Honeywell announced an integrated olefin suite (IOS) of technologies that can increase ethylene production and improve profitability when added to a naphtha steam cracker. IOS provides customers the ability to improve return on investment, increase operating profits, opportunity to reduce CO2 footprint and increase the level of control over by-products, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.
IOS features a collection of commercially proven technologies that create a step change in naphtha cracker performance. By economically improving the quality of naphtha cracker feeds, the yield of ethylene is increased and the production of lower-value by-products are reduced.
IOS includes three main sections. The feed optimization section transforms typical naphthas into a naphtha cracker feedstock that is rich in normal paraffins. Normal paraffins increase the yield of ethylene and decrease the yield of most by-products which is expected to generate a more valuable product slate.
The co-processing section significantly increases propylene by processing propane, generated in the feed optimization section and from other feed sources, in a UOP Oleflex unit. When compared to processing propane in a steam cracking unit, the Oleflex process provides a much higher yield to light olefins, while also generating significant amounts valuable hydrogen.
The by-products handling section includes additional processing solutions that can be used to increase, decrease or eliminate the production of by-products such as butadiene, butenes and benzene to match the customer’s strategic objectives.
As MRC reported earlier, in February 2022, TotalEnergies and Honeywell announced an agreement to promote the development of advanced plastic recycling. Under this agreement, Honeywell will supply TotalEnergies with recycled polymer feedstock (RPF) using Honeywell’s UpCycle process technology at the recently announced Honeywell and Sacyr advanced recycling plant, intended to be built in Andalucia, Spain. TotalEnergies will purchase and convert this raw material into virgin-quality polymers, which could be used for food-grade packaging and other high demanding applications.
We remind that in January 2022, Honeywell announced that Lukoil -Permnefteorgsintez, a subsidiary of Lukoil, will use a range of Honeywell UOP process technologies at its refinery to convert low value vacuum gasoil into high value products such as gasoline and propylene.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,487,450 tonnes in 2021, up by 13% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market totalled 1,494.280 tonnes, up by 21% year on year. Deliveries of homopolymer PP and PP block copolymers increased, whreas.shipments of PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
MRC