA and then spread to other regions. Further regulations e.g. Clean Air Act Amendment (CAAA) sought to reduce ozone precursors. Following the world trend, the gasoline quality specification in India, too, has become very stringent. Newer specifications on Sulfur, Benzene, aromatics and olefins are changing the face of refining industry gradually and definitively. The production of gasoline meeting new specifications has been generally guided byLead phase out, Lower RVP, Benzene Content, Olefins Content, Oxygen Content & Sulfur Content.

11. Technologies to meet Diesel specifications
DHDS for meeting sulfur specifications
Intensive research on DHDS catalyst for improving activity
Development of high performance internals
High Pressure DHDT/MHC for Cetane improvement
Single stage units based upon non-noble metal catalysts
MHC an attractive option along with FCC
Hydrocracking process for best quality diesel
Since the implementation of BIS-2000, all the refineries have installed DHDS units for meeting sulfur specification. Some refineries are installing high pressure diesel hydrotreatment unit for meeting the new Cetane number specfication. In addition, six new hydrocracker units have been set up and three more are being installed / commissioned for producing premium quality diesel and ATF.

12. R&D’s role Technologies For Environ-friendly Fuels
Tailor-made Catalysts / Additives
Technologies For Future
Alternate Fuels

13. Technologies For Environ-friendly Fuels
Conversion of Naphtha to LPG & MS:
Hydrocracking
Low pressure process of conversion of naphtha to auto-LPG and high octane, very low S MS component
Indalin +
Catalytic cracking process for conversion of naphtha to LPG and high-aromatics, low S MS component
Treating Process: IndeTreat/IndeSweet
Non-dispersive extractive process for desulfurisation of LPG and Naphtha
Contd.

14. Technologies For Environ-friendly Fuels (Contd.)
DHDS / DHDT
Development of Hydroprocessing technology for production of ultra low sulfur and high Cetane diesel
Commercialisation at BRPL (with EIL) and at Paradip (with EIL and Shell)
Development of high performance DHDS catalyst
Hydrodynamic studies & development of reactor internals (with EIL)
Adsorptive desulfurisation
Reactive adsorption based process for desulfruisation
Most suitable as a finishing reactor
Isomerisation
Development of zeolyte based catalyst (jointly with IIP)
Process development

15. Tailor-Made Catalysts / Additives
FCC catalysts & additives – Developed & commercialized by Indian Oil
Lotus-24 (Catalyst with higher LPG yield)
i-Max / Super i-Max (ZSM-5 additive)
Hydrocracking catalyst – Developed by Indian Oil
IZV (Along with M/s Zeolyst International) – For increase in LPG make (Commercialised)
IZN (Naphtha hydrocracking to LPG)

16. Technologies for future
Coal/residue/biomass gasification - Production of premium liquid fuels, hydrogen and / or power
Reactivity studies for Indian coal, petroleum residue, biomass and combination
Pilot plants for feasibility data generation
Gas to liquid technologies - High quality middle distillates
Development of catalysts
Pilot plant studies

17. Technologies for future
Bio-oil refining
Thermochemical Routes from Biomass to H2
Gasification/Water-Gas Shift
Supercritical Steam/Water Conversion
Pyrolysis/Steam Reforming
Does not require tricky gas clean-up step
Processing biomass has nearly zero net CO2 impact

18. Technologies for future
Pyrolysis/Steam Reforming
Liquid bio-oil can be pumped and has higher energy volumetric density than biomass
Can be processed in distributed systems
or at locations with existing hydrogen infrastructure in large-scale centralized reformers (earlier concept)
Can be co-processed with traditional fossil feedstocks
Biorefinery Integration
Produce from residues

19. Alternate Fuels
Alternate fuels currently in use
CNG
LPG
Ethanol & Biodiesel
Emerging fuels & engine technologies
Bio-fuels
Hydrogen
Electric vehicles
Fuel cells
Considerable R&D activities in progress on bio-fuels, H2, HCNG, Fuel cells etc.

20. Hydrogen IOC-R&D the nodal agency for research on Hydrogen fuel
Developments in H2 production from various sources – renewable & non-renewable
Environmental benefits realizable with use of H2 as neat fuel or in admixture with CNG in existing IC engines
High-energy conversion efficiencies & associated environmental benefits of emerging fuel cell technology
National Hydrogen Energy Board prepared an extensive report
IOC-R&D the nodal agency for research on Hydrogen fuel

21. Environmental regulations have led to
Summary
Environmental regulations have led to
Development in new processes / catalysts
Significant enhancement of catalyst performance
Re-orientation of technologies
Prominence of hydroprocessing
Innovative approach & new technologies and willingness to look beyond fossil fuels would sustain the industry in longer term
In conclusion it can be said, hydrocarbon fuel technology, in India, is going through challenging and exciting times. Environmental regulations, sky rocketing crude price, emergence of gas as a good alternative are changing the perspectives and bottom lines of the industry. In spite of the increasing competition, liquid hydrocarbons would remain its prime position, however, a lot of investment in new technologies has been done to meet the regulations and a lot would be required. Gas would increase its share and industry has to find economic disposal routes for displaced fuels, e.g. naphtha, FO. Bio fuels would also replace the liquid hydrocarbons in parts and in the long run, Hydrogen seems to be the future.

22. T H A N K
Y O U