In China, ethylene and propylene have been traditionally produced from petroleum-based feedstocks via steam cracking and/or catalytic cracking process routes. Methanol-to-olefins (MTO) processes are attractive alternative routes to light olefins, and a few MTO process units have been put in commercial operations in China since late 2010, mainly because of availability of low cost methanol, enabling catalytic conversion and olefin product recovery process technologies.
In this report, technological progress and industrialization of methanol catalytic conversion to light olefins process technologies are analyzed. We also develop and present process designs and preliminary economics of the ethylene and propylene production by the two process technologies currently available for license—China’s DMTO-II and UOP Advanced MTO.

1. Introduction 8

2. Summary 10

General aspects 10

      China Methanol 10

      China Ethylene 10

      China Propylene 11

Technology aspects 12

      Chemistry and Catalysts 12

      Commercial MTO Process Technologies 13

      Analysis of Patents 16

      Process Design 17

Process economics 18

      Methanol to Olefins by the DMTO-II Process 18

      Methanol to Olefins by the UOP Advanced MTO Process 20

Confidence ratings 22

Conclusions 22

3. Industry status 23

China’s ethylene industry 23

China’s propylene industry 24

China’s methanol industry 25

China’s coal-based chemical industry 27

Commercial CTO/MTO production 29

      Shenhua Baotou CTO/MTO Complex 31

      Datang Dulun MTP Complex 32

      Shenhua Ningxia MTP Projects 32

      Sinopec Zhingyuan MTO Complex 33

      Ningbo Heyuan 600 KTA MTO Complex 34

      Wison Nanjing MTO/OXO Complex 34

      Shaanxi Yanchang Coal-to-Olefins Complex 34

      Shaanxi Pucheng Coal-to-Olefins Complex 35

      Jiutai Ordos Coal-to-Olefins Complex 35

      BASF Methane-to-Propylene Complex 36

4. Technology review 37

Introduction 37

Background 37

MTO Grade Methanol 37

Overview of olefin catalytic cracking technologies 37

Overview of MTO technologies 37

Chemistry 37

Mechanistic and Kinetic Investigations 37

Kinetic modeling and optimization of the operating condition of MTO process 37

Catalyst Deactivation and Regeneration 37

Fluidized Bed MTO Reactor-regenerator System 37

Starting-up a Circulating Fluidized MTO Reactor-regenerator System 37

Recovery and Purification of Light Olefins 37

Selectively Converting MTO C4+ toor license 37

      DICP’s DMTO Technology 37

      DICP’s DMTO-II Technology and its Technical Features 37

      The UOP/HYDRO MTO Process 37

      The Total Petrochemicals/UOP Olefin Cracking Process (OCP) 37

      SINOPEC S-MTO Process 37

      Lurgi MTP Process 37

      Tsinghua FMTP Process 37

      Sinopec S-MTP Process 37

      CBI Lummus Olefin Technologies 37

      Wison Engineering “Pre-cutting + Oil Absorption” Olefin Separation Technology 37

5. Methanol to olefins by the DMTO-II process 37

Process Description 100

      Section 100—Methanol Catalytic Conversion and C4+ Catalytic Cracking 100

      Section 200—Product Separation 102

      Process Discussion 112

      Cost Estimates 114

6. Methanol to olefins by UOP advanced MTO process 120

      Process Description 120

      Process Discussion 131

      Cost Estimates 132

Appendix A: Patent Summary Tables 138

Appendix B: Design and cost bases 185

Design conditions 185

Cost bases 185

      Capital Investment 185

      Production Costs 186

      Effect of Operating Level on Production Costs 187

      Feedstock and Energy Pricing 187

Appendix C: Cited references 188

Literature 188

Patents 202

Appendix D: Patent References By Company 205

Appendix E: Confidence ratings 211

Appendix F: Process flow diagrams 212

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