Waste Heat Powered Ammonia Absorption Refrigeration Unit for LPG Recovery
An emerging DOE-sponsored technology has been deployed. The technology recovers light ends from a catalytic reformer plant using waste heat powered ammonia absorption refrigeration. It is deployed at the 17,000 bpd Bloomfield, New Mexico refinery of Western Refining Company. The technology recovers approximately 50,000 barrels per year of liquefied petroleum gas that was formerly being flared. The elimination of the flare also reduces CO2 emissions by 17,000 tons per year, plus tons per year reductions in NOx, CO, and VOCs. The waste heat is supplied directly to the absorption unit from the Unifiner effluent. The added cooling of that stream relieves a bottleneck formerly present due to restricted availability of cooling water. The 350oF Unifiner effluent is cooled to 260oF. The catalytic reformer vent gas is directly chilled to minus 25oF, and the FCC column overhead reflux is chilled by 25oF glycol. Notwithstanding a substantial cost overrun and schedule slippage, this project can now be considered a success: it is both profitable and highly beneficial to the environment. The capabilities of directly-integrated waste-heat powered ammonia absorption refrigeration and their benefits to the refining industry have been demonstrated.
- Research Organization:
- Giant Industries, Inc. aka Western Refining Co.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG36-03GO13128
- OSTI ID:
- 932507
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/GO/13128; TRN: US200815%%672
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
ABSORPTION
AMMONIA
AVAILABILITY
COST OVERRUNS
PETROLEUM
REFINING
REFRIGERATION
SCHEDULES
WASTE HEAT
WATER
waste heat utilization
low level waste heat
LPG Recovery
absorption
chilling
flare
light ends recovery