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The stabilizing tower T-201 of the catalytic reforming plant of the Refinería Cienfuegos S.A. it should be able to strip moisture from the naphtha up to 5 ppm. According to the results of the Karl Fisher Coulometric Tritation method, there is a possibility that they do not satisfy the process requirements, which is why in this investigation the performance of the T-201 was evaluated. First, the laboratory results of the moisture content of the inlet and outlet of the tower were statistically analyzed to define the range of the values obtained and their reliability. The PRO/II 9.1 software was used to model the unit and then validated with actual operating parameters. With Matlab software, the sensitivity to the behavior of the temperature of the top of the tower with the variation of humidity in the inlet naphtha was analyzed. Laboratory results showed significant deviations so they are not reliable for measuring moisture content. The model obtained showed deviations below 5%, this being valid for the evaluation of the T-201 tower. In addition, the sensitivity analysis showed a logical behavior of the tower with the variation of temperature and humidity. Finally, that the method used for the analysis of humidity shows errors in its execution and therefore another method of analysis must be used. In addition, the model obtained from the tower can be used to evaluate other operating variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the solution methods for multiobjective optimization are applied to reduce the consumption of caustic soda at the stage of treatment of unstable naphtha to obtain liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). First, the advantages and disadvantages of the models and the optimization methods were conceptualized. With the kinetics of the reactions, operational control data and economic data, three objective functions and their respective restrictions were obtained and then applied the method of hierarchical optimization. It was obtained that, with a caustic soda concentration of 15 % weight and a reaction time of 15 min, in most cases the quality parameter of 140 ppm of sulfur in the LPG is met and that in cases where this condition is not met, the product must be recirculated for a new cleaning stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Revista El Directivo al Día is the property of Centro de Informacion y Gestion Tecnologica (CIGET) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Introduction: In the gas fractionation unit of Cienfuegos refinery, the production of Liquefied Petroleum Gas and Stable Light Virgin Naphtha are produced with the highest possible quality. However, this process residual does not have the appropriate treatment yet, so waste disposal regulations are not met. Objetive: To evaluate the sustainability of gas fractionation unit process at Refinería Cienfuegos S.A through an emergent analysis. Materials y Methods: During the research development, the emergy methodology developed by (Odum, 1996) was applied making it some adjustments Results y Discussion: It was determined that 57.75% of fractionation process depends on economy materials and 42.25% is based on natural resources. The transformability of LPG (such as 1.4984 E+13 seJ/J) and that of NVLE (such as 9.0531 E+12 seJ/J) was quantified, demonstrating with these results a sulfur products correct removal; this fractionation system particularization has special relevance for emergy studies replication in similar processes in the country. The index of emergent sustainability (ESI) calculated was 1.21 which indicates that the process is not sustainable in the long term, but it contribute to local development. Conclusions: Therefore, the system must be restructured to improve its efficiency and allow efficient resources use, in addition to proposing possible alternatives that can contribute to better system performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the treatment given to the wastes at Cienfuegos oil refinery, there is a high level of contaminant loads released to the environment. The technology used for the H2S removal or recovery is not sufficient to achieve the gaseous emissions to meet the established regulations. This situation is expected to increase with the refinery expansion that includes new process units. Along with that situation, there are other elements that make the issue even more concerning, such as the high investment cost to purchase new sulphur recovery units; the moderate price for the sulphur sales at the international market and the contaminants restrictions. This research proposes the inclusion of a caustic scrubber packaged tower, for the treatment of the residual gases as a proposal for the technological improvement of the sulphur recovery unit, to allow such process sustainability and achieving the emissions standards. A bibliography review on the major technologies for the sulphur recovery and residual gases treatment is made. Then the caustic scrubber is designed with the use of three types of packages, as to analyze the most viable one. Afterwards an economical assessment is developed to determine which makes the sulphur recovery process more sustainable. This proposal allows obtaining an elementary sulphur recovery of 99, 8 %, the atmospheric emissions are reduced up to 100 mg/Nm³ as SO2 and the population exposure to the gaseous emissions, in general is reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Environmental protection has become an important factor in the performance indicators of modern industries due to the growing demand for more sustainable manufacturing processes. Considering the accelerated urbanization process in Cuba, the construction materials industry is of special interest, especially the production of aggregates, which, in addition to the pressure to which it is subjected, has suffered decades of exploitation. Objective: To analyze the potential environmental impacts of different aggregate production schemes in Cuba, taking as a case study the El Canal factory located in Cienfuegos province. Materials and Methods: Emergy analysis was used for its ability to evaluate the influence of different types of resources on the economic system. Results and Discussion: The production process of the El Canal factory can be improved through different technological changes, with the most suitable being the introduction of hydrocyclone plants in the classification process, as it mitigates environmental impacts with a considerably lower emergy investment. Conclusions: Although the aggregate production process has a moderate economic impact, it is not sustainable in the long term (ESI=0.0011) as it incurs marked environmental impacts due to the intensive use of non-renewable resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the stringent international standards, the oil refinery in Cienfuegos still emits contaminant effluents, which will increase with the construction of new process units. This study focused on the sulphuric waters to propose a methodology for the comprehensive technological management of these waters in the oil hydro treatment process. Three technological variants were presented as to meet that objective, being able to select the most favorable one to minimize the water contamination with sulphur and its derivate emissions. In order to fully evaluate the proposed technological variants, a methodology was developed using ecological economics tools. The Life Cycle Analysis was applied, by means of the SimaPro 7.1 software; and the evaluation was made with the Eco Speed method to minimize the uncertainty. An economic evaluation was made, including the external costs for a more integral analysis, which, along with the ecological indicators allowed selecting the best technological variant. As outstanding results a comprehensive evaluation was achieved, with a positive impact due to the implementation of the variant selected. The achievements are given by the recovery of 98, 27 % of the process water, and an increase of the sulphur recovery from 94 to 99, 8 %, at the same time achieving to reduce the emissions from 12 200 to 116 mg/Nm³ as SO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]