ETHYLBENZENE PRODUCTION PLANT

Proponents:

CENA, Alexa B.

ROMAN, Madelaine L.

SABORDO, Ian Jasper E.

PetE-5204
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION AND ITS BACKGROUND

The petrochemical process industry is mainly involved in manufacturing of

wide range of products which improves the quality of life of humankind and

generates employment. Engineers deal with a lot of obstacles while designing a

process especially when substances involved have high chemical reactivity, high

toxicity, and high corrosivity operating at high pressures and temperatures.

Ethylbenzene is an organic chemical compound which is an aromatic

hydrocarbon. Its major use is in the petrochemical industry as an intermediate

compound for the production of styrene, which in turn is used for making

polystyrene, a commonly used plastic material.

Although often present in small amounts in crude oil, ethyl benzene is

produced in bulk quantities by combining the petrochemicals benzene and

ethylene in an acid-catalyzed chemical reaction. Catalytic hydrogenation of the

ethyl benzene then gives hydrogen gas and styrene, which is vinyl benzene. Ethyl

benzene is also an ingredient in some paints. Ethylbenzene is used almost

exclusively as intermediate in the production of styrene monomer. The main target

of designing this plant is to manufacture a chemical product in a stable and

economical manner.

Ethylbenzene is produced by the catalytic alkylation of benzene with

ethylene, or from mixed xylenes by isomer separation and catalytic isomerization,

or from 1,3-butadiene in a two-step process where the butadiene is converted to

vinyl cyclohexane which is then dehydrogenated. Nearly all commercial

ethylbenzene is produced by alkylation of benzene with ethylene. Earlier

processes were based on liquid phase alkylation using an aluminum chloride

catalyst but this route required disposal of aluminum chloride waste.

A major difficulty faced during manufacturing of EB is that ethyl benzene is

more reactive compared to benzene with respect to ethylene due to lower

activation energy and thus it leads to the formation of diethylbenzenes. To limit the

formation of DEBs and other polyethylbenzene, we use a large excess ratio of

Benzene to Ethylene in the feed to the alkylation reactor. However, large excess

ratio leads to higher equipment, separation and recycle cost.

There are primarily two sources to produce ethylbenzene. The major being

alkylation of benzene and other being super fractionation of C8 aromatic streams.

Alkylation of benzene in liquid phase using aluminum chloride as catalyst is the

most used method for ethylbenzene production. Different companies like Shell,

Union Carbide and Dow use this method.

Earlier vapor phase alkylation were not able to compete with liquid phase

alkylation. The alkylation process using boron trifluoride as catalyst had little

success and suffered drawbacks like high maintenance costs caused by corrosion

from small amount of water. Zeolites were used earlier for alkylation process but

they deactivated quickly because of coke formation and low catalytic activity.
Location

The location that the proponents have decided is at Brgy. Alas Asin,

Mariveles, Bataan. This is selected since the raw materials of the proposed plant

is from Petron Corporation in Limay, Bataan. Also, it is accessible since it is located

beside the national road and is also located near the waters. The figure shows the

exact location of the proposed plant.

 This site is considered a feasible zone for the construction as proven by the

factors discussed in the next sections:

1. Raw Material Availability

Petron Corporation is the largest oil refining and marketing company in

the Philippines and is a leading player in the Malaysian market. The

reformer uses a catalyst to increase the octane number of naphtha while

producing LPG, gasoline, and reformate. Meanwhile, reformate is

further converted to become petrochemical feedstocks benzene,

toluene, and mixed xylene. To be specific, Petron Corporation in Bataan

produces over 50000 MT of benzene annually which will be sufficient for

the feedstock needed for the production of ethylbenzene.

2. Water Source

Since coolers are located all around the plant which uses water streams,

a nearby water source is needed. Output of the alkylator reactor mixed

that of the transalkylator and the combined stream will pass through a

cooler, and also a vapor stream from the separator which will go through

a compressor to increase stream pressure to column pressure will also

need a cooler to reduce temperature which rose due to compression.

3. Transportation Facilities

Brgy. Alas Asin is a strategic place since it is located near the national

road and is near transport facilities like Seasia Nectar Port Services and
 others. It is also near Petron Corporation and will make the

transportation of the required feed benzene easier and safer.

Raw Material

Petron Corporation is the largest oil refining and marketing company in the

Philippines and is a leading player in the Malaysian market. The reformer uses a

catalyst to increase the octane number of naphtha while producing LPG, gasoline,

and reformate. Meanwhile, reformate is further converted to become

petrochemical feedstocks benzene, toluene, and mixed xylene. To be specific,

Petron Corporation in Bataan produces over 50000 MT of benzene annually which

will be sufficient for the feedstock needed for the production of ethylbenzene.

