Solar energy and the oil refining industry

This paper surveys process heat requirements of the major petroleum refinery processes. Previous studies have overestimated requirements for process heat at high temperatures. About 22% of the process heat in a refinery is consumed below 550/sup 0/F; 62.5% is consumed between 550/sup 0/ and 1100/sup 0/F. A refinery gets about 40% of its total energy supply, and 50% of its process heat, from natural gas and fuel oil. Technological constraints limit the use of alternatives such as coal or solar energy to processes operating below 700/sup 0/F (about 25% of process heat requirements). Curtailments of natural gas supplies and advances in bottom of the barrel oil processing technology will produce strong incentives to develop alternatives to the burning of liquid fuels for low-temperature processes. Energy from coal or solar radiation is most appropriately generated at a central facility to heat a heat transfer fluid, which is then heat exchanged with the process medium. The same process could also produce steam. The cost of installing coal-burning equipment can be up to eight times the cost of the equivalent gas or oil-burning facility. The major obstacle ot the use of coal is environmental. An analysis of a central-receiver solar system, without storage, and sized to deliver a maximum of 25% of process heat needs, indicates that 4.1% of refinery fuel needs could be displaced. For the entire industry, this is equivalent to 57,000 BPD of fuel oil. If long-term cost goals are achieved, capital expenditures to realize these savings would amount to $6.5 billion