Vapor Recovery Unit Process Evaluation
A small, detailed design company in Turkey contracted Process Engineering International, LLC (PROCESS) to perform a Vapor Recovery Unit (VRU) process evaluation and to prepare basic process design documentation for the ultimate client, a large multinational oil and gas processing company with operations in Europe, North and South America, Australia, Asia, and Africa.
PROCESS performed the following tasks to meet the client’s needs.
A preliminary process design basis was prepared to define the project and client expectations.
Three options for the VRU configuration were evaluated and these consisted of:
- Adsorption/Adsorption
- Adsorption/Condensation
- Scrubber/Membrane
Heat and Material Balances with Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) were prepared for each configuration.
Each configuration was analyzed from a high level and ranked according to PROCESS’ impressions for the following criteria:
- Expected economics
- Expected power requirements
- Estimated CO2 footprint
- Throughput capacity
- Emission levels
PROCESS assisted the client in choosing process configurations and package systems.
The PFDs with Heat and Material Balance information for each configuration, along with the rankings for each system, were presented to the client. A recommendation for what was perceived as the best fit for the application was presented. The information presented allowed the client to choose the process configuration that worked for their facility and to go to vendors to purchase a package system.