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IMPROOF is a European Project aiming at improving the energy efficiency of steam cracking furnaces, while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and NOx. The strongly industrial oriented consortium is composed of 7 industrial partners, including 2 SME completed by 2 RTO and 2 Universities, showing a clear and strong path to the industrial and economical world.
For more information visit : improof.cerfacs.fr
IMPROOF targets an improved energy efficiency of steam cracking furnaces by at least 20%, in a cost effective way, with a simultaneous reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases and NOx by at least 25%. One important way to reduce the energy input in steam cracking furnaces is to reduce coke formation on the reactor wall. The use of either advanced coil materials, combined with 3D reactor designs, improved process control, and more uniform heat transfer will increase run lengths, reducing simultaneously CO2 emissions and the lifetime of the furnaces. Biogas and bio-oil will be used as alternative fuels because they are considered renewable, and hence, decrease net CO2 production. Application of high emissivity coatings on the external surface of the radiant coils will further substantially improve the energy consumption. Less firing is required to reach the same process temperatures in the radiant coils. This will reduce fuel gas consumption and CO2 emissions by 10 to 15%.IMPROOF will demonstrate the advantage of combining all these technological innovations with an anticipated increase of the time on stream with a factor 3. To select the correct technologies for sustainable implementation in complex plant-wide and industrial data-intensive process systems, all the technology will be implanted in real-plant conditions.
IMPROOF is organized with 5 technical Work packages (WP).
The kinetic of combustion of different fuels in oxygen-rich environment are investigated, with a particular attention to the pollutant formation (CO, NOx and eventually SOx). Both the fossil fuels (natural gas) and renewable fuels, like bio-gas and bio-oil are studied experimentally and numerically.
The performance of technologies developed in the project are assessed individually. Emissions from oxy-fuel combustion of classical fuels but also bio-gas and bio-oil are measured on pilot scale. The five different high emissivity coatings are tested. As these technological improvements are not mutual exclusive, combinations of the best performing technologies will be selected to illustrate the multiplier effect.
The kinetic models developed in WP1 for combustion are implemented in the CFD tools and validated using the pilot data obtained in WP2. On the other hand advanced modelling of the reactor allows further optimization of existing 3D reactor designs and development of novel 3D geometries.
The demonstrator is deployed at integrated commercial scale (TRL6) with the most effective technologies improving heat transfer of ethylene furnaces.
The impact of the different technological improvements and their combinations is evaluated, based on relevant data of the complete integrated furnace platform.
The strongly industrial oriented consortium is composed of 7 industrial partners, including 2 SME completed by 2 RTO and 2 universities. This partnership shows a clear and strong path to the industrial and economical world with the involvement of industrial end-users.
Expected outcomes are :
- novel high emissivity coatings to improve heat transfer
- novel aluminium alloys to reduce coking
- novel oxyfuel combustion furnace design and operation to increase combustion efficiency and decrease NOx and CO emissions
DeliverableTitleAuthor(s)Uploadable files
D6.1 Project identity and deliverable templates B. Cuenot
(CERFACS)
D6.1.pdf
Project logo
D1.3
Detailed and reduced kinetic mechanism and their validation
Reduced chemical kinetic mechanism for methane combustion
POLIMI kinetic mechanism of pyrolysis, partial oxidation and combustion of hydrocarbon and oxygenated fuels in CHEMKIN format
T. Faravelli et al.
(POLIMI)
D1.3.pdf
Chemkin Files
D6.6 Gas-Phase reaction kinetics of oxygenated molecules present in biofuels and bio-oils A. Stagni et al.
D6.6.pdf
Conferences / Workshops / Communications
“Large Eddy Simulation of reactive flow on the fire side of a steam cracking furnace” S. Nadakkal, E. Riber, B. Cuenot & T. Gilles in INFUB-12 Porto (Portugal) – April 14-17, 2020 (pdf)
“Low-Emission Cracking Furnace” P. Oud in TechnipFMC Ethylene Forum Webinar 2020, Zoetermeer (The Netherlands) – October 6-14, 2020
“LES of large flames in a steam cracking furnace with analytically reduced chemistry” S. Nadakkal, E. Riber & B. Cuenot in Seventeenth International Conference on Numerical Combustion, Aachen (Germany) – May 6-8, 2019
“Bio Fuel Gas and Oxygen Enriched Flue Gases as Oxidant in Cracking Furnaces ” G.Theis. & al. in EEPC conference, Nancy (France) 4 april 2019
“An Experimental and Kinetic Modeling Study of NH3 Oxidation in a Jet Stirred Reactor” A. Stagni & al. in 1st international conference on Smart Energy Carriers, Napoli (Italy) 21-23 January 2019
“Study of Oscillations During Methane Oxidation with Species Probing” Y. Song & al. in 1st international conference on Smart Energy Carriers, Napoli (Italy) 21-23 January 2019
“Computational Fluid Dynamics-based Study of the Steam Cracking Process using a Hybrid 3D-1D approach” Vangaever, S. & al. in Chemreactor-23, Ghent, Belgium – November 5-9, 2018 (pdf)
