【Ethylene cracking】Are there still gas fields in China rich in ethane? ?
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The ethane-to-ethylene project pioneered the use of ethane cracking to produce ethylene in China, enabling the country to develop its own proprietary technology for large-scale ethylene production using pure ethane as raw material. This not only filled a gap in domestic capabilities but also made it possible to implement such projects. The two ethane-to-ethylene projects of Sinopec are significant not only for the high-quality development of the company. China possesses 36 trillion cubic meters of recoverable shale gas reserves; utilizing the ethane-rich resources derived from this shale gas as an alternative feedstock for ethylene production will also be a crucial measure to help China’s ethylene industry withstand external pressures.
【Ethylene cracking】Summary post on discussion topics related to cracking furnace equipment components: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3308724-1-1.html (Source: Huahai Chuanliu – Haichuan Chemical Industry Forum)
This post was last edited by qugd on 2022-3-6 at 20:33. Natural gas that is produced in mineral form consists mainly of methane, with ethane accounting for only a very small proportion. However, due to the large volume of natural gas extracted, the amount of ethane produced as a by-product is considerable. As a feedstock for ethylene cracking, ethane produced as a by-product of natural gas is an important source; in addition, ethane can also be generated as a by-product of oil refining processes in significant quantities, and it used to be burned as dry gas. In modern pyrolysis furnaces, the thermal efficiency has improved and the capacity of each furnace has increased; as a result, the amount of fuel required for these furnaces overall has decreased. Thus, the ethane present in this gas can be utilized for purposes other than combustion.
I saw that CNPC has two natural gas purification projects
Typically, natural gas purification plants are responsible for separating heavier components such as ethane, propane, and condensate oil, in addition to removing sulfur and other impurities. If natural gas is used locally as a domestic fuel, ethane does not necessarily need to be separated strictly, as its calorific value is higher than that of methane; by adjusting the calorific value, additional revenue can be generated.
It’s definitely not good to burn it away uselessly; now we need to import large quantities of it
Imported ethane is used as a chemical product, essentially as feedstock for cracking. But a considerable portion of natural gas is burned as fuel.