Ethylene
Summary
Ethylene is one of the most important petrochemical intermediates and is a feedstock for many various products. Currently, primary feedstock for ethylene is ethane, propane mixture which was separated from natural gas. With a global nominal capacity of about 155 million ton/yr in 2016, ethylene is among the major petrochemicals produced worldwide. The major part of ethylene production is consumed in the manufacture of polyethylene, but ethylene is also applied in the production of ethylene oxide, ethylene dichloride and ethylbenzene.
Features
TOYO has maintained a technical alliance with Lummus on ethylene process technology and has been involved in 45 grassroots plants as well as 45 plant retrofit or revamping projects that include technology licensing and/or EPC. The features of the Lummus ethylene process are the use of an SRT (Short Residence Time) furnace with an excellent selectivity, feedstock flexibility, operational reliability and safety. It is also easy to start up and uses energy efficient technology incorporating a highly efficient steam cracker and downstream fractionation units.
Figure 1.This process diagram shows an ethylene-production process via the cracking of an ethane-propane mixture.
This process is divided into three stages such as cracking & cooling, compression & drying and separation.
[Figure 1. Ethylene-production process via the cracking of an ethane-propane mixture]