” ‘Pas de deux’ of high-temperature alloy and 3C reactor technology for steam cracking coils: impact on product yields and coke formation”, S. Symoens & al. in Chemreactor-23, Ghent, Belgium – November 5-9, 2018 (pdf)
“About IMPROOF: Pushing the limits of olefin production by advanced modeling: the quest for the holy grail”, K. Van Geem, Stanford University (USA) – September 10, 2018 (pdf)
“Using BioFuel gas under O2 enriched flue gases in steam crackers” G. Theis & al.in 14th Triennial IFRF Members’ Conference, University of Sheffield (United Kingdom) (pdf)
“Poster: Computational fluid dynamics-based study of novel technologies in the steam cracking process” Vangaever, S. & al. in the VSC Users Day 2018, Brussels (Belgium) – May 22, 2018. (pdf)
“Plant Wide Optimization for High Value Added Products – a Steam Cracking Case Study” K. van Geem & al. in 2018 AIChE Spring Meeting Orlando, Florida (USA) – April 23, 2018
“Computational fluid dynamics-based study of novel technologies in steam cracking furnaces” Vangaever, S &al. in Workshop on Smart Energy Carrier in Industry , Workshop COST/IMPROOF, Milano (Italy), 23 April 2018 (pdf)
“IMPROOF: Integrated Model Guided Process Optimization of Steam Cracking Furnaces on pilot scale” K Van Geem in 2018 Ethylene Producers Conference, Orlando (USA) – April 24, 2018 (pdf)
“New trends in olefin production” K. van Geem in EEPC 2017 Ethylene seminar, Dresden (Germany) – October 25-27, 2017 (pdf)
“Exploring the reactivity of C4-C6 linear alcohols: from jet stirred reactor and rapid compression machine experiments to operating regimes in a HCCI engine.” M. Pelucchi & al. in 3rd General Meeting and Workshop on SECs in Industry of SMARTCATs Action, Prague (Czech Republic) – October 25, 2017 (pdf)
“Poster: Etude de l'oxydation de molécules représentatives d'une bio-huile en réacteur agité par jets” S. Namysl & al. in SFGP 2017, Nancy (France) – July 11-13, 2017 (pdf)
“Experimental study of oxidation of bio-oil surrogates in jet-stirred reactor” S. Namysl & al. in CLEAN-Gas Combustion Summer School, Brussels (Belgium) – June 26-29, 2017 (pdf)
“Poster: Temperature oscillation of methane oxidation in a jet stirred reactor” Y. Song & al. in International Bunsen Discussion Meeting on Chemistry and Diagnostics for Clean Combustion, Bielefeld (Germany) – June 21-23, 2017 (pdf)
“IMPROOF: Integrated Model Guided Process Optimization of Steam Cracking Furnaces” K. van Geem & al. in 2017 AIChE Spring Meeting & 13th Global Congress on Process Safety, San Antonio, Texas, USA – May 16, 2017
“IMPROOF: Integrated Model Guided Process Optimization of Steam Cracking Furnaces” M. R. Djokic & al. in International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing, Bologna (Italy) – April 26-28, 2017 (pdf)
“Integrated model guided process optimization of steam cracking furnaces” K. van Geem & al. in EPC2017, San Antonio (USA) – March 28, 2017 (pdf)
Peer-reviewed publications
“Experimental and modeling study of benzaldehyde oxidation” (2020) S. Namysl & al. in Combustion and Flame, 211 (January), pp. 124-132 (pdf)
“The role of chemistry in the oscillating combustion of hydrocarbons: an experimental and theoretical study” (2020) A. Stagni & al. in Chemical Engineering Journal, 385 (April), 123401 (pdf)
“An experimental theoretical and kinetic-modelling study of the gas-phase oxidation of ammonia” (2020) A. Stagni & al. in Reaction Chemistry & Engineering, 5, pp. 696-711 (pdf)
“A first evaluation of butanoic and pentanoic acid oxidation kinetics” (2019) S. Namysl & al. in Chemical Engineering Journal, 373 (10), pp. 973-984 (pdf)
“The sensitizing effects of NO2 and NO on methane low temperature oxidation in a jet stirred reactor” (2019) Y. Song & al. in Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 37(1), pp.667-675 (pdf)
” An experimental and kinetic modelling study of n-C4C6 aldehydes oxidation in a jet-stirred reactor” (2019) M., Pelucchi & al., in Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 37(1), pp.389-397 (pdf)
“Oscillatory Behavior in Methane Combustion: Influence of the Operating Parameters” (2018) M. Lubrano Lavadera & al. in Energy & Fuels, 32, 10088−10099 (pdf)
“State-of-the-art of Coke Formation during Steam Cracking: Anti-Coking Surface Technologies” (2018) Symoens, S & al. in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 57(48), 16117–16136. (pdf)
“Computational Fluid Dynamics-Based Study of a High Emissivity Coil Coating in an Industrial Steam Cracker.” (2018) Vangaever, S. & al. in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, 57(49), 16782–16794. (pdf)
Book series
M. R. Djokic, K. M. Van Geem, G. J. Heynderickx, S. Dekeukeleire, S. Vangaever, F. Battin-Leclerc, G. Bellos, W. Buysschaert, B. Cuenot, T. Faravelli, M. Henneke, D. Jakobi, P. Lenain, A. Munoz, J. Olver, M. Van Goethem, P. Oud. IMPROOF: Integrated Model Guided Process Optimization of Steam Cracking Furnaces. Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies vol. 68, pp. 589-600, 2017. (DOI)
Peter Oud, from Technip, presented the Low-emission cracking furnace and low-emission ethylene plant on the TechnipFMC Ethylene Webinar Series 2020. These were two presentations, one on the 8th and one on the 14th of October. He planned to do this also during the 33rd EPC Conference in Dallas on April 18-22 2021.
Suphaporn Arunthanayothin, CNRS, will present online the publication “ammonia-methane interaction in jet-stirred and flow reactors: an experimental and kinetic modeling study” during the 38th International Symposium on Combustion (24-29/01/2021, Adelaide, Australia).
Prof. Kevin Van Geem
Kevin.VanGeem@UGent.be
