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Lecture1 PDF
Lecture1 PDF
Lecture 1
Profile of Petrochemical
Industry and its Structure
LECTURE 1
PETROCHEMICAL INDUSTRY
Petroleum and petrochemical industries have revolutionized our life and are providing the major
basic needs of rapidly growing, expanding and highly technical civilisation as a source of energy
for domestic, industrial, transport sectors and as feedstock for fertilisers, synthetic fibers,
synthetic rubbers, polymers, intermediates, explosives, agrochemicals, dyes, and paints etc.
Modern petrochemical industry fulfill the requirement of large number of products which are
being used in some or other form in daily life and also closely linked with the socio-economic
aspiration of people which includes packaging to agriculture, automobiles to telecommunication,
construction to home appliances, health care to personal care, pesticides to fertiliser, textile to
tyre cord, chemicals to dyes, pharmaceuticals and explosives [Mall, 2007]. Linkage of socio-
economic of petrochemical in our life have mention in Table M-VII 1.1. There is hardly any area
of our life that is not compacted by petrochemicals.
The petrochemical industry is highly technological and capital intensive. Developments in
petrochemical technology are taking place very fast. Tremendous resources and efforts are being
continuously spent on increasing size of the plant, the yield through continuous upgradation of
catalyst, reducing energy consumption and cost reduction through novel process rate, new
chemistries or scale up approaches.
Due to huge population, the per capita consumption of petrochemicals in India is about 506kg
compared to global weighted average 25 kg and Chinas consumption of around 25-30 kg. Oil
refining and steam cracking of naphtha and natural gas (ethane & propane) are the common
routes of producing petrochemicals. Table M-VII 1.2 gives the building blocks for Indian
petrochemical capacities. Many Indian refineries are now entering petrochemicals in a big way
through green field projects and expansions. Major ethylene complex in India are given in Table
M-VII 1.3. The potential possible in India can just be imagined, now with growth in various
sectors of economy like automotives, construction, textiles etc taking off well [Chemical
Industry digest August 2010,p. 5]
271
Table M-VII 1.1: Petrochemical Socio-economic Linkage
Group of Product Areas
Plastics and Polymers Agricultural water management, packaging, automobiles,
telecommunications, health and hygiene, education, transportation,
building.
Synthetic rubber Transportation industry, chemical, electrical, electronics,
adhesives, sealants, coatings.
Synthetic fiber Textile, transportation, industrial fabrics, geo-textiles, non-woven
fabrics.
Synthetic detergents Health and Hygiene.
Industrial chemicals Drugs & pharmaceuticals, pesticides, explosives, surface coating,
dyes and intermediates, lubricating oil additives, adhesives, oil
field chemicals, antioxidants, chemicals, metal extraction, printing
ink, paints, corrosion inhibitors, solvents, perfumes, food additives.
Fertilisers Agriculture, polymers.
Source: Mall 2007
272
Reliance formerly IPCL Gandhar 3,00,000 Gas
Reliance Hazira 2,50,000 Naphtha/Gas
Haldia petrochemicals Haldia 5,20,000 Naphtha
GAIL Auria 4,00,000 Gas
Oswal Agro Mumbai 23,000 Naphtha
Indian Oil Corporation Panipat 800,000 Naphtha
Limited
Sources: Annual report 2010-11 Dept of Chemicals & Petrochemicals) (Ministry of Chemicals &Fertliser,
Govt of India
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BASIC PETROCHEMICALS
C1 group Methane, CO H2 synthesis, synthesis gas derivatives
C2 group Ethane, ethylene, ethylene derivatives, acetylene
C3 group Propane, propylene and propylene derivatives
C4, C5 group Butadiene, Butanes, Butenes, Pentane, Pentene,
Isoprene, Cyclopentadiene
Aromatic Benzene, Toluene , Xylenes Naphthalene, BTX derivatives
274
MAJOR END PRODUCTS
Polymer, Synthetic fibre, synthetic rubber, synthetic detergent, Chemical intermediate, dyes and
intermediates chemical intermediates, pesticides
275
Methanol routes: Synthesis gas from methane, coal and biomass; conversion of synthesis
gas to methanol and production of olefin by methnol to olefin technology.
Conversion of methanol to dimethyl ether
Product recovery and separation Recovery of C4&C5 stream from FCC and steam cracker
Oxidative coupling of methane
Ethanol from biomass: direct fermentation of sugar rich biomass, hydrolysis of lingo-
cellulosic biomass
Gasification of lingo-cellulosic biomass followed by fermentation or chemical catalysis
to ethanol.
Carbon dioxide to liquid fuel by engineered bacteria
Gasification of petrocoke to hydrogen
276
Dewaxing of
Wax lubricating oil C8-C56 Cracking C6-C20 alkanes
hydrocarbon
Pyrolysis Ethylene cracker Aromatic, alkenes, Hydrogenation Aromatics
Gasoline dienes, alkanes, distillation,
cycloalkane extraction,
crystallisation,
adsorption
Natural Gas fields and Hydrogen, Cracking, Ethylene,
Gases & crude oil methane, ethane, reforming, propylene, LPG,
Natural Gas stabilisation propane, pentane, separation aromatics, etc.
