(184d) Distillation in Ethylene Plants – an Overview

Distillation towers are major components of an ethylene plant. Located downstream the pyrolysis furnaces, there purposes can be divided in 3 categories: heat transfer, absorption, and fractionation. The operation functionality and design characteristics are driven by the service in which they operate and the defined process objectives. At a high level, the ultimate objective is to remove contaminants/ impurities and recover value chemicals to purities meeting saleable products. Problems associated with distillation tower operation typically involved fouling, controls and startup difficulties. This paper discusses functional characteristics, internals, and typical problems by service. The sensitivity to feedstock variations is also discussed.