PTQ Q4 2023 Issue

combustion FCC units, solvent technology is often the preferred method of CO 2 capture due to the low CO 2 con- centration in the flue gas and overall low partial pressure of CO 2 . Advanced solvents, like those used in Honeywell UOP’s Advanced Solvent Carbon Capture (ASCC) tech- nology, are required for effective CO 2 capture. O 2 levels in the flue gas feed to solvent-based CCUs with amine-type solvent are to be kept low to prevent solvent degradation. 7 Switching to Synthesized Air technology in the FCC unit results in a significantly higher CO2 concentration than in traditional air combustion FCC units: >80 mol% CO 2 on a wet basis as contrasted with 15-20 mol% CO 2 in the flue gas stream. This higher CO2 concentration unlocks CO 2 capture options for technologies outside of solvents. Solvents are a potential technical fit for synthetic air com - bustion. However, they are not the most economic tech- nology selection, as their benefits diminish at higher CO2 concentrations in the flue gas stream. Other CO2 separa- tion/purification technologies are more economically viable in the synthetic air combustion case for FCC. One such CO 2 separation option is a cryogenic separation unit. When paired with inlet compression and a dehydra- tion unit, the cryogenic separation unit enables high recov- ery of CO 2 in either a single pass or recycle flow scheme while also meeting stringent CO 2 specifications (high product purity), such as low O 2 content in the product CO 2 When paired with inlet compression and a dehydration unit, the cryogenic separation unit enables high recovery of CO 2 in a single pass or recycle flow scheme stream due to the high CO 2 inlet partial pressure. The single pass or recycle flow scheme is determined based on oxy - gen content in the cryogenic unit overhead and economics around the price of the lost O 2. The CO2 fractionation sys- tem can be optimised for the temperature, pressure, and phase requirements of the CO 2 product stream. Synthesized Air FCC technology does have challenges compared to traditional air combustion. This includes requir - ing high-purity O 2 (>90 mol%) 6 from an electrolyser or ASU and the additional equipment and electricity costs associ- ated with the recycle loop blower. Ultimately, an economic analysis considering both Capex and Opex of the CO2 sep- aration equipment savings vs the additional cost of recycle equipment, such as the comparison in the following case study, needs to be performed to evaluate the potential ben- efit of the technology for a refiner. Case study UOP performed the following study in 2023 to assess the potential of its Synthesized Air FCC technology for CO 2 emissions reduction and increased profitability of operating FCC units. A European refinery with a 37,500 BPSD UOP

FCC was looking into reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions driven by carbon reduction policies/incentives/mandates in the European Union. A major challenge with carbon reduc- tion technologies is implementing an economically viable solution without assistance from carbon reduction policies/ incentives. Honeywell UOP assisted the refiner by analysing the value delivered by introducing Synthesized Air FCC technology into their current operations. Its technology was proposed as a solution to accomplish cost-effective, post-combus- tion carbon capture with the expectation that the refiner is going to utilise the CO 2 as a feedstock source to generate revenue downstream of the FCC rather than sequestring. With a tailor-made Synthesized Air FCC operation, Honeywell UOP estimated that an additional 20% coke- burning capacity in the regenerator is achievable. The additional coke burning capacity allows for the blending of less expensive, lower-quality (higher CCR) feed to the FCC unit. This alone is estimated to generate an economic return of about $50 million per year. This result is based on the assumption of applying 2023 Western European feed and product pricing: Hydrotreated AR W Europe:661.30 $/t Fuel gas: 494.88 $/t High sulphur VGO (2 wt% S): 727.39 $/t LCO: 958.25 $/t Propylene W Europe: 1518.4 $/t Slurry oil: 716.18 $/t Full-range naphtha: 920.45 $/t Pricing is based on Honeywell UOP proprietary pricing methodology, LP model - ling having typical Honeywell UOP assumptions, and IHS Markit July 2022 feed and product pricing information. The proposed Synthesized Air FCC configuration is depicted in Figure 4 . The cost of implementing the technology included a revamp of existing FCC equipment, new traditional FCC equipment, a new UOP nViro FCC section, and a new UOP FCC carbon capture section. Revamping the existing equip - ment includes revamping the flue gas steam generator for the greater mass flow of the CO2-rich FCC flue gas along with a new recycle blower that would replace the existing main air blower of the FCC. The new nViro and carbon cap - ture sections will require additional plot space and will be highly heat integrated within the flue gas system. The esti - mated erected cost (Class 5 level accuracy) of installing this equipment on a 37,500 BPSD FCC unit was approximately $100 million. UOP estimated that with an additional 20% coke burning capacity in the FCC regenerator, the refiner would be able to blend in up to 50% of FCC feed with a lower quality (higher residue feed) at a constant total throughput of 37,500 BPSD. This blending arrangement gives the refiner an estimated feed cost reduction of about $50 million per year ($1MM per 1% blended feed). With oxygen at a cost of $50/t and con - sumption equivalent to 21.5 ~ 22 mol% O 2 in synthesised air, the annual expense of oxygen is estimated to be $19 million. The other operational expenses for this technology update were estimated at $9 million per year, 11 based on a 37,500 BPSD FCC. e This includes $33 million per year in operating expenses on the nViro FCC and carbon capture sections while

PTQ Q4 2023