(129f) Improof: Integrated Model Guided Process Optimization of Steam Cracking Furnaces

Authors: Van Geem K.M.^1,*, Battin-Leclerc F.², Bellos G.³, Cuenot B.⁴, Djokic M.R.¹, Faravelli T.⁵, Henneke M.⁶, Jakobi D.⁷, Lenain P.⁸, Munoz A.G.⁹, Olver J.¹⁰, Van Goethem M.¹¹, Chris Wouters¹²

¹ Laboratory for Chemical Technology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; ² Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Nancy, France; ³ DOW Benelux B.V., Terneuzen, The Netherlands; ⁴ European Centre for Research and Advanced Training in Scientific Computation, Toulouse, France; ⁵ Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy; ⁶ John Zink International Luxembourg SARL, Luxembourg; ⁷ Schmidt + Clemens GmbH +CO. KG, Lindlar, Germany; ⁸ Ayming Belgium, Brussels, Belgium; ⁹ AVGI, Ghent, Belgium; ¹⁰ Emisshield Inc., Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; ¹¹ TECHNIP Benelux B.V., Zoetermeer, The Netherlands, ¹² CRESS BV

The goal of IMPROOF is to develop and demonstrate the steam cracking furnace of the 21^st century by drastically improving the energy efficiency of the current state-of-the-art, in a cost effective way, while simultaneously reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and NO_X per ton of ethylene produced by at least 25%. This project aims to implement and combine several of the latest technological innovations in the field of energy efficiency and fouling minimization by proving that these technologies work properly under industrial circumstances, supported by industrial partners, knowledge institutions and research and technological organizations. The ultimate objective is to deploy the furnace at the demonstrator at commercial scale with the most effective technologies improving efficiency of ethylene furnaces evaluated on pilot scale.

One of the main objectives of this project is to increase the energy efficiency of the radiation section of a steam cracking furnace and evaluate these different technologies individually and together on pilot plant scale. Therefore the results of the effect of applying high emissivity coatings on the refractory wall in the UGent pilot plant will be discussed. In the pilot furnace reactors of different reactor material have also been investigated for the IMRPOOF project, and the cross impact of changing emissivity and reactor material has been studied. Even an internally profiled reactor of the SCOPE technology has been used in these tests. Finally coatings are also applied on the external reactor wall to try to minimize hot spot formation.

The results obtained of coking tendency, yields and energy efficiency obtained on the pilot scale are complemented with data obtained in laboratory scale to explain the observations on pilot scale and to estimate the implications for larger scales.