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Kinetic Modeling and Dynamic Simulation of Hydro-processing Reactors

Sedaghat, Alireza | 2025

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 57804 (06)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Pishvaie, Mahmoud Reza
  7. Abstract:
  8. In the highly competitive oil refining industry, enhancing processing efficiency and improving product quality are critical objectives. Achieving these goals relies on the design, development, and implementation of advanced hydroprocessing techniques such as hydrocracking and hydrotreating. These processes are integral to both petrochemical and refining operations, as their core components and equipment include catalytic cracking reactors and separation columns. The primary purpose of these units is to convert heavy petroleum feedstocks, such as vacuum gas oil (VGO) or heavy naphtha, into lighter fractions like gasoline and diesel. However, doing related studies necessitates sophisticated computational modeling and extensive calculations to enable activities such as process design and development, operational optimization, troubleshooting, and advanced control strategies. A significant challenge in simulating these processes—whether steady-state or dynamic—is the characterization of material streams. Specifically, in the distillation (separation unit operations) of petroleum fractions, components are typically represented thermodynamically as “psuedo-components,” while the reactor kinetics are modeled using “lumps.” This dual representation requires the implementation of two essential modules: Lumping and Delumping, which map psuedo-components to lumps and vice versa. In this project, algorithms for both lumping and delumping were developed and examined. To validate these algorithms, the integration of the SLB Symmetry simulator with Microsoft Excel was implemented, leveraging Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and COM (Component Object Model) capabilities to perform mapping tasks and construct flowsheets. The output of this integration is a comprehensive dynamic simulation of the hydrocracking process, encompassing a reactor modeled on a lumped reaction network and a 2-phase separator (a flash vessel) based on pseudo-component representation. Furthermore, a Python-based graphical user interface (GUI) was developed to provide a more user-friendly platform for managing process operations. This interface enables users to efficiently perform simulations and analyze the behavior of hydroprocessing systems under various conditions
  9. Keywords:
  10. Dynamic Simulation ; Hydroprocessing ; Symmetry Simulator ; Component Object Modeling (COM) ; Lumping and Delumping ; Kinetics Modeling

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