ETHYLENE

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Ethylene is the backbone of the petrochemical industry because it being the most important feedstock in terms of volume and number of derivatives. It is used as a raw material for a wide variety of inputs for making plastics, fibers, and elastomers. Feedstock for ethylene are either refinery products like naphtha and gas oil, or products associated with the production of natural gas, such as ethane and propane.

Physical Properties of Ethylene
Description                    Colourless gas at room temperature and pressure, sweet smell
Molecular formula           C2H4
Molecular weight            28.05 g/mol
Boiling point                  -103.7 oC
Melting point                  -169.1 oC
Vapor pressure              4.27 MPa at 0 oC
Solubility                       Insoluble in water

TECHNOLOGY/PROCESS/FEEDSTOCK

Ethylene is produced in the petrochemical industry by steam cracking. In this process, gaseous or light liquid hydrocarbons are heated to 750–950 °C, inducing numerous free radical reactions. Generally, in these reactions, large hydrocarbons break down in to smaller ones and saturated hydrocarbons become unsaturated. The result of this process is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons in which ethylene is one of the principal components. The mixture is separated by repeated compression and distillation.

In another process used in oil refineries large hydrocarbon molecules are cracked into smaller ones. Zeolite catalyst allows the cracking to be achieved at a lower temperature. Most ethylene is made by steam cracking a hydrocarbon feedstock at 815-900 degrees C and 2.0 atm.

In cracking, the cracked gas stream is compressed to about 35 atmospheres pressure to remove condensates and acid gases (hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide) by scrubbing the stream. The resulting stream is dried and cooled to 95-130 degrees C. The gas portion, consisting primarily of hydrogen, methane, and carbon monoxide, is purified to remove hydrogen; the remainder is burned as plant fuel. Of the liquid byproducts, ethane and propane are recycled; acetylene and propene are hydrogenated to ethylene and propylene, respectively. Ethylene is separated from propylene and other co-products by distillation. The yield of ethylene depends on the feedstock and somewhat on the cracking conditions.
Some ethylene is also recovered from refinery gases and catalytic cracking and reforming units. Typically, ethylene comprises about 20 wt. % of the refinery gas from which liquefied petroleum gases (LPG; primarily propane and heavier hydrocarbons) have been removed. Most of the ethylene potentially available from refinery sources is not recovered because of the cost.
The distribution of feedstocks varies around the world. In Canada, the Middle East, and Venezuela, natural gas is cheap and abundant, so these regions tend to crack ethane and other natural gas liquids. Ethylene producers in Europe and Asia rely on naphtha as the prime source. Producers in all regions have adapted their operations, to varying extents, to process a flexible feedstock slate in order to provide the best cracker economics (which depend on cost of feedstock and pricing of output). In Asia, the fastest growing region in the world, naphtha will remain the major feedstock but condensate will grow in importance.

END USE

The market breakdown of ethylene end-use is as follows.

• Low density polyethylene, (31.5%)
• High density polyethylene (26.0%)
• Ethylene dichloride/vinyl chloride (13.2%)
• Ethylene oxide (14.1%)
• Ethyl benzene (7.2%)
• Alpha olefins (2.7%)
• Vinyl acetate (1.3%)
• Acetaldehyde (1.0%)

INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

The top 10 largest producers of paraxylene worldwide account for over 55% of world capacity. The YnFx Polyester Chain Report has them in the order of their capacities worldwide: The top two producers Dow Chemicals and Exxon Mobile together control 16% of global ethylene capacity.
The detailed Industry Structure and the Company names with capacity and % Share in the global market is available in the Polyester Chain Report by Yarnsandfibers.com

AN OVERVIEW

Global production of ethylene grew 3.4% in 2005 with volumes at 107 million tons. Demand is expected to increase at the rate of 5.3% per annum between 2004 and 2009. The demand in 2009 is expected to touch 132 million tons. The global ethylene operating rates were around 90% in recent years.
The future projections, and country-wise demand for Ethylene is covered in the Polyester Chain Report by Yarnsandfibers.com. You may also get a view of Table of Contents

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