As petrochemical feedstocks

The market value of natural gas Hquids is highly volatile and historically has been weakly related to the world price of cmde oil. During the 1980s, the market value of natural gas Hquids ranged from approximately 60% of the price of cmde to 73% (12). In this 10-year interval, several fluctuations occurred in the natural gas Hquid market. Because of the variabiHty of the natural gas Hquid market, the NGL recovery plants need to have flexibiHty. Natural gas Hquid products compete in the following markets ethane propane a Hquefted petroleum gas (LPG) a C-3/C-4 mix and / -butane all compete as petrochemical feedstocks. Propane and LPG are also used as industrial and domestic fuels, whereas 2-butane and natural gasoline, consisting of C-5 and heavier hydrocarbons, are used as refinery feedstocks. 

The objective of the study was to evaluate the suitability of four different coal-derived liquids as petrochemical feedstocks. The four liquids received are identified further as follows ... 

Ethane A colorless, odorless gas belonging to the alkane series of hydrocarbons. It is used as petrochemical feedstock in the production of chemicals and plastics, and as a solvent in enhanced oil recovery processes. 

Production of light olefins (propylene, n-butenes and isobutene) will be one of the main targets of FCC untis in the near future. These olefins can be fed to alkylation and etherification units to produce additional high octane environmentally acceptable gasoline components, or used as petrochemical feedstock. Johnson and Avidan (85) used higher amounts of ZSM-5 (10-20%) to increase the production of light olefins, mainly propylene. 

Olefins are not present in naphtha made from crude oil. However, some types of naphtha produced as refinery intermediates by thermal or catalytic cracking processes can contain high levels of olefins. Olefins tend to lead to high fouling rates in pyrolysis crackers and are usually avoided as petrochemical feedstock. 

Refining also dramatically increases the frequency of hydrocarbons in which carbon-hydrogen bonds have been replaced with double bonds between carbon atoms. The resultant chemicals are called olefins and include ethylene (C2H4), propylene (C3H6), and butylene (C4H8). While the lighter forms such as ethylene are relatively easy to remove for use as petrochemical feedstocks, a variety of heavier olefins wind up in the refinery gasoline or fuel oil products. 

Gases such as ethane that are destined for use as petrochemical feedstocks must adhere to stringent composition controls that are dependent on the process. For example, moisture content (ASTM D-1142), oxygen content (ASTM D-1945), carbon dioxide content (ASTM D-1945), and sulfur content (ASTM D-1072) must be monitored because they all interfere with catalyst performance in petrochemical processes. 

Anagho, S.G., Ngomo, H.M. Ambe, F. (2010). Analysis of the Products of Cellulosic Wastes Hydrogenation as Petrochemical Feedstock. Energy Sources, Part A Recovery, Utilization and Environmental Ejfects. Vol. 32, No. 11, pp. 1052 - 1066, ISSN 1556-7036... 

Reforming units specifically used for the production of aromatics are called BTX reformers. The acronym BTX is based upon the desire to produce benzene, toluene, and xylenes as petrochemical feedstocks. Naphthas for theses units consist substantially of naphthenes and paraffins of six to eight carbons. The desired reaction is aromatization through dehydrogenation of the naphthenes and cy-clization and dehydrogenation of the paraffins to the analogous aromatic. Characterization of Products. 

Heavy gas oil (heavy distillate) Used as petrochemical feedstocks. Compounds with chain length C2s up to 350... 

NGL An abbreviation for natural gas liquids that consist predominantly of a mixture of liquefied ethane, propane, normal butane, isobutane, and pentane. With a high calorific value, they are used as petrochemical feedstocks, as domestic heating fuels, refinery blending, and for drying agricultural crops amongst other applications. 

Catalytic cracking is one of the most important processes in a modem refinery. It is the most economic way to convert low-valne cmde oil fractions into more valuable products and it has been described not only as the heart of the refineiy but also as the garbage can Although the process was originally developed as a gasoline producer it also supplies large volumes of gaseous hydrocarbons that are used in alkylation plants and as petrochemical feedstock. Furthermore, domestic fuel oil is an important by-product. 

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