Refinery indexes fuels for cogen system to crude slate
One way refineries can keep energy costs low is to more fully integrate the crude-processing operation with power production. For example, Hawaiian Independent Refinery Inc. (HIR), a subsidiary of Pacific Resources Inc., Oahu, operates a gas-turbine/heat-recovery steam-generator (HRSG) cogeneration system (photo), rated at 18-19 MW, that burns diesel fuel plus a variety of refinery products and surplus hydrocarbons-including propane, butane, and naphtha (naphtha refers to several compounds that have boiling points between gasoline and kerosene-such as hexane or other C/sub 6/ type material, octane, and compounds with two benzene rings). Depending on the particular crude oil being refined and prevailing marketing conditions, there are varying amounts of these hydrocarbons available as an economical fuel source. Providing the flexibility to burn them posed interesting challenges to the gas-turbine supplier (General Electric Co., Schenectady, NY), cogeneration-unit packager (Stewart and Stevenson Services Inc., Houston), and the architect/engineer (Ebasco Services Inc., Santa Ana, Calif.). First of all, the approach required two independent fuel feeds: a rich-fuel system and a lean-fuel system. Second, HIR specified that it wanted to feed all fuels in the liquid state. Finally, the controls had to allow operators to switch fuels automatically as they became available-without upsetting power production. The gas turbine chosen is the LM 2500. Project participants indicate that this is the first one designed to run solely on liquid fuels. For that matter, the refinery is one of the first to incorporate such fuel flexibility into power generation.
- OSTI ID:
- 5648945
- Journal Information:
- Power; (United States), Journal Name: Power; (United States) Vol. 130:2; ISSN POWEA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
020400* -- Petroleum-- Processing
025000 -- Petroleum-- Combustion
BOILERS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COGENERATION
COMBUSTION
DEUS
DIESEL FUELS
ENERGY RECOVERY
ENERGY SYSTEMS
FUEL SUBSTITUTION
FUELS
GAS TURBINES
HEAT RECOVERY
HYDROCARBONS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LIQUID FUELS
MACHINERY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDATION
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
PETROLEUM REFINERIES
POWER GENERATION
POWER RANGE 10-100 MW
RECOVERY
STEAM GENERATION
STEAM GENERATORS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TURBINES
TURBOMACHINERY
VAPOR GENERATORS
WASTE HEAT BOILERS
WASTE HEAT UTILIZATION
WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION