(58ad) Oil to Chemicals: Technological Approaches and Advanced Process Configurations to Convert Light Crude Oils to Olefins

Interest in the topic of crude oil conversion direct to chemicals is not new, but it has gained recent interest due to new drivers – first, the advancements in technology to produce chemicals including the increased versatility of cracking and unconventional olefin and BTX swing processes, second, the prospect of lower crude pricing for longer making it an attractive feedstock for chemical producers, and third, the recent surplus supply of light crude oils. Two recent public announcements in this area include ExxonMobil’s modified steam cracker in Singapore and the joint venture project between Saudi Aramco and SABIC.

This presentation will highlight the causes for increased interest in this area, including the imbalance in projected growth between transportation fossil-fuels and petrochemicals, as well as highlight and summarize the technologies that are being developed to make these conversion processes a reality. The presentation will also illustrate why future commercial crude oil to chemical installations will likely be installed in a modular fashion and greatly benefit chemical producers.