Condensate aromatics
Petroleum Crude oil Carbon Residue Carbonelectrode,
coke upgradation acetylene, fuel
processes,
gasification
277
Glycerol Propylene By-product of soap manufacture (original
process)
Butadiene 1- and 2-Butenes Ethyl alcohol (1915); acetaldehyde via 1:3-
Butane butanediol (1920-30); acetylene and
Synthetic ethyl alcohol formaldehyde from coal via 1:4-butanediol
By-product of ethylene by (1940-45); from 2:3-Butanediol by
pyrolysis of liquid fermentation (1940-45)
hydrocarbons
Aromatic Aromatic-rich and By-products of coal-tar distillation
hydrocarbons naphthenic-rich fractions by
catalytic reforming and
direct extraction or by
hydroalkylation
Input cost of feed constituents is a major portion of the variable cost of production in
petrochemical plants.
Major feed input naphtha/kerosene from the refinery
Fed quality monitoring and improvement efforts are therefore very important aspects
having significant impact on the economics of the operation cost.
The precursors and undesirable constituents in feed including catalyst and adsorbents
poisons should be known, analyzed and monitored continuously.
278
Ethylene
The following components in feed give ethylene in decreasing order:
Ethane, Butane to Decane, 3 and 2 Methyl hexane, 2 methyl Pentane/ 2,2 Dimethyl Butane,
Isopentane
Propylene
The following components in feed give propylene in decreasing order:
Isobutane, n-nutane, n-propane, 3 methyl pentane, 2,3 dimethyl butane, 2 methyl hexane,
n-pentane, 3 methyl hexane, iso pentane.
Butadiene
The following components of feed give butadiene is decreasing order:
Cyclo hexane, methyl cyclo pentane.
AROMATIC PLANT
Naphtha cut C6 to C9
Paraffin, Napthenes, Aromatics 110 to 140 oC
Dehydrogenation of C8Napthene yield C8 aromatics. Most desirable component
90% of C8napthalene in feed gets converted to C8 aromatics
C8 Paraffin's: Dehydro cyclisation of C8 paraffin's yield aromatics difficult to 20% C8
paraffins converted to C8 aromatics.
C8 aromatics: Pass as refractory and directly contribute to C8 aromatic production.
C8 aromatic precursors: It is useful to monitor aromatic precursors= 0.2* C8 P + 0.9 *
C8 N + 1.0 C8 A
279
Low to moderate level of integration: uses 5-10 % of crude
High level integration: these complexes convert 10-25% of the crude oil
Petrochemical refinery: these complexes produce a significant amount of petrochemicals
as compared to fuels.
Petrochemical Processes within refinery which will help in integration of refinery and
petrochemicals [Handa, 2010]
Propylene Recovery from FCC gases
Ethylene from FCC gases
C4 and C5 recovery from FCC
C4s from naphtha cracker and refinery to LPG pool as well as feed to cracker
Aromatic Recovery & Conversations
Light ends & Light Naphtha Conversion
Residue & Coke gasification
Hydrogen Production
Butane to Maleic anhydride & Derivative
Benzene-Cumene-Phenol-Acetone
Benzene-Cyclohexane-Caprolactum
n-Paraffins extraction from kerosene for LAB
Valorization of refinery streams- LCO, LCGO, HCGO
Recovery of Valuable Chemicals cyclopentadiene, diclopentadiene, isoprene, propolyene
Isobutylene for alkylation
Use of C7-C8 stream from benzene extortion for separation of p-xylene for PTA
Maximizing the use of natural gas in a refinery-petrochemicals complex offers higher
margins and lower carbon emissions. Off gas from
Off gas from FCC and delayed coking units contains a good quantity of ethane, ethylene,
propylene and some propane and recovery of these hydrocarbons may be economical in the
refinery.
280
INDALIN PROCESS
Indalin is a versatile indigenous technology adding value to upstream and downstream oil
industry. Indalin is a catalytic cracking process for upgradation of low value naphtha to very high
yield of LPG, containing high olefins such as propylene, ethylene butylenes etc. Surplus
kerosene and gas oil range fraction can also be processed along with naphtha. Indalin can
integrate a refinery with petrochemicals complex and therefore offers a tremendous opportunity
for value addition through upgradation of low value streams to petrochemical feed stock.
[Bhatacharya et. al.2011]
REFERENCES
1. Bhatacharya, D., Brijesh Kumar, Raj Gopal, S. Indian : A versatile indigenous process
Technology, J. of Petrotech July-sep 2011,p56
2. Chemical Business, Annual Report 2010-11 Dept of Chemicals & Petrochemicals
(Ministry of Chemicals & Fertliser), Govt. of India, April 2ii, p.22
3. Chemical Industry digest, August 2010,p. 5
4. Dave, R.R. Khurana, M.L. Evaluation of Feed stocks for aromatics, olefins and
surfactant Plants, Proceeding of National workshop in crude oil evaluation, edited by
Nagpal, J.M., Tata Mcgraw Hill Publishing Company Limited, New Delhi
5. Handa, S.K. Feedstock choice in petrochemicals industry Chemical industry digest
august 2010,p.60
6. Kappor, S., Vaidyanatht, R, A., Menegaz, D. Why integrate refineries and petrochemical
plants Hydrocarbon processing February, 2009,p. 29.
7. Mall, I.D., Petrochemical Process Technology, First Edi., New Delhi, Macmillan India
2007
8. Masood, R. Role of raw materials in petrochemical industry Chemical industry news,
July 2002,p.13
9. Taraphdar, T., Yadav, P., Prasad, M.K., Natural gas fuels the integration of refining and
petrochemicals, PTQ quarterly, Q3, 2012, p.39
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