REFINING INDIA 2025

refining india 2025

Exploratory data exploration and feature selection Develop overall trends and correlation – identify features, key tags – Descriptive analytics, Auto correlation, Heat Maps, Missing data treatment

Classication: Good vs poor Segregate dierent operating zone. Find groups or sets based upon data at hand. (Unsupervised) – Dimensionality reduction

Extract, Transform Load (ETL) data. Analyse the process and identify critical parameters/data set -SQL, Python, Matplotlib, Seaborn, pair plots etc.

Decision automation Decision aid

Prescriptive analytics (Oversight) What should happen?

Predictive analytics (Foresight) What will / might / can happen? Diagnostic analytics (Insight) Why is it happening / why did it happen? Descriptive analytics (Hindsight) What is happening / happened? Data analysis

Decision Action

Variable importance, optimisation Identifying the Contributing Parameters for deviations from best

Good operating zone Study the parameters behaviour for good and bad run

Translate Data Science outcome into Operation and Technology Language

Recommended operating zone

Manpower input

Figure 3 Data analytics evaluation in process industries¹

Figure 4 Data analytics model development stages

models. This will provide real-time insights into process operations in detail. ○ Data analytics model : This model is based on ML and AI. It excels in early event detection, developing soft sensors, and identifying optimal operating zones the actual performance and provides mul- tiple insights, including stage-wise hydrau- lics. It will also provide a stream summary of all the process streams, which can be used in downstream equipment and process units. The stream summary of compressor feed gas could be used for calculating the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the compressor. This kind of process model will enable the refinery to reach and sustain the optimum conditions at both the equipment level and the whole plant level. Naphthenic base oils: status and outlook ○ Interactive dashboards : The final key element is interactive dashboards that inte- grate high-quality data and value-added information derived from process models and data analytics for better visualisation and faster decision-making. Distillation Column Digital Twin Producing the right products in the correct quantities with minimum energy consump- tion from the given feedstocks presents challenges for efficiency management at the site level. The distillation column is the most widely used unit operation in down- stream facilities. Here, a mixture of hydro- carbons is separated into multiple fractions of streams based on their boiling points by utilising energy. Advanced process control (APC) may have been configured to minimise energy consumption. By using inferential models to predict the quality of product streams, APC will tend to reduce the reflux ratio and reboiling duty within set limits. While this approach may be close to optimal, there can still be gaps. This is where real-time process models come into play to achieve the correct reflux ratio. Once deployed online, after customisa- tion and tuning for matching column perfor- mance and lab results, a digital twin mimics

Rekha Misra IDS

Lube oil base stocks (LOBs) contain variable mixtures of paraffins, naphthenes (cyclopar- affins), and aromatics, with carbon numbers ranging from 15 to 50. These are produced from vacuum distillates or vacuum residues. The components of oils produced from vac- uum distillates have boiling points rang- ing from 300°C to 600°C, whereas those produced from vacuum residue may con- tain components boiling as high as 800°C. Based on their origin and severity of produc- tion process, LOBs have been divided into five major groups: Group I, II, III, IV, and V. Broad characteristics of these base oils are differentiated as shown in Table 1 Naphthenic base oils (NBOs), classified under Group V base oils, are produced by hydrotreating sweet naphthenic crude dis- tillates at pressures exceeding 2,500 psi. These oils have excellent low-temperature capabilities, which increase the low-tem- perature qualities of the lubricant compo- sitions. Owing to better low-temperature properties than paraffinic oils, these are considered appropriate for hydraulic and automatic transmission fluid formulations. Because of their high solvency power, naph- thenic oils respond well to antioxidants and additives. Owing to their low pour point, these are particularly useful in cold climatic conditions. These base oils are either sold to lube producers for blending with additives or may be sold directly to industrial consum- ers as process oils. Production Process and Licensors The basic steps to produce NBOs are distil- lation, followed by solvent extraction, chill dewaxing, and lastly, mild hydrofinishing. The base oil can either be sold as such to processors for further processing or trans- formed into a final product, which may include transformer oil, process oil, tyre and

