The Advanced Catalytic Olefins (ACO) Process - Process and Catalyst Developments

Michael J. Tallman, Rik Klavers and Curtis N. Eng, KBR and Deuk Soo Park and Joo Hyeong Oh, SK Innovation

KBR and SK Innovation have introduced a new, catalytic alternative to traditional steam cracking called the Advanced Catalytic Olefins (ACO^TM) process.  Cracking straight run feeds such as naphtha, condensate, raffinate, etc catalytically instead of thermally provides many benefits, including increased yields of olefins (particularly propylene), lower capital costs (due to economy of scale in the reactor area), less susceptibility to coking in the reactor (as an FCC-type process coke formed on catalyst is easily handled without need for off-line “decoking”) and recovery section (order-of-magnitude lower yields of acetylenes and dienes result in lower fouling) and lower specific energy requirements.

While the design of the first licensed, commercial scale ACO unit, to be built in China, proceeds, both KBR and SK Innovation have been studying means of improving the ACO process and catalyst.  Such developments will be discussed in this paper, and include for example the following:

• Duel riser concept, which allows the cracking conditions to be optimized for various feed types
• Use of ACO in a revamp scenario instead of cracking furnaces
• Catalyst developments, allowing increased selectivity to olefins