Ethane cracker process

Prepared by:
Abdulrahman Abdulwhab Ahmed

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 Table of content
1. About Petro Rabigh 10. Demethanizer

2. Introduction 11. C2 Splitter

3. Process overview 12. Storage

4. Furnace cracking system 13. Conclusion

5. Quench water towers

6. Cracked gas compressor
7. Acid gas removal
8. Deethanizer
9. Acetylene reactor

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 1. About Petro Rabigh
Rabigh Refining & Petrochemical – Company (Petro Rabigh) was founded in 2005 as a joint
venture between Saudi Aramco and Sumitomo Chemical. products are used in such end
products as plastics, detergents, lubricants, resins, coolants, anti-freeze, paint, carpets, rop
clothing, film, fibers, householdELEMENT
appliances,ELMEN
packaging, candles, pipes and many other
applications. ONE THREE

ELEMENT ELEMENT
TWO FU

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 2. Introduction

Ethylene is an industrial organic compound produced by heating either

natural gas or petroleum to 900 °C. A mixture of gases is obtained
LIE UP
from which ethylene is separated.
MEETING
Petro Rabigh is producing 1600 KTA = 8500 hour / operation year
MODERN
For safety Every 4 years must be turnaround to repair and clean for 30
CHALLENGES
days.

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 3. process overview

LIE UP
MEETING
MODERN
CHALLENGES

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 4. Furnace cracking system

furnaces thermally crack an ethane rich hydrocarbon and steam

mixture to form a complex mixture of ethylene, propylene and
other product ranging from hydrogen to fuel oil. , the feed is
LIE UP
mixed with steam and cracked at 850 °C in the furnace coils. The
MEETING
furnace effluent gas is cooled in transfer line exchangers (TLEs)
MODERN
where the heat removed from the cracked gas is used to
CHALLENGES
generate high-pressure steam.

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 5. Quench water towers

Cracked gases leave the furnace at (750 °C to 875 °C). The

gases must be cooled immediately in order to preserve the
current composition
LIE UP of the gas and prevent undesirable
MEETING
side reactions from taking place. The reactor effluent from
the processMODERN
requires cooling for further fractionation and
CHALLENGES
therefore the temperature is quenched to 47 °C. Typically
quench towers utilize one or more heat transfer sections
or pump rounds to remove heat from the column.

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 6. Cracked gas compressor

The cracked gas compressor (CGC) is the most critical compressor in

the entire ethylene production plant. Its energy demand and potential
LIE UP
plant run length, linked to its volumetric flow, molecular weight,
MEETING
pressure ratio ,is a major design element within the entire ethylene
MODERN
unit and it’s used to compress the flow from 1 kg/cm2g to 30 kg/cm2g
at tempCHALLENGES
44.9 °C to 50 °C at 4 stages.

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 7. Acid gas removal (Caustic tower)
Acid gas removal involves the removal of carbon
dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) from
vapor streams. Vapor streams containing acid
gases enter LIE UPput in contact with a lean
and are
MEETING
solvent in an absorber column. The spent
MODERN
caustic exits the system & treated in caustic
CHALLENGES
treatment plant.

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 8. Deethanizer

The deethanizer (DER) separates ethane from the propylene and

heavier components( to HOFCC). the condenser of the deethanizer
must be refrigerated at -40 °C to separate C3+ using propylene
LIE
refrigeration. UP
MEETING
MODERN
CHALLENGES

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 10. Acetylene reactor

Acetylene is produced as a by-product during the pyrolysis cracking of hydrocarbons

in cracking furnaces. Since acetylene will fractionate with ethylene, it needs to be
LIE the
removed before UPC2 splitter step. An acetylene converter is a widely used unit
operation MEETING
for the conversion of the acetylene to ethylene and ethane. Acetylene
MODERN
hydrogenation (in an ethylene plant) is a highly exothermic reaction. Reactor feed
CHALLENGES
contains H2,C1,C8

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 11. Demethanizer

Demethanizer means the natural gas processing unit that separates methane

rich from ethylene. This separation contains a support system ethylene
refrigerationLIE
withUP
-100 °C temperature
MEETING
MODERN
CHALLENGES

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 12. C2 Splitter
Ethylene splitters operate at -56 °C with 8 kg/cm2g pressure to separate ethane
and ethylene. Then the ethane will be recycled, when operating at 100% of
nominal capacity .
LIE UP
MEETING
MODERN
CHALLENGES

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 13. Storage
Finally the product goes into on space tank and/or off space tank , if
any problem happen in acetylene reactor the product will go into off
space tank then will be recycle otherwise it goes into on space tank
then go to all user.
LIE UP to make maximum of 26% of normal production
the plant is designed
MEETING
(46 t/h) as ethylene liquid product for atmospheric storage.
MODERN
CHALLENGES

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 14. Conclusion

Always Successful operation of the plant depends on the

operator’s understanding of process design and awareness of
factor affecting furnace yields, production rate and continuity
of operation

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 THANK YOU Location
Any question please ? Rabigh, Saudi Arabia

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