Hydrogenation & Hydrotreating of Base Oils, Biofuels and Transformer Oils

Sequoia’s expertise for hydrogenation projects

• Design and supply of all equipment, steel, pipes, instruments and controls under one lump-sum contract.
• Industry-standard selection of metallurgy and safety systems.
• Vendors with proven experience.
• Every plant is custom designed.
• Modularization (skids) to the extent possible.
• Active support to operations for years.

Sequoia has strong experience and capabilities to use this approach for the following applications.

Hydrogenation of lube oil base stocks and vacuum gas oil to Group II+ and III base oils

• The design goal is production of Group II or Group III base oil from feedstock such as solvent neutral (Group I) base stocks, and vacuum gas oils distilled from crude or used oils.
• Sulfur and nitrogen removal as well as aromatics saturation.
• Sequoia has experience with capacities from 300 to 12,000 bbl/day.

Hydrogenation of bio-feedstock: renewable diesel (HDRD)

• Traditional biodiesel production via trans-esterification using methanol produces an oxygenated fuel which cannot be mixed with fossil fuels. Glycerol is the by-product. Free fatty acids (FFAs) present in bio-feedstock produce soaps in this process scheme.
• Hydrogenation-derived renewable diesel (HDRD) is produced by hydrogenation (reaction with hydrogen) of oxygenated compounds (triglycerides) to produce fully saturated hydrocarbons in the boiling range of diesel. Water, propane, CO and CO₂ are the by-products of the reactions. Soap production from FFAs is not a concern.
• The net result is production of “drop-in” renewable diesel fuel meeting ASTM (D975) and ISO standards. This means bio-feedstock-derived fuel compatible with fossil fuels, so they can be mixed and used interchangeably. In the USA, HDRD earns higher renewable credits than biodiesel.
• HDRD can be produced from any type of bio-based feedstock such as vegetable oils and animal fats (wider than biodiesel production options), and from lignocellulosic feedstocks such as agricultural and paper-pulp residues.
• Sequoia can design and deliver all equipment for hydrogenation of bio-feedstocks for HDRD production.

Hydrotreating of fuels

• The main objective is reduction of sulfur from oil.
• Aromatic saturation is necessary to produce Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) meeting the latest specifications.

Hydrogenation of naphthenic oil and waste transformer oils

Hydrogenation in combination with vacuum drying and filtration is the most complete and advanced process technology for recycling of waste transformer oils. In the hydrogenation process, hydrogen gas reacts with sulfur, nitrogen, chlorine and other unsaturated compounds present in waste transformer oil, producing a water-white, stable product with low sulfur concentration and superior insulating properties.

• Sequoia understands how to preserve the desirable inherent characteristics of naphthenic oils during the hydrogenation process and target only the undesirable compounds in the spent oil.
• Sequoia’s hydrogenation technology almost completely destroys carcinogenic organic chlorine compounds such as PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) often present in waste transformer oils.
• The resulting base oils can meet rigorous OEM specifications for transformer oils in the USA, Europe and Japan.

Read more about transformer oil recycling.