Hydrotreatment reactor design and modeling for the production of biofuels

Identifier:  TFG:9132

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFG9132

Authors:  Gavril, Marian Alexandru

Abstract:
This project focuses on the modeling and designing of a hydrotreatment reactor to produce biofuel from bio-based feedstocks, in compliance with the European Union’s RED II and RED III sustainability and energy efficiency directives. Given the pressing need to reduce the carbon footprint of fuels, production processes like this are crucial to achieve the proposed targets. The modeled process involves the first of two consecutive reactors: the hydrodeoxygenation reactor (HDO). In this exothermic reaction scheme, the main feedstock considered is used cooking oil mostly composed of olive oil, rich in triglycerides and fatty acids, which undergoes conversion into linear alkanes (heptadecane and octadecane) under high-pressure and high-temperature conditions. The scope of this project includes reactor modeling using MATLAB® based on known reaction schemes and kinetic equations; reactor equipment design and sizing, the development of the process flow diagram (PFD) and piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) for the reactor section. Additionally, the control system is supported by a Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP) to ensure operational safety.