Abstract:

The ethylene plant of a petrochemical company has improved its ethylene yield by increasing the processing ratio of light feedstocks since June 2023, especially by introducing a large amount of pure ethane for the first time. However, the system has encountered production bottlenecks such as insufficient quench oil, SS and methane production, and overloaded operation of compressors, demethanizer, deethanizer and ethylene distillation tower, which have affected the normal operation of the plant. Through process modification of the cracking furnace, compressors, and C₁, C₂ cycle process, as well as the optimization of operation parameters of the quench system, cooling capacity distribution, demethanizer, deethanizer and ethylene distillation tower, the impact of these bottlenecks on production has been weakened or eliminated. Through a series of modifications and optimizations, the ethylene yield of the ethylene plant has been significantly improved, contributing to the energy conservation, consumption reduction, cost reduction, and efficiency improvement of the enterprise.

Key words: lighter feedstock, ethane cracking, operation optimization, technical transformation