MaximaLabs

Hydrocracking, from kinetics to the product slate

Heavy VGO cracked over catalyst by a discrete lumped first-order network, then the standard HP-sep, letdown, LP-sep and fractionator train it feeds.

Discrete lumped kinetics — conversion from reactor T and LHSVHP-sep → letdown → LP-sep → fractionator, fully connectedBring your own lump matrix — the network is a caller input
VGO + recycle H₂
Hydrocracker reactor
HP separator
Recycle H₂ gas
Letdown valve
LP separator
LPG / off-gas
Product fractionator
Light naphtha
Kerosene / diesel
Unconverted oil

The actual dark-mode canvas: heavy VGO plus excess hydrogen cracked over catalyst, the H₂-rich gas knocked off at pressure, the liquid let down for a second flash, and what remains fractionated into light naphtha, a kerosene/diesel cut, and unconverted oil.

Kinetics, not a yield table

Each lump cracks at its own Arrhenius rate over a residence time set by LHSV, so raising bed temperature genuinely shifts the product slate. The lump matrix is supplied by you rather than invented by us — a licensor's own network runs here unchanged, and we ship no fabricated one.

rj=kj(T)cj,kj(T)=Ajexp ⁣(Ea,jRT)(first-order lump cracking)r_j = k_j(T)\, c_j, \qquad k_j(T) = A_j \exp\!\left(-\frac{E_{a,j}}{RT}\right) \quad \text{(first-order lump cracking)}
τ=1LHSVconversion set by reactor T and space velocity, not a typed-in number\tau = \frac{1}{\text{LHSV}} \quad \Rightarrow \quad \text{conversion set by reactor } T \text{ and space velocity, not a typed-in number}
hin=hout(isenthalpic letdown from HP-sep to LP-sep pressure)h_{in} = h_{out} \quad \text{(isenthalpic letdown from HP-sep to LP-sep pressure)}
Ln1+Vn+1+Fn=Ln+Vn(MESH in the product fractionator)L_{n-1} + V_{n+1} + F_n = L_n + V_n \quad \text{(MESH in the product fractionator)}

Unit ops shipped for this vertical

Hydrocracker

Discrete lumped first-order cracking network — conversion set by reactor temperature and LHSV, with the lump matrix a caller input.

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Flash drum

Single-stage vapor-liquid equilibrium split at a fixed temperature/pressure.

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Throttle valve

Isenthalpic Joule-Thomson expansion — the same relation cryogenic JT liquefaction relies on.

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Crude distillation (CDU)

Multi-draw atmospheric column — side cuts carved from the converged tray profile.

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Live plant integration

Stream reactor bed temperatures, HP-separator pressure, and fractionator draw rates from the unit's OPC-UA server into this flowsheet's twin comparison — a conversion drifting from the solved lump network shows up as a flagged deviation, not a monthly yield surprise.

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Try it yourself

  • Conversion set by reactor temperature and LHSV, not typed in
  • HP/LP separation and product fractionation fully connected
  • Bring your own lump matrix — the network is a caller input

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