Process for Refining of Used Lubricating Oil

 Dehydration

Used oil from tankers and drums is unloaded in used oil unloading pit fitted with course
filtration screen to remove large suspended matter. The used oil is then pumped to either
of the used oil storage tanks by used oil pit pump.

The used oil from either of these tanks is then pumped by dehydrator feed pump to
dehydrator via fine duplex filter. The oil in the dehydrator is circulated by dehydrator
circulation pump through dehydrator circulation heater which provides heat required for
dehydration. Hot oil from the hot oil unit is circulated to dehydrator circulation heater for
heating the circulating oil.

A part of the dehydrated oil from dehydrator circulation pump passes through dehydrated
oil cooler where it gets cooled before going to dehydrated oil storage tank . The
dehydrated oil from dehydrated storage tank is sent to total evaporation and fractional
condensation section.

The water vapors along with some vaporized gas oil from dehydrator is condensed by
dehydrator condenser. The condensate passes to oil separator. The separated gas oil is
used as fuel in the hot oil unit and water is drained. This water can be reused as raw
water.
Total Vaporization & Fractional Condensation

The dehydrated oil along with additive is pumped at a controlled rate to the
vaporizer by feed pump. The oil vaporizes during its passage through vaporizer.
The heating is accomplished by burning gas oil in the vaporizer, which is generated
in the plant. The heating is done by convection alone by re-circulating flue gases
over the tubes by flue gas circulation blower in the convection section of the
vaporizer.

The vaporized oil along with bitumen, carbon and other non vaporizing matter
enters the separator where the vapors disengage from the non vaporized bituminous
type residue material which is directly pumped into barrels by bitumen pump to be
disposed of for blending with bitumen. The level in the separator is controlled.

The vapors from the separator enter the direct contact heavy base oil condenser,
where the vapors partially condense and the temperature of condensation is
controlled by refluxing the condensed heavy base oil. The viscosity of the
condensed heavy base oil is thus controlled.

The heat of condensation in the heavy base oil condenser is utilized to generate
steam in the steam drum by circulating hot water through heavy base oil circulation
cooler by hot water circulation pump. The steam generated is used in booster
ejector.
 Part of the condensed heavy base oil is pumped through a level controller to the
heavy base oil cooler as recovered heavy base oil. Cooling water is used in heavy
base oil cooler.

The non-condensable along with uncondensed oil vapors enter light base oil
condenser. The temperature and level control on this condenser is similar to that of
heavy base oil condenser, except that the condensing temperature is set at a lower
value to allow the condensation of light base oil. The viscosity of the light base oil
is thus controlled. The heat of condensation of light base oil is utilized to preheat
feed through light base oil circulation cooler.

Part of the condensed light base oil is pumped through a level controller to the light
base oil cooler as recovered light base oil. Cooling water is used in light base oil
cooler. The non-condensable along with remaining oil vapors enter gas oil
condenser. The temperature and level control on this condenser is similar to that of
light base oil condenser except that the condensing temperature is set at a lower
value to allow the condensation of maximum gas oil and allow only non-
condensable to go to vacuum system.

Part of the condensed gas oil is pumped through a level controller on the gas oil
circulation cooler as recovered gas oil. Cooling water is used in gas oil circulation
cooler.

The entire operation is carried out under vacuum which is maintained by a

combination of booster ejector, inter cooler and a two stage vacuum pump in the
system. Steam required for booster ejector, is produced in the plant itself.

Bleaching & Filtration

The recovered base oil is transferred into base oil bleaching vessels batch wise from
recovered base oil tank by base oil transfer pump The temperature is raised to about
1000C to 1200C and calculated amount of bleaching earth is added to the bleaching
vessel under constant agitation and circulation by base oil circulation/ filtration
pump .

The bleaching earth reacts to remove the color. While bleaching is going on in one
of the vessels the other is feeding the base oil and bleaching earth slurry to base oil
filter press through its circulation/ filtration pump. The clear filtered and bleached
oil is collected in bleached base oil tanks, While one filter press is in operation the
other is under cleaning.

Also the recovered spindle oil is transferred into spindle oil bleaching vessels batch
wise from recovered spindle oil tank by spindle oil transfer pump. The temperature
is raised to about 1000C to 1200C and calculated amount of bleaching earth is added
to the bleaching vessel under constant agitation and circulation by spindle oil
circulation/ filtration pump. The bleaching earth reacts to remove the color.

After bleaching the spindle oil and bleaching earth slurry is fed to spindle oil filter
press through its circulation/ filtration pump. The clear filtered and bleached oil is
collected in bleached spindle oil tank. The filter press is in operation for 16 hrs. a
day is idle for 8 hrs for cleaning.

