Crude oil is a scarce resource. It is distilled thoroughly at an oil refinery, passes through a series of chemical processes and is transformed into useful products: gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, paraffins, aviation fuel. The main part of the operational costs of the refinery is the price of crude oil, which is 80-90% of the cash flows. Refinery profits are a direct result of the refinery’s strategy to purchase cheap feedstock and to produce distillates with high market value.
Challenges in crude oil processing
Due to the variety of crude oil purchased by most refineries, the material properties vary greatly, while the production process requires homogeneous and stable materials to ensure the quality and productivity of the upcoming refining process.
Blending of crude oils
Blending of different types of crude oil is carried out either by contractors or by the refineries themselves. Crude oil homogenisation improves oil’s chemical and physical properties and allows crude oil to be obtained at the lowest cost. This oil can be processed at the refinery and can be a source of a high-quality distillate.
Different types of crude oil are blended in certain proportions according to different recipes. Various grades of blended oil can be obtained in this way. The properties of these grades meet the requirements of further processing.
Traditional vs modern blending methods
Oil refineries use different methods and processes of oil blending to achieve the desired composition of the blend. Traditionally, blending took place in a tank, where all the components are fed and blended until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. But the realization of this method of blending required significant capital investments and time.
Blending ingredients in the flow is more modern. Its principle implies that all components are continuously and simultaneously passed in the required ratio through a static blender, providing the final blend of the required quality.
GlobeCore USB crude oil homogenizer
To implement this process, GlobeCore company developed the USB crude oil hydrodynamic cavitation homogenizer.
Blending oils in the USB homogenizer is done in a flow, unlike the tank method. Various crude oils (from 2 to 7 grades) are supplied in any proportion and with the possibility of precise adjustment of their ratio. At the same time, USB homogenizer productivity is up to 100 cubic meters per hour and more. The effectiveness of USB homogenizers is due to the impact of shock waves, which cause the crushing of long organic chains of oil with the formation of new radicals. It makes the obtaining of completely new compounds possible.
The pre-selected ratio between different oils ensures producing a blending grade of oil of the required quality. Blending oils in the USB homogenizer in a flow allows real-time adjustment of the blend composition by changing the ingredients and by changing the proportions between them. The blend is produced instantly, eliminating the need for additional blending or stabilization tanks at refineries.
Advantages of USB flow blending
Advantages of blending in a flow with the use of USB homogenizer over blending in tank include:
- Compliance of processed raw materials with specifications throughout the blending process;
- Less capital investment in tanks for blending and less stored products;
- USB homogenizer does not take up much space, allowing production space savings;
- Quick reaction to raw material market fluctuations and rapid changes in production planning.
In addition to blending different grades of crude oil, USB homogenizers can also be used as an additive device to improve the properties of both crude oil and the finished oil product. Blends produced with the use of USB blenders can be stored from 30 to 180 days depending on the recipe. Blended gasoline, for example, does not stratify for at least 180 days. Therefore, GlobeCore equipment can be used both by companies that offer blending services and by oil refineries directly.