OPTIMISATION

OF
ETHYLENE CRACKER

HEMENDRA KHAKHAR
PROJECT SUMMARY
• REQUIREMENT OF SIMULATOR:
PREDICTION OF CONVERSION AND YIELD OF PRODUCTS WITH
CHANGE IN OPERATING CONDITIONS
• SUNDARAM AND FROMENT MODEL:
MOLECULAR REACTION SCHEME ( 8 REACTIONS )

• CONCERNS OF OPTIMISATION:
DOWNSTREAM PLANT CAPACITIES
PLANT FEED CAPACITY
PRICE OF CRUDE OIL
CYCLIC FLUCTUATION IN PETROCHEMICAL PRICES
AVAILABLE REACTOR TIME
INTRODUCTION

• FEED STOCKS FOR THERMAL CRACKING:

ETHANE, PROPANE, LPG, NAPHTHA,GAS OIL,
CRUDE OIL, ETC.
• MAIN PRODUCTS: ETHYLENE, PROPYLENE
• BY PRODUCTS: BUTENE, HYDROGEN, GAS OIL,
FUEL OIL
• OPERATING VARIABLEAS:
TEMPERATURE
PARTIAL PRESSURE OF H/C
RESIDENCE TIME
ETHANE CRACKING FURNACE
PROBLEM DESCRIPTION

• FEED: ETHANE/PROPANE/LPG
• CAPACITY : 200000 lb/hr.
• MAIN PRODUCTS :
ETHYLENE: 100000 lb/hr.
PROPYLENE:20000 lb/hr.
• DOWNSTREAM PLANTS:
ETHYLENE GLYCOL
POLYVINYL CHLORIDE
HIGH DENSITY POLYETHYLENE
POLYPROPYLENE
ISSUES FOR OPTIMISATION
• LARGE NO. OF FEED & PRODUCT STREAMS
NECESSITATING CAREFUL CHOICE OF FEEDS AND
CONDITIONS
• INCREASING FLEXIBILITIES OF THE REACTORS
CLAIMED BOTH FOR FEEDSTOCK UTILISATION AND
EFFLUENT DISTRIBUTION
• RECYCLING STREAMS
• RUNLENGTH OF REACTORS
• RELIABLE PREDICTION OF EFFLUENT DISTRIBUTION
• REVAMPING OF UNITS
OPTIMISATION MODEL
• THREE WAYS FOR SCALING UP :
DIRECT EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION
EQUIVALENT TIME AS A DESIGN
PARAMETER
MATHEMATICAL MODELLING

• AVAILABLE MODELS:
EMPIRICAL MODEL
MOLECULAR ( STOICHIOMETRIC ) MODEL
MECHANISTIC MODEL
ADOPTED MODEL
• DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED;
• 1. STIFFNESS OF DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
• 2. UNKNOWN INITIAL VALUES OF DEQ
• STOICHIOMETRIC MODEL:
• SUNDARAM & FROMENT MOLECULAR MODEL
• MATERIAL BALANCE:
dFi/dz = -  (Siri) * dt2 /4
• ENERGY BALANCE:
dT/dz = 1/ Ficpi { Q(Z)* dt + dt2/4*ri *(- Hi)
REACTION SCHEME
REACTION MODEL OF SUNDARAM & FROMENT

Rxn No. (i) Reaction

1.
C2H6  C2H4 + H2

2.
2C2H6  C3H8 + CH4

5.
C3H6  C2H2 + CH4

6.
C2H2 + C2H4  C4H6

8.
C2H4 + C2H6  C3H6 + CH4

Rxn. No. (j) Reaction

3 C3H8  C2H4 + CH4

4 C3H8  C3H8 + H2

7 2C3H6  3C2H4
 Rec Ethane (x5)
Rec Propane (x6)

Gasoline

Ethane (x1)

Ethylene Butadiene
Cracker
Propane (x2)
Propylene

Gas oil (x3)

Ethylene
DNG (x4)

Methane
e
Fuel oil

Fuel (x7)
FORMULATION OF OBJECTIVE
FUNCTION
• OBJECTIVE FUNCTION, PROFIT,
f = PRODUCT COST - FEED COST - ENERGY COST

• INEQUALITY CONSTRAINTS:
CRACKER CAPACITY : 200000 lb/hr.
ETHYLENE PROCESSING CAPACITY : 100000 lb/hr.
PROPYLENE PROCESSING CAPACITY : 20000 lb/hr.

• EQUALITY CONSTRAINTS:
ETHANE RECYCLE BALANCE
PROPANE RECYLCE BALANCE
ENERGY BALANCE
RESULTS OF ACTUAL RUN
Sr. No. Variable Optimum value
1. X1 1.0909e5
2. X2 0.0
3. X3 0.0
4. X4 0.0
5. X5 72727.273
6. X6 0.0
7. X7 58864.819
8. F 9.9065e5
9. Et 1.6136e6
10. P 25072.727
11. B 48436.364
12. G 18054.545
13. Pro 1.7052e6
14. feed 7.1455e5
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS:RUN IV
CAPACITY : 400000 lb/hr.
ETHYLENE : 100000 lb/hr.
PROPYLENE : 20000 lb/hr.

Sr. No. Variable Optimum value

1. X1 1.2e5
2. X2 0
3. X3 0
4. X4 0
5. X5 80000
6. X6 0
7. X7 64658
8. F 1.0897e6
9. Et 1.775e6
10. P 27580
11. B 53280
12. G 19860
13. Pro 1.875e6
14. Feed 7.86e5
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS:RUN II
CAPACITY: 400000 lb/hr.
ETHYLENE: 50000 lb/hr.
PROPYLENE : 20000 lb/hr.
Sr. No. Variable Optimum value
1. X1 60000
2. X2 0
3. X3 0
4. X4 0
5. X5 40000
6. X6 0
7. X7 32793.866
8. F 5.4486e5
9. Et 8.8750e5
10. P 13790
11. B 26640
12. G 9930
13. Pro 9.3786e5
14. feed 3.93e5
SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS:RUN III
CAPACITY : 400000 lb/hr.
ETHYLENE : 200000 lb/hr.
PROPYLENE : 10000 lb/hr.
Sr. No. Variable Optimum value
1. X1 2.181e5
2. X2 0
3. X3 0
4. X4 0
5. X5 1.4545e5
6. X6 0
7. X7 1.168e5
8. F 1.981e6
9. Et 3.227e6
10. P 50145
11. B 96872
12. G 36109
13. Pro 3.41e6
14. feed 1.4291e6
SUGGESTION FOR FUTURE
WORK
• RADICAL REACTION MODEL:
• ETHANE CRACKING:
49 REACTIONS,11 MOLECULAR SPECIES, 9 RADICAL SPECIES
• PROPANE CRACKING:
80 REACTIONS,11 MOLECULAR SPECIES, 11 RADICAL
SPECIES
• DEVELOPMENT OF GEAR ALGORITHM TO SOLVE
STIFF DEQ
• REGOROUS ENERGY BALANCE(BOTH COMBUSTION
AND PROCESS SIDE ) AND MOMENTUM BALANCE
REQUIRES COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS