(166b) Refinery-Petrochemical Integration: Organization and Culture

Petrochemical plants and refineries both process hydrocarbon derived materials. Refineries focus on fuels production. Refinery products include LPG (liquefied petroleum gas), gasoline (petrol), kerosene and jet fuel, diesel, fuel oils, and coke. Petrochemicals focus on creating intermediates used to produce industrial and consumer products. Major petrochemical processes include steam cracking to produce ethylene (ethane), propylene (propene), and butadiene and aromatics plants producing benzene, toluene, xylene and other aromatics.

At intermediate points in their processes, refineries produce molecules of interest to petrochemical operations, and petrochemical plants produce molecules important to refineries. The easiest molecule to make is the one you already have. Refinery-petrochemical integration works on maximizing the return on the entire hydrocarbon value chain.

In refinery-petrochemical integration three different organizations are often present;

• refinery
• petrochemical plant
• transportation link or market maker between them

This presentation focuses on cultural and organizational differences between different entities and how that can make or break projects.