Capacity Step Change Using

Side Cracker Technology

Jose de Barros, Director, Olefins Technology, CB&I
Agenda

• What is a Side Cracker?

• Key Process Features
• Advantages of Side Cracker Expansion
• Experience
• Summary

Confidential Information
This presentation contains confidential information.
No part may be duplicated nor disclosed to others
without prior written consent.
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What is a Side Cracker?

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What is a Side Cracker?
• Parallel gas cracker added to increase plant capacity using lower cost ethane
and/or propane feeds
• Side Cracker Technology incorporates features from Lummus low cost gas cracker
flowsheet to minimize investment cost

Existing Naphtha Cracker

Naphtha Naphtha Compression & Recovery

Quench Tower
Feed Cracking Heaters Chilling Section

C2 Recycle
DeC1
Bottoms

C2/C3 Compression &

SRT III Heater Quench Tower C1 Recovery
Feed Chilling

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Application

• Side Cracker is added to existing naphtha cracker using ethane/propane recycle from existing
cracker plus fresh ethane and propane feedstocks
• Naphtha cracker has been previously expanded and capacity is limited
• Existing equipment has already been revamped in previous expansion(s)
• Additional capacity can no longer be obtained without paralleling major equipment

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Key Process Features

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Basic Side Cracker Block Flow
Ethane or SRT III Cracking
Propane Feed Heaters

SRT III cracking heaters are

lower cost yet still provide
excellent ethylene yields
for gas feedstocks

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Basic Side Cracker Block Flow
Water Quench
Ethane or SRT III Cracking
with Integral
Propane Feed Heaters
Settler

QW Return #2

QW Return #1

Cracked Gas
from Heaters

Integral Settler Heavy

reduces capital Gasoline
investment and plot
Tar draw
area requirement off

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Basic Side Cracker Block Flow
Water Quench Low Pressure
Ethane or SRT III Cracking
with Integral Charge Gas
Propane Feed Heaters
Settler Compressor

Low Pressure Charge Gas Compressor

reduces capital investment:
▪ Only 3 stages
▪ Only 2 casings

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Basic Side Cracker Block Flow
Water Quench Low Pressure
Ethane or SRT III Cracking
with Integral Charge Gas
Propane Feed Heaters
Settler Compressor

Caustic Tower

Low Pressure Chilling Train:

▪ C1/C2 separation occurs at low
pressure where energy of
separation is lower Drying
H2
▪ Design pressure of equipment
is cut in half
Low Pressure
Chilling & Cold
Box

Enhanced
Binary
Refrigeration

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Basic Side Cracker Block Flow
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A single system supplies all
refrigeration temperature
40 ºC levels

Single Refrigeration System

New EBR system is
integrated into new cold box
and supplies all Side Cracker
refrigeration requirements

C3-R 3
Eliminates modifications to
- 40 ºC existing C1R, C2R & C3R
C2-R

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EBR system is well-proven:
- 100 ºC ▪ 1st EBR started up in 2004
C 1R

▪ 12 EBR systems currently

- 130 ºC in operation
Conventional Enhanced
System Binary System
C1/C2-/C3-
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Basic Side Cracker Block Flow
Water Quench Low Pressure
Ethane or SRT III Cracking
with Integral Charge Gas
Propane Feed Heaters
Settler Compressor

Caustic Tower
1
LP Demethanizer is
well-proven in over 40
installations
C1 H2 Drying
2
Low Pressure
Demethanizer has Low Pressure
Low Pressure
proven easer to operate Chilling & Cold
Demethanizer
and less sensitive to Box
plant feed rate and
feedstock changes
Enhanced
Binary
Refrigeration

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Basic Side Cracker Block Flow
Water Quench Low Pressure
Ethane or SRT III Cracking
with Integral Charge Gas
Propane Feed Heaters
Settler Compressor

New Enhanced Binary Caustic Tower

Refrigeration system can also
supply any additional
Ethane / refrigeration requirements in
Propane the existing plant
Recycle
C1 H2 Drying

