Integration of Divided Wall Columns in a Shale Oil Processing Unit

Use of Divided Wall Column (DWC) in petroleum processing has significantly increased in the past decade. Savings of 20-30% in capital and energy have been reported. This paper discusses the application of DWC in a Shale Oil Processing unit. Impact of utility constraints on the economics for application of DWC is discussed. The paper will also discuss how Pinch Technology and Process Integration techniques can be used to integrate the DWC with the rest of the process and the insights that can be developed to optimize the process configuration.