Nelson index
The Nelson index ( English Nelson complexity index, NCI ) is a figure developed in 1960 by the American engineer Wilbur L. Nelson to measure the complexity of a petroleum refinery .
The complexity of a refinery describes the ability to process petroleum into higher quality products. While complex refineries mostly produce gasoline (through catalytic cracking ), less complex plants specialize in the production of middle distillates (through thermal conversion and / or hydrocracking). Larger plants in a refinery are assigned a value (or complexity factor) tailored to their capacity. The complexity factor 1.0 assigned for simple crude oil distillation is used as a reference value. Adding the complexity values to each part of the plant determines the overall complexity of the refinery. For a Nelson Index 10 refinery, this means that it is ten times more complex than a crude oil distillation plant with the same processing capacity. The index is therefore also a good measure of the investment costs and the potential for added value of a refinery; Refineries with a high Nelson Index are therefore more expensive to build and operate, but also have higher quality end products.
Refineries in Germany have Nelson values between 6.0 and 11.0 (except for the Emsland refinery with a peak value of over 14).
Individual evidence
- ↑ in the Oil & Gas Journal from 1960 to 1961 (March 14, p 189; Sept. 26, p 216 and June 19, p 109). Concept 1976 in further articles in the same journal (Sept. 13, p. 81; p. 20, p. 202; and Sept. 27, p. 83).
- ↑ see list of refineries .