In Iran, power plants use liquid fuels such as heavy fuel oil (HFO) or mazut to prevent disruption in power generation. The high percentage of sulfur compounds in HFO and the lack of efforts to remove it, causing significant damage to the environment. The purpose of this research is performing a techno-economic analysis on the Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) process of HFO. The results showed that for removing 85% of sulfur compounds from HFO with a volume flow rate of 250 m3/h that includes 3.5% wt sulfur compounds, the total capital investment and the net production cost are 308.9 million US$ and 114.5 million US$/year, respectively. Besides, the sensitivity analysis indicates that with a 100% increase in the catalyst loading, the mass percentage of sulfur compounds in the HFO will be decreased by 15% more. Also, 6.4% and 32% will add to the total capital investment and net production cost, respectively. With a 100% increase in the gas to oil ratio, the mass percentage of sulfur compounds in the HFO will be decreased by 15.3% more. Also, 43.8% and 6% will be added to the total capital investment and net production cost, respectively. With a 100% increase in the pressure of the HDS process, the mass percentage of sulfur compounds in the HFO will be reduced by 20.75% more. Also, 43% and 6.75% will be added to the total capital investment and net production cost, respectively. Ultimately, with a 100% increase in the inlet temperature of beds, the mass percentage of sulfur compounds in the HFO will be reduced by 5% more. Among the effective operational parameters, hydrogen consumption has the greatest impact on net production cost and payback period, and the pressure of the Hydrodesulfurization process has the greatest impact on increasing the total capital investment of the process.
In FY 2009, the sector accounted for 60% of total government revenues and 80% of the total annual value of both exports and foreign currency earnings. Oil and gas revenues are affected by the value of crude oil on the international market. It has been estimated that at the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) quota level (December 2004), a one-dollar change in the price of crude oil on the international market would alter Iran’s oil revenues by US$1 billion.
In 2012, Iran, which exported around 1.5 million barrels of crude oil a day, was the second-largest exporter among the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. In the same year, officials in Iran estimated that Iran’s annual oil and gas revenues could reach $250 billion by 2015. However, the industry was disrupted by an international embargo from July 2012 through January 2016. Iran plans to invest a total of $500 billion in the oil sector before 2025.