Hydrocarbon Processing - August 2021 - 55

Plant Design, Engineering and Construction
TABLE 7. Impact of a CO2
tax on IRR, with and without CO2 capture options-breakeven points are shown for pre-combustion
capture (blue) and post-combustion capture (green)
CO2 emissions, t/t crude
CO2 tax, $/t
Case A2: RFCC + PP + aromatics complex
No capture
Case B2B: DCU + NHCU + SC
Pre-combustion capture
Post-combustion capture
No capture
Pre-combustion capture
Post-combustion capture
Case B5: RHC + NHCU + aromatics complex
No capture
Pre-combustion capture
Post-combustion capture
TABLE 8. Impact of crude type on IRR (prices of other feeds/
products and utilities are unchanged)-the configurations with
the highest IRR are in green, followed by the second-highest in
blue and the lowest in orange
RFCC
Case
A0
A1
A2
DCU
B0
B1
RFCC
RFCC + PP
RFCC + PP +
aromatics complex
DCU + HCU
DCU + HCU + SC
B2A DCU + NHCU + SC
B2B DCU + NHCU + SC,
GO to NHCU
B3
B4
B5
DCU + NHCU + SC +
aromatics complex
DCU + NHCU +
aromatics complex
RHC + NHCU +
aromatics complex
Urals Arab Light CPC
8.9
12.4
16.5
18
11
12.4
11.2
8.3
14.1
15.4
17.7
13.5
15.8
5.3
9.6
9
6.5
12
12.4
15.3
3.9
8.4
15.8
5.8
11.5
10.9
7.8
14.2
16.3
17.3
-5
CO2 can be reused (e.g., enhanced oil recovery) or stored as
part of a CO2
sequestration project. Intrinsic CO2
emissions
can be reduced by implementing energy conservation methods,
incorporating system electrification (such as replacing steam
drivers with electric drivers and using electric heaters instead of
gas-fired heaters), and replacing natural gas for bio-based materials
or co-processing bio-based materials in the process units.
Two cases of carbon capture are considered: 1) pre-comcapture
from the process gas in a hydrogen plant
(also known as blue hydrogen, which will reduce hydrogen
plant CO2
capture from the combined complex flue gases, which reduces
total CO2
of 35 barg for further transportation.
Adding CO2
(theoretically, higher removal rates are possible). In all cases,
CO2
emissions by 50%), and 2) post-combustion CO2
emissions by approximately 70% in this example
is made available at the complex battery limit at a pressure
capture comes with increased investment and
operational costs, both of which negatively impact economics.
Relative to the reference case, IRR drops between 0.4% (in
DCU Base
DCU + NHCU2 + SC
RHC + NHCU + aromatics complex
RFCC + PP + aromatics complex
FIG. 12. Impact of a CO2
20
40
DCU + SC
DCU + NHCU + SC + aromatics complex
RFCC
tax on IRR.
bustion CO2
Case A2, IRR decreases 18% to 17.6%, and, in Case B5, IRR
decreases from 17.7% to 17.3%) and 0.5% (in Case B2B, IRR
decreases from 8.3% to 7.8%), with pre-combustion capture
and no CO2
tax enforced (TABLE 7). Post-combustion CO2
capture reduces IRR between 3.5% (in Case B5, IRR decreases
from 17.7% to 14.2%) and 4.6% (in Case B2B, IRR decreases
from 8.3% to 3.7%).
IRR decreases as the CO2
tax increases, but less so when
capture, despite the
CO2 capture is part of the complex. At some point, the IRR with
CO2 capture exceeds the IRR without CO2
higher investment and operational costs. For pre-combustion
CO2
For post-combustion CO2
capture, this happens when the CO2 tax exceeds $75/t.
capture, this occurs when the CO2
Hydrocarbon Processing | AUGUST 2021 55
60
CO2 tax, $/t
DCU + NHCU + SC
DCU + NHCU + aromatics complex
RFCC + PP
80
100
120
140
0.34
0.3
0.11
0.79
0.68
0.25
0.27
0.24
0.09
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
-10
-5
5
10
15
20
Petrochemicals on crude, %
FIG. 11. CO2 emissions vs. petrochemical output.
10
15
20
5
25
30
35
40
18
17.6
14.4
8.3
7.8
3.7
17.7
17.3
14.2
DCU/RHC + (N)HCU + steam cracker
+ aromatics complex
RFCC cases
A0 A1
B1
B0
B5 B4
A2
B2A
B3
50
16
15.8
13.7
4.9
4.8
2.4
15.8
15.6
13.5
IRR, %
75
14.9
14.9
13.4
2.9
3.1
1.8
14.8
14.7
13.2
100
13.8
13.9
13
0.7
1.2
1.1
13.7
13.8
12.9
125
12.6
12.8
12.7
-2.1
-1
0.3
12.6
12.8
12.6
B2B
IRR, %
CO2 t/t crude
Hydrocarbon Processing - August 2021

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