Product

Ethylbenzene is an organic compound with the formula C6H5CH2CH3. It is a

highly flammable, colorless liquid with an odor similar to that of gasoline. This

monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbon is important in the petrochemical industry as an

intermediate in the production of styrene, the precursor to polystyrene, a

common plastic material. In 2012, more than 99% of ethylbenzene produced was

consumed in the production of styrene.

The greatest use, more than 99 percent of ethylbenzene, is to make

styrene, another organic liquid used as a building block for many plastics. It is also

used as a solvent for coatings, and in the making of rubber and plastic wrap. Much

smaller amounts of ethylbenzene are used in solvents or as additives to a variety

of products. Some products that contain ethylbenzene include synthetic rubber,

gasoline and other fuels, paints and varnishes, inks, carpet glues, tobacco

products, and insecticides. Ethylbenzene finds wide application as solvent and

reagent in producing various products, such as paints & coatings, dyes, varnishes,

lacquers, adhesives, rust prevention spray, pharmaceuticals, cleaning materials,

dyes, inks, perfumes, synthetic rubber, plastics, and pesticides.

Plant Capacity

The process that will be presented will produce 70 million kilograms of

ethylbenzene annually. It is estimated that

Demand

The increasing construction activities, particularly in Asia-Pacific, the rising

automotive production, driven by increasing demand for SUV’s and electric

vehicles, and the growth in pharmaceutical industry is driving the ethylbenzene

demand for application as a solvent and reagents in producing paints & coatings,

varnishes, adhesives, rust prevention sprays, etc., used in these industries.

Ethylbenzene is majorly used for the production of styrene, which is a

precursor to various industrial polymers, such as polystyrene, acrylonitrile-

butadiene-styrene, styrene-acrylonitrile resins, styrene-butadiene elastomers and

latex, and unsaturated polyester. These styrene-based polymers, resins, and

elastomers find wide application in various end-user industries, such as packaging,

electronics, construction, agriculture, and petrochemicals. Thus, a strong growth

in the aforementioned end-user industries is driving the demand for styrene

products, further leading to an increase in the demand for ethylbenzene in order

to produce styrene.

Global ethylbenzene production grew to 31.6 million tons in 2018, with the

largest application being the production of styrene. Increased demand has been

driven by investment in downstream derivatives in the Middle East and China. With

new global capacity, demand growth of 1.98 percent per year is expected through

2025.

Target Market

Automotive. Ethylbenzene has been added to motor and aviation fuels

because of its anti-knock properties. Estimates of ethylbenzene in gasoline have

ranged from < 1–2.7%

Chemicals. It is also used to make other chemicals, including

acetophenone, cellulose acetate, diethyl-benzene, ethyl anthraquinone,

ethylbenzene sulfonic acids, propylene oxide, and alpha-methylbenzyl alcohol.

Electroplating. Ethylbenzene is one of the most commonly used solvent

during electroplating which is a uses an electric current to reduce dissolved metal

cations so that they form a thin coherent metal coating on an electrode.

Paint Manufacturers. Ethylbenzene is added to gasoline as an anti-knock

agent, meaning it reduces engine knocking and increase the octane rating.
 Plastic Manufacturers. Styrene is produced predominately by

ethylbenzene. It is a chemical used to make latex, synthetic rubber, and

polystyrene resins. These resins are used to make plastic packaging, disposable

cups and containers.

 CHAPTER II

DESIGN OBJECTIVES AND REQUIREMENTS

The main objective of the study is to design an Ethylbenzene Production

Plant which makes use of ethylene and benzene as the raw materials for the

manufacturing. For the development of the desired plant, the following specific

objectives must be met:

1. Present and analyze three design alternatives of the proposed

Ethylbenzene Production Plant to determine the design trade-offs of the

design options:

2. Conform to the technical specifications of the equipment to be used in the

design from the following required standards:

2.1. ISO

2.2. Other standards

3. Perform economic analysis of the plant to determine the most economically

efficient or cost – effective choice among the design alternatives by

determining the following:

3.1. Rate of Return

3.2. Payback Period

4. Construct a Project Construction Execution Plan after evaluating and

selecting the best design option from the alternatives.

5. Present a simulation video of the whole production plant from the best

design option highlighting the plant layout and processes