Ethylene Plant Operation Overview

‫الشركة المصرية إلنتاج اإليثيلين ومشتقاته‬

The Egyptian Ethylene & Derivatives Co.

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Ethylene

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Polyethylene Applications

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Ethylene plant (( Ethydco))

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General Design Values

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General Design Values

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Major Process Reactions

“Steam “Cracking:
❖ Thermal decomposition of Ethane.
❖ Reaction products are much smaller molecules.
❖ Effluent is mix of all products, desired and undesired.
❖ Condition Affect product yield:
1-High temperature and low pressure.
2-HC mixed with dilution steam.
3-Very short reaction time.
❖ Reaction is Endothermic.
Requires great amount of heat.
❖ Reaction occurs in cracking heaters (Furnaces)

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Major Process Reactions

❖ Hydrogenation of unsaturated impurities.

• C2 Acetylene (C2H2)
❖ Acid gas neutralization
• H2S & CO2
• Absorption
❖ CO2 removal with Amine
• Adsorption
• Water (dryers)

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Thermal cracking
Saturated Hydrocarbons Cracking Cracked gas
mainly unsaturated HC‘s
H H H H Waste heat Hydrogen
VHP steam Paraffines
H-C-C-C ... -C-H Olefines
Diolefines
H H H H
Aromatics
TLE Water
H2
C Furnace 400-600°C H2, CH4, CO,
H2-C C-H2 C2H2, C2H4, C2H6,
ca.800°C 1,7 bar
C3H4, C3H6, C3H8,
H2-C C-H2 2-3 bar
C C4 , C4’’ , C4’’’ ,
H2 C5 , C5’’ , C5’’’ ,
C6 , C6’’ , C6’’’ ,
Cn , Cn’’ , Cn’’’ ,
H2O
Energy

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Hydrogenation

Two fundamental reactions occurring :

• conversion of acetylene to ethylene (desirable)
C2H2 C2H4

• conversion of ethylene to ethane (undesirable)

C2H4 C2H6

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General Process Overview

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Mercury Removal System and Amine System

Function
-remove mercury from incoming feed.
Design:
-single bed.
-not regenerated.
Considerations:
-Mercury attack on AL exchangers can be catastrophic.
-Temperature over 82 oC kills the bed (max.70oC)

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Amine System

❖ Function
-Remove CO2 and H2S from incoming feed.
❖ Design:
-UOP license-UCARSOL ® solvent.
- Absorber remove CO 2 and H2S from incoming feed
-Acid gases removed from solvent in stripper to Atmosphere
❖ Considerations:
-Water wash tray at top of absorber.
-Fouling.
-Foaming.
-Solvent concentration

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 Amine System

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Feed Handling

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Cracking Heater
▪ Function :

▪ Heat hydrocarbon feed to cracking temperatures

▪ Mix feed with dilution steam
▪ Thermally crack hydrocarbon molecules to
produce more valuable products like Ethylene
▪ Recover combustion heat to generate SHP Steam

The simple reaction of ethane cracking to ethylene is •

C2H6 C2H4 + H2
Ethane Heat /Steam Ethylene Hydrogen

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Cracking Heater

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Cracking Heater
Steam Drum
Convection Section

Flue gas
Cracked Gas
Feedstock
BFW
Dil. Steam
VHP-Steam
Transfer Line Exchanger

cross Over
Radiant Section

Burners

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Quench Water System
▪ Function of Quench Tower (2-DA-101) :
o
▪ Cool Charge Gas to 41 C
▪ Transfer recovered heat to Quench Water for process users
▪ Condense Dilution Steam as Process Water
▪ Provide inventory for Quench Water
▪ Separates Pyrolysis Gasoline

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Process Water Stripper and DS

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 Charge Gas Compression

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 Charge Gas Compression

1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage

S. Drum
Cooler
Cooler Cooler Cooler

S. Drum S. Drum S. Drum S. Drum

4 Stage centrifugal compressor

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 Charge Gas Dryers

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 Dryer Effluent Wash Tower

▪ Function

▪ Remove such components (mainly Benzene) from dryer effluent

which could freeze at chilling train.
High Benzene level (~2000 ppm)causes freezing in Demethanizer.

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 Chilling Train
▪ Function
▪ Chilling train consists of a series of heat exchangers which
chill the dried charge gas.
▪ Condensing methane and heavier hydrocarbons which are
feeds to Demethanizer (condensed liquids are sent to
Demethanizer as Demethanizer feed at four intermediate
temperatures.
▪ Produce a hydrogen rich stream about 90 mol% purity.

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Demethanizer

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Deethanizer

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 Acetylene Hydrogenation

• Design

Fixed single bed vapor phase catalytic reactors

1 Operating + 1 Spare

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Ethylene Fractionator

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Ethylene and Ethane Storage
(Ethylene Storage System)

▪ Function
▪ The function of ethylene storage system is to provide an uninterrupted and
smooth ethylene product supply to downstream plant during unscheduled
shutdown of ethylene plant.

▪ Ethylene Storage Spheres are to store ethylene product rundown from ethylene
unit.

▪ Vaporizer is to vaporize and superheat the liquid ethylene for export to

downstream plants.
▪ The heating medium is methanol

▪ This is a back-up system to vaporize/superheated liquid ethylene.

▪ During plant shutdown, BOG (Boil off gas) is routed to Ethylene Storage BOG
Package.

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Ethylene and Ethane Storage
(Ethylene Storage System)

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Propane Refrigeration

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Propane Refrigeration

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Ethylene Refrigeration

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Ethylene Refrigeration

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Steam Generation

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Steam Generation

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 Steam Generation
HP Steam Boiler Package
Major design parameters:
-Capacity: 90.0t/hr.
-Steam pressure (Max./Nor./Min/):46.8/44.3/43.8 kg/cm2G.
-Steam Temperature (Max./Nor./Min/): 420/395/375 oC.
-Feed water temperature :148 oC.
-Fuel:
-Normal Case 1: Fuel gas+ liquid fuel.
- Normal case 2: Fuel gas
- Startup case 1: Imported fuel gas
-Startup case 2 :Diesel fuel.
-Butadiene plant shutdown: Fuel gas + liquid fuel.
-Drafting system: Forced draft.
-Automatic combustion control: from 25% to 100 MCR

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Steam Generation
Steam Balance and steam levels

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Cooling Water

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Fuel Gas

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Nitrogen

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 Waste Water and Waste Oil

Amine Sump / Sewer :

It is a closed drain system

The function of the system is to collect all drain from Amine System in Amine Sump Tank

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 Waste Water and Waste Oil

❑ Chemical Sump / Sewer :

▪ The function of the system is to collect any drain from Caustic System in Chemical Sump Tank.
▪ Collected drain from the tank is sent to Waste Water Treatment for neutralization.

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Flare and Blowdown

▪ The function of a flare system is to collect and burn all hydrocarbons discharged from the process
system.

▪ The flare system has been designed to meet the controlling loads of the 460,000 MT/Y.

▪ The flare system consists of-

➢ Wet Flare (NF) and associated K.O. Drum
➢ Dry Flare (DF) and associated K.O. Drum
➢ The Liquid Drain
➢ The Hydrocarbon Flare Stack with Seal

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 Thank you
E TH YD C O Et hyl e n e Te am
The Egyptian Ethylene & Derivatives Company
Petroleum Complex - 19th km Alex-Cairo Desert
Road - Merghem - Amreya - Alexandria
M.B. 44, Mubarak Housing, Alex, Egypt.
TEL : 03 - 2020175 FAX : 03 – 2020338
[email protected]

www.ethydco-eg.com
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