Development of Optimal Strategy for the Design and Operation of a Crude Petroleum Distilation (Topping) Unit

An optimal strategy of Crude Petroleum Distillation Unit (CDU) was developed to carry out process optimization for maximizing oil production and net profit for the plant. The optimization technique suggested the employment of Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) Method using ASPEN PLUS. The input operating variables of the CDU were properties of the crude oil obtained from Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) and manipulated variables such as the flow rates, reflux ratio, temperature and pressure. The objective function of the optimization was to maximize the net profit of the desired products using the SQP method. Variation of Bottom Oil flow rate and Reflux Ratio on Net Profit calculated in Naira per year on a molar flow rate and reflux ratio reflects the expected results which should increase the profit. The outcome should indicate and suggest whether the plant is operating efficiently and the model can provide an effective planning and operation tool.