Optimisation of heat-exchange systems in primary oil refineries (atmospheric-vacuum tube systems) is still one of the most challenging engineering tasks in terms of finding ways to integrate heat flows for fuel and energy facilities. Often, refinery services make decisions about installing an additional heat exchange surface without relying on an engineering model of the facility and conducting a pinch analysis of the system.
The paper considers ways of low-cost and complex optimization of heat-exchange network of primary refining units and gives estimation of potential effect from heat recovery by organization of additional upper circulating spraying of atmospheric column and heat supply to stripping cube of typical primary refining unit. Comparison of the received effect of additional heat-exchange surface at top circulation irrigation and at the hot stream of tar oil shows the bigger potential of the last one. On the basis of composite curves comparison the crucial role of hot stripper jet heating furnace exclusion for maximization of heat recovery at the primary oil processing plants is considered. It is pointed out, that a special place in the process of optimization of the complicated heat-exchange systems is occupied by changing temperature profile of the columns due to redistribution of heat of hot circulating spraying or organization of additional high-potential circulating spraying in the lower part of the column.
To substantiate theoretical conclusions the results of calculations of the most effective complex ways of atmosphericvacuum tube heat exchange optimization based on principles of pinch system analysis, repeatedly tested at “Rosneft” PJSC enterprises for the last five years of engineering activity of “VNII NP” JSC are given.

N.V. Panova¹, e-mail: panovanv@vniinp.ru;

M.S. Lesukhin¹, e-mail: lesukhinms@vniinp.ru

¹ Joint Stock Company “All-Russian Scientific Research Institute for Oil Refining” (“VNII NP”) (Moscow, Russia).