Application Note: On-Line Process Gas Analysis In Ethylene Production Plants

Emerson provides Rosemount Analytical gas analyzer technology for on-line analysis in ethylene production plants. Strategically placed gas analyzers improve the process efficiency and the purity of the end product.

Ethylene is one of the most common building blocks in the petrochemical industry with millions of tons produced around the world every year. A typical ethylene plant also produces a number of other important building block chemicals such as propylene and butadiene along with an aromatics-rich pyrolysis gasoline. Ethylene, propylene and butadiene undergo value-added processing in order to synthesize plastics, rubber, fibers and many other organic products.

Cracked gases such as ethane and propane from petroleum refining overheads and naptha streams are used as feedstock for ethylene and propylene production. The typical ethylene plant is divided into two basic sections: the cracking furnaces (hot side) and the fractionation train (cold side). The furnaces are often called by different names such as pyrolysis furnaces, naptha cracking furnaces, naphtha steam crackers, etc. After the cracking furnaces the gases are cooled, compressed and scrubbed. The liquid hydrocarbons and hydrogen are then sent to the fractionation train where they go through several stages of distillation to separate desirable end products and recyclables such as hydrogen, methane, ethylene, ethane, propylene, propane, butylenes, butadiene and gasoline.

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