Synthetic Diesel Research Paper

Introduction

The first global industry, which sparked diesel refined from crude oil was In Pennsylvania in 1859. Rudolf Diesel, German Engineer built the compression ignition engine in 1893 which to replace the steam piston engine by running on peanut oil. He had also developed kind of fuel in 1895, which known as DIESEL today.

Generally, diesel and gasoline are refined from crude oil. Diesel is designed to operate in engines of diesel. It will ignite spontaneously by injecting the diesel fuel into hot compressed air inside the combustion chamber, this condition commonly known as compression ignition. Unlike engines of gasoline, diesel does not need spark plugs to achieve the spark ignition and have higher compression if compare with gasoline.

There are several types of Diesels mentioned as below:

Petroleum Diesel

It is also called as fossil diesel, which is the most common type of diesel fuel. By fractional distillation of the crude oil, it is manufactured between 200-350 degree Celsius at atmospheric pressure and resulting in a mixture of carbon chains that consist around eight (8) to twenty one (21) per molecule.

Synthetic diesel

It can be produced from any carbonaceous material such as biogas, biomass, coal, natural gas and others. By the Fischer–Tropsch process, the raw material is gasified into synthesis gas and after purification; it is converted into synthetic diesel. Depending on the kind of raw material to use, the process generally referred to as gas to liquid (GTL), biomass to liquid (BTL) or coal to liquid (CTL).

Purification of the Process

2. Removal of inorganic particles, soluble salts and residual from the crude

3. To reduce the fouling and corrosion

Three (3) main stage of the process consisted: Heating, Blending/Mixing and Settling.

First, heat the crude at 135 to 140 degree Celsius. By operating the bypass valve of heat exchanger to maintain the temperature when desalting. Generally, if the salt content is < 40 pbb, single stage desalting with water recycle is justified. Double stage desalting involves dehydration then only followed by desalting. It is also better for residuum hydrotreating. The process is forming emulsion of crude and water and breaks it by mean of electric field and demulsifying agent while separating the salt and dissolved in water.

Crude Distillation

After the crude desalting steps, desalted crude is feds into atmospheric (ADU) and vacuum distillation (VDU) column through the crude pre-flashing section. Both of these columns are the main primary separation processes that produce variety products, E.g. Heavy or light gas oil to Diesel. For these products, especially the middle and light distillates, E.g. Diesel, kerosene, gasoline and many others are more in demand compare than their direct obtained from the