operational costs, significant carbon emissions, and limited flexibility. However, advancements in catalyst development, process optimisation, and hardware improvements within the HPCL R&D Centre (HPGRDC) have highlighted the potential of the catalytic route for petrochemical production. This technology enables the direct catalytic conversion of crude oil into petrochemicals in a single unit, eliminating the need for energy-intensive fractionation and hydroprocessing steps. As a result, this approach significantly reduces capital expenditure (Capex), operational expenditure (Opex), and overall carbon emissions. Process development The preliminary work was started with a lab- scale evaluation of the process configuration and catalyst formulation. Besides the flexibility of operation, the catalytic cracking of crude oil poses challenges due to its wide variety of molecules, ranging from lighter gases to heavy asphaltenes. Since the focus is on specific molecules rather than general fuels, rigorous evaluation and optimisation of process conditions and catalysts are essential. The process effectively utilises the heavy and light fractions of crude and reduces the low-value fuels. Along with the process technology, HP Green R&D has also developed catalysts and additives for cracking applications. High light olefin selectivity and conversion are achieved by the use of shape-selective zeolites and active- matrix technology (see Figure 1 ). Selective cracking in a controlled environment helps achieve deep cracking of molecules to produce lighter products and reduce middle distillates and bottoms. After finalising the process configuration and catalyst, cold flow studies were conducted to evaluate the unit’s hydrodynamics. These studies provided essential data for refining the process, designing specialised internals, and ensuring successful scale-up. Lab-scale evaluations were validated through pilot-scale testing. Proprietary Internals FCC feed injection nozzles : The feed injection nozzle plays a vital role in enhancing the
Micro-pores
Meso-pores
Macro-pores
Figure 1 Active-matrix catalyst details
efficiency of the FCC process. By introducing the feed as a fine spray, it improves heat and mass transfer between the feed molecules and the circulating hot catalyst, leading to better cracking performance. HPGRDC has successfully developed and commercialised a cost-effective feed injection nozzle, HP-SprayMax, with enhanced operational reliability and performance. Its effectiveness was validated through a comparative analysis of test run data collected before and after installation, showing clear improvements in unit conversion. The SprayMax nozzles’ design facilitates the rapid evaporation of heavier crude fractions and ensures better mixing with the catalyst. This leads to higher conversion rates, improved product selectivity, and uniform feed distribution within the reactor. Additionally, efficient atomisation helps suppress unwanted side reactions, resulting in reduced coke formation and dry gas yield. HeliPack stripper packing : The FCC stripper plays a critical role in the overall performance of the unit. If the stripper underperforms, it can become a bottleneck, especially when processing feeds with higher concentrations of heavier molecules such as asphaltenes and resid. Poor stripping efficiency leads to increased hydrocarbon carryover to the regenerator, raising the burning load and resulting in a higher delta coke, which can adversely affect regenerator temperature control. To address this, HPGRDC has developed
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