CHAPTER 8

GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS

8.1 GLOSSARY
A number of technical terms are used in the refining industry and at the ConocoPhillips San Francisco Refinery to describe the operations and equipment that are in use there. This glossary includes selected definitions and in some cases expanded descriptions of these terms that allow the reader of this document who is unfamiliar with the refining industry to understand the basic operations within a Refinery. In addition, these expanded descriptions also present how these processes specifically take place at the Refinery. Catalyst In classical chemistry terms, a catalyst promotes a chemical reaction without itself being consumed in the reaction. A catalyst accelerates a chemical reaction so it will proceed at a reasonable rate at lower temperatures and pressures than the reaction would without a catalyst. Typically, refinery catalysts are round or cylindrical in shape and are materials called zeolites, or alumina, or are silica or elemental carbon, called coke. These catalysts deteriorate over time and require replacement when their activity drops below a specified level. The caustic used in most proposed processes is sodium hydroxide (NaOH) Carbon monoxide, a toxic gas generated by incomplete combustion. The largest and heaviest hydrocarbon molecules in crude oil end up in the pipestills heaviest fraction, the bottom cut, and called pitch. Pitch is the feedstock for a cracking process that takes place in the fluid Coker. In the Coker, these large hydrocarbon molecules are transformed into naphthas and into coke, which is a solid composed primarily of carbon. The coke is separated from the naphthenes inside the Coker vessel as a solid and is sold. Cracking is used to produce more gasoline from each barrel of crude oil. The lower, heavier cuts or fractions from the Pipestill and the gas oils that are purchased as feedstocks consist of large, heavy hydrocarbon molecules, which are too large to have the desired properties. However, when hydrocarbons are heated to about 900F they begin to break, or crack, into smaller molecules. Cracking converts some of the larger molecules of heavy oils into shorter-chained molecules, such as naphthenes, and ringshaped molecules, such as aromatics. Both naphthenes and aromatics are desirable components of gasoline. An air pollutant for which acceptable levels of exposure can be determined and for which an ambient air quality standard has been set. Examples include: ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and PM10 and PM2.5.

Caustic CO Coker

Cracking

Criteria Air Pollutant

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8. GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS

Crude oil

Crude oil is the term used for the naturally occurring petroleum mixtures that are pumped from wells and then delivered to the refinery by tank ship, pipeline or by rail car. Crude oil is the basic petroleum feedstock that is processed at the refinery. Crude oil contains many different hydrocarbon molecules representing many potential products such as propane, butane, gasoline, jet fuel, diesel oil, fuel oil, wax, and asphalt. Because crude oil is a natural product, there is a wide variation in the characteristics of a crude depending mostly on the wells from which it is obtained. Crude oils usually contain some sulfur; crudes that contain low percentages of sulfur, 0.5% or less, are called sweet crudes, while crudes that contain high percentages of sulfur, 2.5% or more, are called sour crudes. Crudes with sulfur percentages in between are called intermediate. Crude oils also may contain other organic compounds that include nitrogen and metals, along with inorganic salts and water, again, depending on the origin of the crude oil. Crude oil consists mainly of hydrocarbons, chemical compounds made up of hydrogen and carbon atoms that are combined into molecules of different sizes, shapes, and configurations. The smallest hydrocarbon molecules, with only a few atoms of hydrogen and carbon, such as methane and propane, are gases under normal conditions, while somewhat larger hydrocarbon molecules, such as gasoline and diesel, are liquids and very large hydrocarbon molecules, such as asphalt and tar, are solids. These basic physical properties result mainly from the number of carbon atoms in each compound and give the crude the name light or heavy, depending on the fractions of lighter and heavier hydrocarbons in the crude oil.

DNL

The energy average of the A-weighted sound levels occurring during a 24hour period, and which accounts for the greater sensitivity of most people to nighttime noise by weighting noise levels at night (penalizing nighttime noises). Noise between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. is weighted (penalized) by adding 10 dBA to take into account the greater annoyance of nighttime noises. The process of separating each of the chemical hydrocarbon compounds (fractions) in the crude oil mixture by heating the mixture. The term feedstock (also called a feed) is commonly used to denote the fluid material that is fed into a refinery process unit. For example, crude oil is a feedstock for the Pipestill. In a similar vein, the term stream refers to the feedstock and also can refer to the output of the process. Upsets occur in refinery processes. When such upsets occur, they can create excess pressure in a pipe, vessel or process unit. To make the refinery operationally safe, such over pressurization is released into a system of pipes that collect the material and direct it to the refinery flares, tall stacks where these excess gases are burned prior to release into the atmosphere. Flares have been developed so that the light created when hydrocarbons burn is only slightly visible or not visible, however, some larger upsets can result in flaring that is quite visible. At the refinery, ConocoPhillips has two flare stacks connected to each other by pipework that circles units in the main processing area.