Typical Recovery of Process

 TYPICAL FEED RECOVERY
YIELD PRODUCTIO PRODUCTIO
PRODUCT COMPOSITION RATE %
% N KGS/HR. N TPA
%WT. WT.
DRIED USED
100.0 -- -- 2000.0 15000
OIL
HEAVY
LUBE BASE 79.0 72.0 91.0 1440.0 10800
OIL
LIGHT LUBE
12.8 12.6 98.5 252.0 1890
BASE OIL
GAS OIL /
5.4 5.2 96.3 104.0 780
LIGHT ENDS
ASPHALT 2.8 10.0 -- 200.0 1500

LOSSES -- 0.2 -- 4.0 30

Other used oil

Recycling /
reprocessing 
technologies
 
Acid - Clay Process    
        
Acid Activated Clay Process.

Vacuum Distillation
   a) Thin/Wiped Film Evaporator.
   b) Pipe Furnace Vaporizer
Solvent Extraction Process

 Acid - Clay Process

Features:
» Acid-Clay Process for used oil recycling/reprocessing is Old and popular. This is a  
    Proven technology worked for many years worldwide. Can be
    set-up for  very small capacity.
» Low Capital investment. Makes it most cost effective for small and tiny scale plants.
» Non sophisticated, Very simple process. Simple to operate, No advanced instruments, No
skilled operators required.

Drawbacks:
» Causes Environmental pollution due to generation of acid sludge and acid gas emission.
Disposal of acid sludge is a problem.
» Causes corrosion of equipment’s reducing its life.
» Gives Lower yield. Due to loss of oil in sludge as well as clay since higher dosage of clay is
required.
» As most of the government has adopted stringent pollution control regulations, this process
is on its  way out.

 Acid Activated Clay Process :-

Features
» No acid is required.
» It is simple process
» Suitable for small capacity plant.

Drawbacks:
» Very high clay consumption, low yield, inconsistent quality.
» Disposal of large quantity of spent clay is a environmental problem.
» Suitable only for very small capacity plants.
» Process is dependent on a particular type of clay which may not be available from all the
sources.

 Vacuum Distillation

Thin/Wiped Film Evaporator

Features:
» Suitable for high capacity plants.
» Thin film evaporator is capable of Operating at high vacuum and normally used for high
value and heat     sensitive products.
» Does not cause pollution.
» Sophisticated Equipments & Process
» Produces good quality Base Oils.

Drawbacks:
» Operates at high temperature & very high Vacuum. Require special /expensive thermic    fluids
& heating     system. High cost of heating fluid and High operational costs.
» Requires high capital investment.
» Plant has to be of a higher capacity to make it economically viable.
» Require highly skilled & Operational maintenance Staff. As it has very sophisticated
equipment.
» Higher Fuel Cost.
» Due to multiple stage of distillation involving heating & cooling.

Pipe Furnace Vaporizer

Features:
» Simple pipe furnace, convection heating at low heat flux by re-circulating flue gases.
» No moving part on process side.
» No prior removal of gas oil is required.
» Simple instrumentation.

Solvent Extraction Process

Features:
» In this process propane is used as solvent to remove bitumen, additives, metals and tar etc.
» Solvent is recyclable.
» Does not cause pollution.
» Produce Good quality Base Oils.

Drawbacks:
» Has to operate at higher pressure ( 10 atm. ) at ambient temperature ( 27oC ) require high
pressure sealing systems. (making system expensive and complicated)
» Involves operational solvent losses and highly skilled operating and maintenance    personnel
and system is required.
» Economical only for high capacity plants.
» Propane being very hazardous, Fire & explosion hazard is associated with this process.

Almost all types of waste oil have the potential to be recycled safely, saving a precious non-
renewable source and at the same time minimizing environmental pollution but most of used oil
is handled improperly. The results are some are emptied in to sewers for going directly into
water waste, adversely affecting water treatment plants, some are dumped directly on to the
ground to kill weeds or is poured on to dirty roads or is dumped in deserts, where it can
contaminate surface and ground water.

Lubricating oil is an important resource and a petroleum base product. The high price of oil and
objective of saving valuable foreign exchange has resulted in efforts for regeneration of used
lube oil. Regeneration of used lubricating oils is based on the fact that, “Petroleum lubricating oil
are almost durable”.
Lubricating oils are impaired temporarily only because of accumulation during use or handling
of contaminants coming from extraneous impurities and products of oil deterioration, which can
be separated from the used oil by re-refining or re-conditioning. The treated oil, then, becomes
almost equivalent to fresh or virgin oil.

In India, re-recycling waste oil industry is mainly an un-organized but some public service units
(PSU) do re-recycling but most of the market demand is furnished by the small scale industrial
units (SSI’s) but due to the use of Acid Clay Process they have been shut down or can refurnish
till they adopt new certified process.

Environmentally Sound Technologies (EST)

Re-refiners and re-cyclers now have to use only environmentally sound technologies (EST)
while re-cycling and refining waste oil. In case of oil re-refiners using acid clay process or
modified acid clay process have been advised to switch over to Environmentally Sound
Technologies only or close down.

The following processes have been approved as Environmentally Sound Processes,

1. Vacuum distillation with clay treatment. (We use this treatment)
2. Thin Film evaporation process.
3. Vacuum distillation with hydro treating.