Hydrocarbon Processing - May 2022 - 77

Sustainability
A. KIGEL and G. BRISKMAN,
Modcon Systems, London, England
Sustainable refinery of the future:
Versatile, efficient and smart
Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions occur alongside an inflection
point for global refined product consumption. Since
the 1850s-when the first oil refineries were constructed-the
world has changed dramatically as refined product demand has
continued inexorably upward. This assumption is no longer
valid as refined product demand has little to no incremental
growth beyond its pre-pandemic COVID-19 level.
During COVID-19, the International Energy Agency (IEA)
reported global demand for crude oil decreased by about 30%,
which is a decrease of 30 MMbpd. A significant reduction in the
crude oil demand was a direct result of the mobility restrictions
during the pandemic and heavily impacted the petroleum industry.
Furthermore, the increasing demand for clean fuel consumption
and the growing electric and hybrid vehicles market
contributed to the decrease of conventional fuels production.
Today, 80% of each oil barrel is used to make fuels, while the
rest is converted into petrochemical products. Facing the global
market challenges, the refining industry is encouraged to look
for alternatives that ensure its survival and sustainability. Better
integration between refining and petrochemical production
processes may be a solution to the challenge. Based on the latest
trend of increased green fuels production, it is estimated that
fuel production tendencies will shift towards increased production
of chemicals, which is estimated to double by 2030. The
focus on the closer integration between refining and petrochemical
industries is to enhance the synergies of the existing
opportunities between both sectors to generate value to the entire
crude oil production chain.
The technological base of the refining and petrochemical industries
is similar and may lead to cooperation possibilities to
reduce operational costs and provide additional value to derivatives
production at refineries, considering that the petrochemical
industry has been growing at a higher rate when compared
to the transportation fuels market. It is less environmentally aggressive
compared to the crude oil derivatives produced by the
petroleum industry. The integration potential and the synergy
among the processes rely on the refining production scheme
adopted by the refinery and the consumer's market. Secondary
process units, such as catalytic cracking and catalytic reforming,
can be optimized to produce petrochemical intermediates of
streams incorporated into chemical pool production.
Moving to clean energy. Extensive hydrogen production by
the petrochemical industry may be considered an excellent alternative
to conventional fuels like gasoline, diesel and fuel oil
produced by the refining industry. Green hydrogen is generated
by renewable energy or from low-carbon power. Green hydrogen
has considerably low carbon emissions, but the high cost
of its production is the main factor behind its minimal usage.
The petrochemical industry is one of the biggest consumers
and producers of hydrogen. Beyond its preferred use as a raw
material, hydrogen can also be used to replace natural gas used
as fuel for furnaces since natural gas/hydrogen mixtures release
less carbon dioxide (CO2
) when combusted. As a result, hydrogen
may play an essential role in the decarbonization of the
petroleum and petrochemicals industries, considering its costcompetitiveness
and it being produced from emissions-free
production processes.
Projects that contribute to climate targets and demonstrate
low-carbon technology innovation are highly prioritized by
European Union (EU) innovation funds and government
grant programs. For example, the EU Innovation Fund apSteam
cracker
FCC
HDPE
LDPE
PP
PVC
MEG
PO
...and
more
Refinery
Reformer
Aromatics
PET
Styrene
ABS
PVC
Polyurethane
...and more
FIG. 1. Standard approach of petroleum and petrochemical industry
integration.
Brown
hydrogen
Industrial
processes
byproduct
Gray
hydrogen
Fossil
fuel
product
Blue
hydrogen
Fossil fuel
capture
product with
CO2
FIG. 2. Hydrogen production classification.
Hydrocarbon Processing | MAY 2022 77
Green
hydrogen
Renewable/
electrolysis/
nuclear production
Hydrocarbon Processing - May 2022

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