Compressor packages for refinery tail gas application in Azerbaijan

GEA's tail gas packages were selected for the project by Honeywell UOP as part of their Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) technology to supply high-quality hydrogen for the modernization of the Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery (HAOR) in Baku, Azerbaijan. Pure hydrogen is essential to the refining process, where it is used to decontaminate oil and facilitate catalytic processes that produce clean-burning fuels, including those that meet Euro V standards for vehicle emissions. 

The PSA technology will help Azerbaijan meet the growing domestic demand for transportation fuels that meet the Euro V standards. Hydrogen technology is an important element of modernization program that will help the refinery in Azerbaijan to remain among the most advanced refineries in the region, further improving environmental protection along with the quality of life in Azerbaijan. 

The modernization enables the refinery to process 7.5 million metric tons per annum of crude oil blended from local sources. Hydrogen is key in the refining process, being produced as a byproduct of refining and intentionally from a steam methane reformer. Honeywell UOP's PSA technology purifies this hydrogen so it essentially can be recycled into the refinery to remove impurities and to perform catalytic processes that transform crude oil into clean fuels and other products.

Tail gas treatment
The purpose of these tail gas compression units is to receive the tail gas – a gas mixture composition with up to ~70% hydrogen – from the PSA System and keep stable pressure at the PSA discharge. Received gas is compressed up to 6,7 bar(g) and then cooled down to 40°C in the after cooler before it is returned to the customer’s system.

These units are based on an oil-flooded screw compressor and the oil is separated from the tail gas into two oil separators (main and final) in order to deliver the gas with less than 1 ppm of oil content.

As an oil-flooded screw compressor, the oil circuit is provided for lubricating the internal part of the screw compressor. The oil circuit comprises two oil pumps (one in standby), a pressure control valve to keep the oil pressure constant and an electro-pneumatic three-way control valve to maintain the oil flow to the compressor at a fixed temperature. The oil circuit also comprises two oil coolers (one in standby) with a common inlet and outlet line for the cooling water system. The discharged oil at high temperature, recovered in the oil separator, is cooled down by using cooling water as a medium.

All vessels and all heat exchangers are designed and manufactured according to ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) and TEMA R (Tubular Exchanger Manufacturers Association). GEA also provided the personnel protection with rock wool and aluminum and winterization of the entire oil circuit.