Electrification of ethylene production: exploring the potential of flexible operation

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

Electrification of the ethylene production process has potential for reducing hard-to-abate CO2 emissions, however, this comes at the expense of increased electricity consumption. Flexible operation of electric naphtha crackers in response to fluctuating electricity prices can compensate for the increased operating costs, depending on the boundary conditions. However, given the level of technological complexity, it remains uncertain to what extend flexible operation of the ethylene production process is feasible. In this work we use mathematical optimization to investigate the added value of various levels of flexible operation of the process in a low-CO2 energy system. We find that (i) highly variable electricity prices promote flexible operation and (ii) providing flexibility in low-CO2 energy systems by ramping the production or using electricity storage is essential.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publication33rd European Symposium on Computer Aided Process Engineering
EditorsAntonios C. Kokossis, Michael C. Georgiadis, Efstratios Pistikopoulos
PublisherElsevier bedrijfsinformatie b.v.
Pages3079-3084
Number of pages6
Volume52
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jan 2023

Publication series

NameComputer Aided Chemical Engineering
Volume52
ISSN (Print)1570-7946

Keywords

  • electrification
  • flexibility
  • optimization

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