Slurry oil testing related to IMO2020

Date: 01-07-2019

Today the industry is heavily discussing on the sulphur content in the bunker fuel oil while only little attention is given to the cat fines content. Cat fines not only cause high PM (particulate matter) emission from combustion engines, but also cause wear and tear to cylinders and pistons in the ship engine. Cat fines are small catalytic particles used in the refinery to crack residues into lighter fractions. They entrain from the process as they are not being separated from the hydrocarbon product streams by the cyclones simply because these can't operate efficiently at smaller particle sizes. Catalytic fines consist predominantly of Aluminium (Al) and Silicon (Si).

For refiners, blending their slurry oil with low sulphur bunker fuels can generate significant higher revenues compared to current slurry oil destinations. Filtration of slurry oil however is required, to bring down PM below 50ppm.

Royal Dahlman has developed an elaborate slurry oil analysis and filtration test programme, that provides valuable insight for the design of reliable and robust filtration systems.

Sample analysis of slurry oil seems simple when following the common available test protocols (like; ISO 10307-1) but, there is much more information to gain than the outcome of these standard tests.
With the Turn Around (TAR) interval shifting to 6 years or even longer, it is necessary to eliminate any surprise that could negatively impact the operational reliability of the (R)FCCU. Next to sample analysis, extensive testing is performed on lab scale slurry oil filters to define the filtration characteristics and determine the optimal operating parameters.

This unique analysis and testing protocol has drawn the attention of (R)FCC licensors and operators. This approach enables Royal Dahlman to provide firm guarantees on performance, filter element lifetime and operating parameters, thus ensuring client operations.
For more information please contact our Sales team.