Introduction
Technip Energies has extensive expertise in ethylene and our design and technology know-how played a key role in the Sanjiang mixed feed cracker in Jiaxing Port, Zhejiang Province in China. In addition to providing our proprietary technology and equipment, our Houston Operating Center team, with support from four other operating centers around the world, performed the process design package (PDP) for the 1000 kta plant.
“In today’s market, companies need flexibility and reliability when planning ethylene plants. Seeing our innovative approach to Sanjiang’s plant achieve such success, we will utilize these features in similar plants.”
Challenge
Mixed feed steam crackers have the flexibility to crack gas and liquid feeds from multiple sources, allowing them to change feedstock based on cost and availability. Sanjiang Chemical wanted to utilize ethane, naphtha and propane as feeds for its new 1000 kta ethylene plant which would supply polymer grade ethylene to downstream ethylene oxide / ethylene glycol and other derivative units. The plant design helps Sanjiang avoid the market risk of relying on a single raw material with potential price fluctuations.
Technologies
Technip Energies has substantial experience in the design of mixed feed crackers. In addition, we offer key proprietary technologies, including Ripple Trays™, Wet Air Oxidation and Ultra Selective Conversion (USC®) U and W coil furnaces, which provide high energy efficiency and high yields.
For Sanjiang, this was the first mixed feed cracker that utilized our low-pressure de-ethanizer heat integrated rectifier system (HRS®) scheme, which was integrated with a liquid ethane feed refrigeration credit recovery process, to provide outstanding energy efficiency.
Solution
Reducing the Specific Energy Consumption
The innovative process design and proprietary technology and equipment used in the Sanjiang mixed feed cracker not only significantly reduced the specific energy consumption of the plant, but also enabled the successful start-up of the plant that reached on-spec product just hours later.
The plant’s C2 hydrogenation system was on-line and on-spec after 13 hours after initial hydrocarbon feed-in during start-up; feed was introduced into the C2 splitter, producing on-spec ethylene, in just 36 hours.
Our Ultra Selective Conversion (USC®) U and W coil furnace technologies are designed for short-residence time and meet the operational needs of the plant. For the cold section design, we incorporated our proprietary Heat-integrated Rectifier System (HRS®) and low-pressure de-ethanizer for higher energy efficiency. Refrigeration credits were recovered from the ethane and propane liquid feeds.
Results
Technip Energies demonstrated its capability to implement new design concepts to meet our client’s needs and adapt to their specific circumstances. The Sanjiang project demonstrated our reliable technology and equipment design to achieve a successful start-up with on-spec product in a short amount of time, with a 15 percent lower Specific Energy Consumption compared to other recent mixed feed crackers.
Get in touch
- select Projects Asia Pacific from the "Projects contact per region" dropdown): Contact