Light Cycle Oils

While gasoline is usually the most valuable product of the FCC unit, other products can seasonally increase in value to the point where it is advantageous to increase their yields. For example, in winter the value of LCO (light cycle oil), when used as a blending component in heating oil, can be greater than that of gasoline.  Tight control of aromatic content allows LCO to be used as finished distillate, Diesel and/or Jet.  Under such circumstances, many refineries will adjust their FCC unit operation to increase light cycle oil yield at the expense of gasoline. This means it is very important to monitor key LCO properties carefully to ensure optimum blending economics.

Online, realtime measurement of LCO parameters such as Cloud and Flash Points, Sulfur, Aromatic content, Density, and Distillation Points are extremely important.  For example, minimizing the Cloud Point window to 1.5 to 2 degrees C via Raman has been demonstrated by our customers to save ~ $30,000 day (~$1,200,000 month) on LCO production of ~ 3,000 bpd.