Properties of various types of base oils

Global production/consumption of naphthenic base oil

Description

Paraffinic base oils

Non-paraffinic base oils

Group I

Group II Crude oil (mineral

Group III Crude oil

Group IV

Group V

(KT)

Year

Production of

CAGR (%)

Base

Crude oil (mineral

Purely synthetic

All base oils not falling under any other class, mostly naphthenic/

naphthenic base oil

(mineral based but called semi

based)

2010 2020 2024

3500 3300 3550

-0.59%

synthetic)

bio based

1.84%

Need alphaolefins,

Need naphthenic crude

Feed

Need paraffinic base stock

starting from ethylene

or bio-based feed

Table 2

Manufacturing

Solvent refining

Hydrotreating/ hydrocracking

Severe

Chemical synthesis

process

hydrocracking

ter capacity for thermal cooling. Although their non-biodegradable nature poses risks of pollution and concerns regarding han- dling, they are preferred in areas where thermal cooling requirements are of utmost importance. Viscosity grade 8 to 10 cSt @ 40 o C is used in this application. ○ In tyre oil, paraffinic, naphthenic, aro- matic, and bio-based base oils are used. The share of mineral and bio-based base oils is almost equal, and the majority depends on the application and specific requirements. Here, the major requirement is of 22 to 28 cSt @ 40 o C. At some places, higher viscos- ity grades are also used. ○ In metal working fluids, blends of par- affinic and NBO, water-miscible semi-syn- thetic base oils, synthetic base oils, or bio-based oils are used. Approximately 95% to 99% of metal working fluids are base oils only. Depending on the application, light as well as heavy viscosity grades are used, wherein viscosity grades may range from 3 to 150 or even higher. ○ White oils are produced by using min- eral base oils, paraffinic Groups I, II, and III, as well as NBO. Mineral base oils account for more than 80% of the share, with the remainder comprising dearomatised sol- vents and bio-based base oils. The share of NBO is very small at present.

Saturates (%)

<90

>90

Vicosity Index Sulphur (%)

<80

80-120

>120

Tailor made

>0.03

<0.03

Table 1

more than 50% and naphthene contents of more than 40%. These crude oils form only a small percentage of the total crude oil reserves, the majority being paraffinic crude. Major centres where such crude is available include Germany, Spain, Sweden, the US, China, and some parts of the Middle Eastern region. Worldwide, NBOs are pro- duced by Nynas (Sweden), Royal Dutch Shell, Calumet Specialty Products (US), Ergon (US), Exxon Mobil Corporation (US), PetroChina (China), and a few other compa- nies. There is no producer of NBO in India. However, formulations based on imported NBO are produced by a few companies for various applications. Applications of Naphthenic Base Oil As NBOs have a low pour point and high sol- vency, these properties are exploited in vari- ous applications. ○ In transformer oil, NBO provides various benefits, including easy availability, high sol- vency for additives, high efficiency, and bet-

rubber oil, white oil, and metal working fluid. A schematic of the NBO production process is shown in Figure 1 . Major licensors to produce NBO include CLG, Shell, Ergon Inc., and SK Lubricants. CLG (Chevron Lummus Global), a joint ven- ture company of Chevron and Lummus Technologies, offers a three-step hydrofin- ishing technology for naphthenic as well as other base oils. Shell holds a patent to pro- duce NBO from a hydrocarbon feed con- taining heteroatom species and aromatics. Ergon has a patent to produce high-quality NBO from low-quality feedstocks, and SK Lubricants possesses a patent to produce NBO from LCO (light cycle oil) and slurry oil obtained from the fluid catalytic cracking unit in the refinery. Major Players in Naphthenic Base Oil Space The production of NBO is constrained by the availability of the relevant quality of crude oil. Naphthenic crude oils are defined as those having saturated hydrocarbon contents of