Page 17 - Fluid Catalytic Cracking Handbook
P. 17
Fluid Catalytic Cracking Handbook
Products
Regen
Flue
Gas
Transfer
Line
Reactor
Air Blower
Figure 1-1. Typical schematic of Exxon's flexicracker,
is to convert high-boiling petroleum fractions called gas oil to high-
value, high-octane gasoline and heating oil. Gas oil is the portion of
crude oil that commonly boils in the 650+°F to 1,050+°F (330° to
550°C) range. Feedstock properties are discussed in Chapter 2.
Before proceeding, it is helpful to examine how a typical cat cracker
fits into the refinery process. A petroleum refinery is composed of
several processing units that convert raw crude oil into usable products
such as gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel (Figure 1-4).
The crude unit is the first unit in the refining process. Here, the
raw crude is distilled into several intermediate products: naphtha,
kerosene, diesel, and gas oil. The heaviest portion of the crude oil,
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