GE will be highlighting its ethylene anti-fouling solution at booth 10 in Middle East Chemical Week (MECW), held in Abu Dhabi.
The innovative GE solution is aimed at supporting the industry achieve greater efficiency while lowering operating costs, which would support ethylene producers achieve their business goals.
In a typically sized ethylene production plant, each one per cent efficiency gain can save between US$300,000 and US$500,000 per year or more, depending on local energy costs.
Ethylene is produced through a thermal cracking reaction that essentially consists of bringing the feedstock—most commonly ethane and naphtha—to a high temperature so that the molecules are broken down and rearranged, thus forming ethylene as well as several other by-products.
Advanced technology
GE's solution involves a sense-diagnose-remediate system which tracks the build-up of fouling deposits on charge gas compressors in ethylene manufacturing lines, deposits that can greatly reduce manufacturing efficiency or force unplanned shutdown of the plant production if left to grow unchecked.
The new technology uses advanced fiber optic sensor technology integrated with machine monitoring and diagnostics technology, enabling plant managers to operate the unit more smoothly and for a longer time even in the presence of wide fluctuations in production requirements. In addition, this solution enables higher flexibility in feedstock selection—a common requirement in today's unstable feedstock market.
