Ethylene Production From

Tennessee Fracked Natural Gas

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Brandon Dodd
Valentine Mbamalu

Outline

Introduction
Design Basis
Cracking Reaction
Process Flow Diagram
Equipment Design
Cost Analysis
Economic Benefits
Conclusions

Introduction

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Design Basis
500,000 metric tons of Ethane feedstock per
year
Feedstock will be considered as 100% Ethane
Negligible reaction byproducts not to be
considered

Ethane Cracking Reaction

Byproducts

Methane

Propane

Process Flow Diagram

EQUIPMENT DESIGN
Steam Cracker
170 MW heat duty
Modeled as 2 100MW
separate pyrolysis furnaces
Each furnace 100 MW
capacity
Operates at 80% capacity.

Transfer Line Exchanger

Shell and Tube Model

73 MW Heat Duty
820 m2 Area
2 Units in Parallel

Distillation Columns
3 Total Columns
8 stage
10m high
3m diameter
20 stage
15m high
3m diameter
40 stage
27m high
3m diameter

Other Equipment Estimated

Quench Tower
Compressors
Refrigeration
Pumps
Fans

Costs In Millions
Capital Costs - $108
Includes land cost

Operating Costs - $617

Utility Cost - $142
Raw Material Cost - $475
Labor Cost estimated $2

Revenue In Millions
Total Yearly Revenue - $960
Ethylene 560,000 metric tons/yr. @ $0.89/kg
$955/yr.

Methane 3000 metric tons/yr. @ $0.12/kg

$0.7/yr.

Propane 3000 metric tons/yr. @ $0.12/kg

$0.7/yr.

Revenue Vs. Cost

1000
900
m 800
i 700
l 600
l 500
i 400
o 300
n 200
100
0
Revenue

Raw Mat.

Utility

Labor

Payback Period

ECONOMIC BENEFITS
17,000 new knowledge-intensive jobs in the US.
Chemical industries
395, 000 jobs outside the chemical industries.
$16.2 billion more in federal, state and local tax
revenue
$32.8 billion increase in US. Chemical Prod.
$16.2 billion in capital investment
$132.4 billion in US. economic output

Source: America Chemistry Council

Summary

Conclusions