C2/C3/C4 Recovery Low Pressure

Low Pressure
System in Existing Chilling & Cold
Cracker
Demethanizer
Box

Enhanced
Binary
Existing Plant Refrigeration

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Basic Side Cracker Block Flow
Water Quench Low Pressure
Ethane or SRT III Cracking with Integral Charge Gas
Propane Feed Heaters Settler Compressor

Ethane/propane recycles Caustic Tower

from existing cracker are fed
to new Side Cracker, making
Ethane / additional naphtha cracking
Propane possible in the existing plant
Recycle
C1 H2 Drying

C2/C3/C4 Recovery Low Pressure

Low Pressure
System in Existing Chilling & Cold
Cracker Demethanizer
Box

Additional
naphtha Enhanced
feed Binary
Existing Plant Refrigeration

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 Advantages of Side Cracker Expansion

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A World of Solutions
Side Cracker Advantages
• Lower investment cost
– Eliminates need for paralleling gasoline fractionator

– Eliminates need for re-rotor or replacement of charge gas and refrigeration

compressors

– Reduced parallel train piece count using new technology features

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Side Cracker Advantages
• Reduced shutdown time
– Parallel train can be constructed while existing plant is
in operation

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Side Cracker Advantages
• Increased feed flexibility
– With lower cost ethane and propane feeds

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Side Cracker Advantages
Conventional Revamp of Expansion with Side
Existing Naphtha Cracker Cracker Technology
Quench Tower New (parallel)
(parallel) New
CGC + Turbine Re-rotor or replace
replace –– New – 3 stage, 2 casing
casing
5 stage, 3 casing
Propylene Refrigeration Re-rotor or replace
replace NoNew
changes
enhanced binary
refrigeration system –
Ethylene Refrigeration Re-rotor or replace
replace No changes
no changes to existing
Methane Refrigeration Re-rotor or parallel
parallel No changes
C1R, C2R & C3R systems
Cold Box / Chilling Train New (parallel)
(parallel) New
CG Dryers New (parallel)
(parallel) New
Caustic Tower Replace or parallel
parallel New
Demethanizer Replace or parallel
parallel New
DeC2/C2 Fract/Acetylene Modify internals
internals or
or Modify internals
internals or
or
Converter parallel parallel

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Experience

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Far East Naphtha Cracker – Successful Operation

• Far East naphtha cracker expansion using Side

Cracker Technology
• Side Cracker is fed by existing naphtha cracker
ethane/propane recycle and fresh C3 LPG feed
• Successful operation since December 2014
• Ethylene production expanded by 15%

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Other Side Cracker in Operation
• Europe Side Cracker
– Ethane recycle from two naphtha crackers feed Side Cracker
– No fresh feed to Side Cracker
Additional
Allows for additional
Naphtha Feed naphtha feed

Naphtha Naphtha
Cracker #1 Cracker #2

Ethane Recycle

Fuel Gas
SRT III Ethane
Heaters Side Cracker PG Ethylene
C3+

Ethane Recycle
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 Side Cracker Projects in Progress

• Far East naphtha cracker #2

– Expanded using Side Cracker Technology with C3 LPG feedstock
– Currently under EPC
• Far East naphtha cracker #3
– Expanded using Side Cracker Technology with C3 LPG feedstock
– Currently under EPC
• Far East naphtha cracker #4
– Expanded using Side Cracker Technology with C3 LPG feedstock
– Currently in FEED stage

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Summary

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Summary

Side Cracker Technology is applied to a naphtha cracker that

has previously been expanded
Limitations in existing plant make conventional expansion
uneconomical

Gas cracking flexibility is added

All Side Cracker process features are proven in operation

CB&I Side Cracker Technology is the most cost effective method of adding
capacity and feed flexibility due to low cost features:
▪ SRT III heaters
▪ 2 casing CGC
▪ Low pressure chilling train
▪ Enhanced binary refrigeration 25
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 Questions & Answers

• Jose de Barros
• Jose.deBarros@cbi.com
Copyright 2018, CB&I Inc. All rights reserved.