Distillation Feedstock

Flare System

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8. GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS

Fraction

A generic name for the groups of hydrocarbon compounds that boil between any two temperatures. Examples of crude oil fractions, in order of the increasing number of carbon atoms, are: light ends; butanes; gasoline; naphtha; kerosene; gas oil; and residue. Fractionation is a special form of distillation where several output streams of similar boiling point ranges are separated from hydrocarbon mixtures. In the fractionation process, the feedstock is introduced into the fractionation column and vaporized by heating. As the hydrocarbon vapors rise, they reach progressively cooler regions of the column and they eventually condense to liquids on horizontal trays inside the column. Each hydrocarbon fraction, or cut, is collected from a tray positioned at the height (and temperature) in the column where that particular vapor condenses into a liquid. Each cut condenses within a specific temperature range, and therefore at a specific height in the column. Each of the cuts from the column is then sent to storage tanks or is sent to other units for further processing. At the refinery: Fractionation towers are parts of many of the refinery process units, and are used to separate the output streams for further processing or handling.

Fractionation

Furnaces

Furnaces provide the heat sources needed in the refinery to carry out the distillation or fractionation processes and to provide the energy for cracking large hydrocarbon molecules, driving catalytic reactions to form desirable hydrocarbons, or eliminating undesirable compounds from feed streams. At the refinery, furnaces are integral parts of most refinery processes. Reforming and cracking depend on heat supplied by the furnaces, and fractionation processes rely on furnaces for direct heating of the feedstocks. Furnaces burn fuel gas, a byproduct of the refining process, or natural gas purchased from outside sources.

Gas Oil Hydrofining

Gas Oil is a material that has been processed in a refinery and is one of the heavier fractions resulting from the initial distillation and separation of crude oil. Hydrofining, also called hydrotreating, is a process used primarily to control the sulfur content of a feedstock or stream. In hydrofining, hydrogen is added to the petroleum stream with heat in the presence of a desulfurizing catalyst either to create a separable sulfur compound or to capture the sulfur on the surface of the catalyst. Hydrofining also removes some of the nitrogen compounds in the hydrocarbon feeds by converting them to ammonia. At the refinery, each of the hydrofiner units is named for the petroleum stream that is treated in that unit. For example, the Naphtha Hydrofiner removes sulfur from the Naphtha stream and the Jet Fuel Hydrofiner removes sulfur from jet fuel. Other hydrofiners at the refinery are the Diesel Hydrofiner, the Cat (Catalytic Cracker) Feed Hydrofiner, the Light Cat Naphtha Hydrofiner and the Heavy Naphtha Hydrofiner.

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8. GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS

Hydrogen Production and Use

Hydrogen gas is generated in several ways in a refinery. Hydrogen is produced primarily in a Catalytic Reformer, where natural gas is reacted with steam to release hydrogen gas. Hydrogen gas also is released from liquid hydrocarbons as a part of the processes that occur in the various process reformers (see Reforming, below). Hydrogen also can be recovered from streams of hydrogen-rich gas that occur in other process units, such as the Hydrofining Units. Large amounts of hydrogen are consumed in the refinery for changing the configuration of the chemical bonds in some molecules or in processes that convert sulfur-containing and nitrogen-containing compounds to gases that can be separated easily from the hydrocarbon molecules. These processes include Hydrocracking and Hydrofining.

Hydrotreater Main Exhaust Stack

Removes sulfur, as H2S, and nitrogen from gas oils. Exhausts from several refinery processes are piped to and then released to the atmosphere through a tall exhaust stack. The stack is tall enough to allow the pollutants that are released to be mixed with the air, so that pollutant concentrations in the exhaust and on the ground satisfy all regulatory requirements. Naphtha is an intermediate stream boiling in the same boiling range as gasoline. Precursor of ozone, NO2, and nitrate; nitric oxide is usually emitted from combustion processes. Nitric oxide is converted to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in the atmosphere, and then becomes involved in the photochemical processes and/or particulate formation. (See Nitrogen Oxides.) A general term pertaining to compounds of nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and other oxides of nitrogen. Nitrogen oxides are typically created during combustion processes, and are major contributors to smog formation and acid deposition. NO2 is a criteria air pollutant and may result in numerous adverse health effects. Reforming modifies the chemical structure of the feedstock hydrocarbons into more valuable hydrocarbon compounds. Reformers use a special catalyst to create aromatics and other cyclical hydrocarbon molecules from naphthenes in the streams fed into the reformer. The aromatics and other cyclical hydrocarbons perform better in cars and have higher economic value than the straight-chain molecules from which they are made. As a byproduct, reformers also make hydrogen gas. Scrubbing is a term used for a chemical process where a component of a gas stream is removed from the gas and is transferred into a liquid. Scrubbing hazardous compounds from gases is a primary pollution control technology, as well as being used to separate non-hazardous compounds as well. A NOx emission control system. Sour water is water in which ammonia and sulfur-bearing compounds are dissolved. It has a very sour strong aroma.

