Simulation and Optimization of the Ethane Cracking Furnace Using ASPEN PLUS and MATLAB: A Case Study from Petrochemical Complexes

ABSTRACT

Ethylene production is one of the most abundant activities in petrochemical industries. So, the main objective is to develop detailed models to describe a pyrolysis section in the real ethylene plant furnace located at the petrochemical complex (PC1), Basra, Iraq. Those models were utilized to evaluate the effects of the reaction temperature, steam to ethane ratio (DS/HC), and feedstock flowrate on the ethylene yield using different feedstock compositions. The simulation validity was tested by comparing the simulation results with the real data collected from the PC1 and showed an acceptable similarity and reliability depending on relative error values. A genetic algorithm coded by MATLAB and Aspen Plus optimizer was used to obtain the optimal operating conditions to give a maximum profit. The optimization results of Aspen Plus and GA showed an increase in the profit equal to 10.541 and 9.823% respectively when the reaction temperature, DS/HC and outlet flowrate of hydrocarbons were in the range of 850–920°C, 0.2–0.5, and 2421–1064 Kmole/hr respectively. Also, Increasing the ethane content in feedstock leads to an increase in the feedstock production of 16–19% ethane content.

KEYWORDS:

• Thermal cracking
• simulation
• optimization
• genetic algorithm
• Aspen Plus
• Cracking

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Abbreviations

GA: Genetic Algorithm; TLE: Transfer Line Exchanger; PC1: Petrochemical Complex No. 1; DS/HC: Dilution Steam to Ethane Ratio

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad, Iraq for the scientific support to achieve this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed on the publisher’s website.