Abstract
The Clean Air Acts Amendments of 1990 required U.S. petroleum refineries to install facilities to comply with the specifications of the California Air Resources Board. The planning, design and construction of new refining facilities along with modification of existing process units are specified to produce significant reductions in sulfur, olefins, aromatics, benzene, distillation points and vapor pressure. The cumulative impact of the new legislation on various refinery distillation operations is examined. Specific emphasis is placed on column configuration options, column modifications and trade-offs involved in product recovery economics.