Naphtha Nitric Oxide (NO)

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx)

Reforming

Scrubber

Selective Catalytic Reduction Sour Water

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8. GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS

Sulfur Recovery Unit

In a Sulfur Recovery Unit (SRU), hydrogen sulfide is absorbed from refinery gases to reduce their sulfur content so that they can be burned for heating refinery intermediate streams. The hydrogen sulfide is desorbed by steam heating the solution and the hydrogen sulfide is burned to form sulfur oxides which are absorbed and converted to molten sulfur using the Claus process. The Sulfur Recovery Unit and the processes taking place inside its equipment are very common and are found in almost all refineries. In a refinery, large tanks are used to store incoming petroleum raw materials such as crude oil, intermediate refinery products such as gas oil, and final products that can be blended for consumer products such as gasoline. All raw materials and products are pumped through pipelines that connect the tanks, refinery process units and refinery shipping terminals. The tanks typically are equipped with a special floating roof to reduce the evaporation of raw hydrocarbons into the air. The pressure, often expressed in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or pounds per square inch (PSI) that is characteristic at any given temperatures of a vapor in equilibrium with its liquid or solid form. Volatile Organic Compounds: Carbon-containing compounds that evaporate into the air (with a few exceptions). VOCs contribute to the formation of smog and/or may themselves be toxic. VOCs often have an odor, and some examples include gasoline, alcohol, and the solvents used in paints. Equipment in which the water wastes from the refining process are treated and monitored to insure that the refinery discharge meets the regulations of the San Francisco Regional Water Quality Control Board (SFRWQCB), the responsible state agency. The wastewater treatment plant also treats runoff from process areas. At the refinery, ConocoPhillips has installed equipment to remove residues of oil that may be dissolved in the water waste streams in the refinery.

Tanks

Vapor Pressure:

VOC

Wastewater Treatment

8.2 ACRONYMS USED IN THIS EIR

ANS APE ASTM ASME BAAQMD BACT BLEVE Btu BCDC CARB CaRFG2 Alaskan North Slope Area of Potential Effect American Standard Testing Method American Society of Mechanical Engineers Bay Area Air Quality Management District Best Available Control Technology Boiling Liquid Vapor Cloud Explosion British Thermal Units Bay Conservation and Development Commission California Air Resources Board The CARBs acronym for phase 2 reformulated gasoline.

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8. GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS

CaRFG3 CAER CDFG CEQA CESA CMP CNEL CO CTR CWA db DTSC DPM EIR EPA FEMA HAPs HAZOP HD 2007 HRA kW LPG LOS LTA MGD MSL MW NAHC NPDES PACT PAH PG&E ppb ppm

The CARBs designation for phase 3 reformulated gasoline. Community Awareness Emergency Response California Department of Fish and Game California Environmental Quality Act California Endangered Species Act Countywide Congestion Management Plan Community Noise Equivalent Level Carbon Monoxide California Toxics Rule Clean Water Act decibels Department of Toxic Substances Control Diesel Particulate Matter Environmental Impact Report US Environmental Protection Agency Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazardous Air Pollutants Hazard and Operability Study Heavy Diesel 2007 Health Risk Assessment Kilowatt Liquefied Petroleum Gas - (light hydrocarbons) Level of Service Land Treatment Act Million Gallons per Day Mean Sea Level Megawatt Native American Heritage Commission National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Powdered Activated Water Treatment Polycyclic Aromatic hydrocarbons Pacific Gas & Electric Parts per billion Parts per million

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8. GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS

ppmv PM PM2.5 PM10 PSM RMP RWQCB SCF SIP` SHBC SHPO SLC SMPD SRP SRU STS SWPPP TAC TBACT TDS TGTU TMDL UBC ULSD VCE USFWS VOC WAR

Parts Per Million by Volume Particulate Matter PM less than 2.5 microns in size PM less than 10 microns in size Process Safety Management program Risk Management Plan or Regional Monitoring Program Regional Water Quality Control Board Standard Cubic Feet State Implementation Plan State Historical Building Code State Historic Preservation Officer State Lands Commission Santa Maria Pressure Distillate Selenium Removal Plant Sulfur Recovery Unit Stan Trans Services Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan Toxic Air Contaminants Best Available Control Technology for Toxics Total Dissolved Solids Tail Gas Treating Unit Total Maximum Daily Loads Uniform Building Code Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Vapor Cloud Explosion US Fish and Wildlife Service Volatile Organic Compounds Wet Air Regeneration

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