PTQ Q2 2023 Issue

aromatics) have some potentially attractive market value, there are much more efficient and clean ways of achieving those particular products. Recall the discussion on molecular precision and management. The least useful products, fuel gas and pyrolysis oil (pyoil), are generally to be avoided. UOP has a suite of tools – MaxEne, IsoFlex, AroFlex, and OCP – that allow the mixed feed steam cracker complex to handle a variety of feedstocks more efficiently. Steam crack - ers prefer lighter feedstocks. They also prefer normal paraf - fins to iso paraffins, and naphthenes to aromatics. An Integrated Olefins Suite (IOS), combined with a pro - pane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit (Oleflex) to process the propane, can be applied to an embedded mixed feed steam cracker, with MaxEne and IsoFlex process units upstream and AroFlex and OCP process units downstream of the steam cracker. In one customer case, application of the IOS enabled the light olefin yield to increase by 57%. The crude oil consumption of the complex was reduced by 9%. Petchem operations earn cash by minimising the quantity of feedstock required to make the target products. The 9% reduction in crude oil enabled the sizing of all associated equipment to be reduced. Improved feedstock management to the steam cracker enabled multiple furnaces to be removed from the design. This design eliminates net pyrolysis gas, butanes, and butylenes while decreasing pyoil production by 95%. The net CO 2 production per tonne of light olefin is reduced by 40%. Processing propane in a PDH unit rather than a steam cracker reduces the CO2 footprint per tonne of propylene by 94%. In brief, putting the right molecules through the right pro - cesses will more efficiently make the right products. UOP’s next generation of IOS will enable the elimination of mixed feed steam crackers, allowing that technology to operate where it is most efficient: the conversion of ethane feedstock. Next generation IOS does not require a steam cracker to cre - ate value. It will also enable refiners to pivot naphtha out of the gasoline pool and convert it to propane at quantities to support a PDH investment. As we have seen with high pro - pylene FCC units, propylene is the easiest petchem product market for most refiners to enter. Conclusion Today’s refiners can achieve bankable, ESG-aligned goals by managing feedstocks to meet their target product objectives. As an industry, we must start thinking and acting differently to survive in a decarbonising world across the energy transi - tion. Through efficient use of molecular precision across an entire integrated refining and petrochemical operation, lever - aging the economic value of CO2, operating firms can cre - ate the best roadmap to meet their changing objectives and become the refinery of the future today. MaxEne, IsoFlex, AroFlex, and Oleflex are marks of Honeywell UOP. Keith A. Couch is Senior Director of Global Technology Sales and In - tegrated Projects within UOP’s Process Technologies business. He has over 28 years’ experience in manufacturing, R&D, field service, techni - cal service, technical sales, and business management. He holds a BS degree in chemical engineering from Louisiana Tech University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business. Email: Keith.Couch@honeywell.com

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PTQ Q2 2023