Reduced Emissions and Enhanced Operations Stability in Energy Efficiency Project for ORLEN Unipetrol

The CombustionONE solution is a perfect fit for any type of Olefin furnace.

ORLEN Unipetrol primarily supplies motor fuels, fuel oils, bitumen, liquefied petroleum products, oil hydrogenates, other refinery products, olefins and aromatics agrochemicals, carbon black, sorbents, and polyolefins (high-density polyethylene and polypropylene). The company demonstrates an increased focus on protecting the environment, reducing raw material consumption, and minimizing energy demands.

Challenges & Solution
This focus led to the search of a tailored solution as one of the most suitable technologies to address multiple corporate goals, including increased efficiency, reduced emissions, enhanced operational stability, and improved operational safety.

The target of the project was to equip Unipetrol's furnace with new measurements for accurate and fast analysis of operating parameters. Based on the determined values, the CombustionONE system controls the furnace with the minimum possible excess of oxygen (in the range of 0.8 - 1.4%) in the flue gas while eliminating the emitation of CO. This increased the operation stability of the furnace and the economy of operation.

The CombustionONE solution is a perfect fit for any type of Olefin furnace. The fuel savings and emission reduction benefits generate sufficient OPEX savings to justify a CAPEX investment with a payback in < 24 months, even for units already operating below 2% O2 in the flue gas.

Yokogawa provided a turnkey project. The core team has been responsible for the initial evaluation, detailed design, and implementation. Yokogawa supplied a single point of contact to address all concerns and incorporate all requirements into the final solution. This includes accommodations for existing 3rd party equipment and services, tapping into site knowledge and expertise from all stakeholders, and adhering to the plant schedule and milestones.

Project benefits
Tangible benefits come from the stability of operation and increased efficiency, as the solution allows the furnace to safely operate closer to the CO breakthrough point without concerns of entering a fuel-rich environment. The combination of CO overriding functionality and cross limited functionality (in this case on an induced draft furnace, but also proven on natural, forced, and balanced draft furnaces) enhances the safety of operation by quick response to any disturbance factors.

The pilot project benefitted by having CombustionONE regulatory control logic and APC (implemented separately by the end user). These complementary applications optimized process parameters, specific consumption, and yield while enhancing safety. The actual operating standards were adjusted to better reflect the different conditions during start and end of the run.

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