HyLubeTM Process

INTRODUCTION Maximize the production of value-added

Approximately 2.4 billion gallons of finished lubricants products to increase operating profits
are sold annually in the United States. The U.S. Generate environmentally friendly effluents
Department of Energy estimates that 1.4 billion gallons of
The HyLube process is a totally integrated catalytic
spent lube oils are generated annually, of which approxi-
hydroprocessing operation with a greater than 90%
mately 1 billion gallons are recovered in U.S. waste oil
annual onstream efficiency. The process eliminates the
collection systems. More than 90% of the recovered spent
operating conditions that induce fouling, coking,
lubes are routed into low-grade fuels. The remainder,
corrosion, and catalyst deactivation.
approximately 100 million gallons, is re-refined by three
companies, which together supply 60-70 million The capital investment and operating costs of the
gallons of base oils into the lubricants market. HyLube process are highly competitive and are mini-
Since the mid-1990s, more high-quality lube oil is avail- mized by eliminating superfluous equipment, such as
able from the U.S. petroleum industry with the greater intermediate contaminated oil storage, clay treatment,
use of high severity hydroprocessing, an example of and special chemical additive facilities.
which is the product from a lube oil complex. The
greater supply of this high-quality product has helped to
HyLube Process
H2 Makeup
encourage raising the quality requirements for finished Buffered
Caustic
Reactor Recycle Gas Compressor
lube oils. Today's automotive engine oil specifications
Flash
are set to achieve significantly more stringent standards, Separator

such as GF-2 and GF-3, than what existed for finished Heater
Cold HPS

lube oils prior to the mid-1990s. These tougher stan- Surge Drum

dards, established to facilitate auto manufacturers’ Hot

HPS
requirement to improve engine performance from an Residue
Filter Recovery
environmental impact perspective, have raised base oil Steam Section Residue
Fuel Gas
Product Fuel Oil
Waste
product quality requirements and their associated pro- Oil
Recovery
Section
Light Lube
Heavy Lube
Feed
duction costs. As a result, since the late 1990s, the U.S. Water to
Treating

lube oil industry has undergone considerable consolida-

tion and rationalization of its lube production assets to PROCESS DESCRIPTION
reach the new standards. These changes in the virgin oil In the HyLube process, a proprietary feed treatment
industry continue to provide an opportunity for a system rejects the non-distillable portions of the used oil.
process that can rejuvenate used oil to these higher The remaining oil, typically 90-95% of the original feed,
product standards. is directly processed over a proprietary UOP
catalyst. The results are:
UOP APPROACH Lube base stocks equal to virgin lube oils
UOP has approached the re-refining of used oil with
three objectives in mind: Low sulfur (<0.03 wt-%) fuels
Increase onstream efficiency equal to the Aqueous effluent with a low chemical oxygen
levels found in the petroleum refining industry demand and no organochlorides
Stable heavy residue acceptable for asphalt blending
FEEDSTOCK HyLube Process vs. Thermal Evaporative Re-Refining
Used oil is a non-homogeneous mixture of: Unit Operations Conventional HyLube
Low- and high-viscosity lube base stocks Dehydration yes no
Fuels stripping yes no
Gasoline, diesel, and combustion products Thin film evaporation yes no
from piston blowby Intermediate storage yes no
Clay treatment maybe no
Degraded additive packages originally
Hydrotreatment Lube fraction All products
intended to: in batches continuously
- Inhibit oxidation reactions Catalyst cycle length 3-6 months 1 year
Onstream efficiency 60-80% >90%
- Reduce rust and wear
- Disperse contaminants
- Enhance synergy between wide viscosity range EXPERIENCE
lube blends (multi-grades) Two commercial applications of Hylube process started
- Increase viscosity index up in 2003.

- Reduce pour point

Sludge, grit, and metals

MATERIAL BALANCE
An example of an overall process material balance is
provided.

Overall Material Balance Example

Feedstock Wt of Used Oil
Waste oil* 100.0
Hydrogen 0.5
Na2CO3/NaOH 1.5
MP steam 2.6
Chemical O2 (from air) 0.7
Total 105.3

Product
Fuel gas 1.8
Non-lube range product 14.4 FOR MORE INFORMATION
Lube range product 67.4 HyLube technological services are available on request.
Residue 5.0 For more information, contact your UOP representative
Net aqueous effluent 16.7 or UOP at:
Total 105.3
* Includes 10% water
Phone: +1-847-391-2000
Fax: +1-847-391-2253

uop
UOP LLC
25 East Algonquin Road
© 2003 UOP LLC All rights reserved. Des Plaines, IL 60016-6101
This information is not to be taken as a warranty or representation for which UOP
assumes legal responsibility nor as permission or recommendation to practice any U.S.A.
patented invention without a license. It is offered solely for your consideration. www.uop.com
UOP 4223-25 1103PTE0Au