Rechecking of the heat exchange system to increase production capacity at the “Sergio Soto Valdés” oil refinery in Cabaiguán

Abstract

In the present work an evaluation study of the network exchange system of the atmospheric distillation section of the Refinery "Sergio Soto Valdés" in Cabaiguán is carried out, which included the heat exchange network formed by 9 exchangers, 3 coolers, 2 condensers and the F-101 crude furnace, to analyze if the system is capable of assimilating the expected increases in oil processing from 500 to 1000 tons per hour. For this evaluation, the method proposed by Kern was used, taking as a decision criterion that the excess area was not less than 10%. For the evaluation of the furnace, the Lobo and Evans method was used, with a modified Stefan - Boltzmann type equation, as this is the method most used in the design and evaluation of these equipment. As a result, it was obtained that 3 heat exchangers, the three coolers and the furnace do not satisfy the necessary heat transfer area for the new expected increase. Finally, the acquisition cost of this equipment was calculated, obtaining a value of USD 1140500.