Full-scale hydrogen firing has been demonstrated on a commercial steam-cracking furnace after a systematic development program.
As the ethylene industry considers potential pathways to lower CO2 emissions, numerous papers and presentations such as Ref. 1 have suggested partial or full fuel switching from methane-rich tail gas to hydrogen as a potential solution.
While calculating the direct CO2 emission reduction potential of hydrogen combustion is straightforward, the design of a hydrogen burner compatible with modern ethylene cracking furnaces must address several technical challenges, including:
- maintaining adequate heat distribution and avoidance of localized high coking rates
- managing oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions as the hydrogen content in the fuel gas increases
- providing acceptable burner stability across the fuel-gas range from natural gas to hydrogen.
This article reviews one company’s journey to commercialize a full-scale hydrogen burner for 100% floor-fired ethylene furnaces and presents initial commercial furnace performance trends.
Introduction
Ethylene and propylene are petrochemicals commercially produced in large quantities. They are used in the production of a...
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