FLEXICOKING PROCESS

PROCESS DESCRIPTION:

The flexicoking process is a development of the fluid coking process

where only 2 wt% of coke is produced, thus most of the coke is used to heat
the feed. A fluidized bed is added to the process which acts as a gasifier in which
steam and air are injected to produce synthesis gas called Low Btu Gas (LBG).

The gasifier which operates at 816–982 Degree C (1500–1800 Degree F) produces

hot coke which remains after combustion. This coke flows into the middle vessel,
which acts as a heat exchanger to heat cold coke coming from the reactor. It
operates at 593 Degree C(1100Degree F). The operation of the reactor is the same
as fluid coker. The net coke is purged in the heater.

REACTIONS:-
CATALYSTS:

 The catalyst used has four major components: crystalline zeolite, matrix, binder, and filler.
Zeolite is the primary active component and can range from about 15 to 50 weight percent of
the catalyst.
 The zeolite is composed of silica and alumina tetrahedra with each tetrahedron having either
an aluminum or a silicon atom at the center and four oxygen atoms at the corners. It is
a molecular sieve with a distinctive lattice structure that allows only a certain size range of
hydrocarbon molecules to enter the lattice. In general, the zeolite does not allow molecules
larger than 8 to 10 nm to enter the lattice.
PERFORMANCE:
 Ninety-nine percent of a typical vacuum residuum is converted to liquid and gaseous products
and 99% of the metals in the feed are concentrated in the remaining 1% solid purge.
 Ninety-five percent of the feed sulfur can be recovered in conventional processes. Fifty percent
of the feed nitrogen is liberated as elemental nitrogen in the fuel gas
 the flexicoking unit is not expected to have significant GHG emissions directly from
the unit as low fuel is used for the process to function
 It is continuous process

RAW MATERIALS AND PRODUCTS:

Low-cost feeds such as deep-cut vacuum resid; atmospheric resid; oil sands bitumen; heavy
whole crudes and FCC are converted to high-value products.The FLEXICOKING technology
not only produces clean liquids of equivalent quantities and similar quality to Delayed
Coking, but also gasifies the low-value coke to produce a clean, highvalue flexigas that can
be used in place of natural gas and conventional fuel gas in refinery processes. Flexigas can
also be used to generate electric power and to produce H2, N2, and CO2.