Increasing operational efficiency through the integration of an oil refinery and an ethylene production plant

In this work, the optimal integration between an oil refinery and an ethylene production plant has been investigated. Both plants are connected using intermediate materials aiming to remove, at least partially, the reliance on external sourcing. This integration has been proven to be beneficial in terms of quality and profit increase for both production systems. Thus, three mathematical models have been formulated and implemented for each plant individually as well as for the integrated system as MINLP models aiming to optimise all three systems. Moreover, a case study using practical data is presented to verify the feasibility of the integration within an industrial environment. Promising results have been obtained demonstrating significant profit increase and enhanced operability in both plants. (C) 2019 Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.