Raising Propane Production - Enhancing Quality of Petrochemicals Feed Stock in Western Desert Gas Complex

By

 Ahmed Zayed Ahmed¹

(1) GASCO - Western Desert Gas Complex, Alexandria, Egypt

 Western desert gas complex was constructed to supply Ethane/Propane mixture as a feedstock to Sidi-Krier Petrochemicals co. Ethylene plant as well as producing commercial Propane and conventional LPG and Condensate products.

The design figures of the plant showed a relatively high content of propane in the Ethane/Propane feed stock to SIDPEC (24.5 Mol%). Several steps were taken to maximize Propane recovery as well as reducing the Propane content of C2/C3 mix to 14.5 % by Mole. The main process parameters that were subject to change were the De-Methanizer tower pressure and temperatures as well as, most important, the De-Ethanizer tower system operating conditions. As described above, Propane content was reduced from 24.5% to 14.5% thus enhancing the quality of the feedstock to ethylene plant (Ethane percentage was raised from 69% to 78.5%) as well as gaining 250-290 tons/day of commercial Propane yielding 50,000 $ to 58,000 $/day. An outcome of these modifications was also raising Butane recovery to 99.5% with an increase of 0.5% than design.