Solve the FCC Energy Trilemma

To address the Energy Trilemma of price, security and decarbonization, Honeywell UOP developed an FCC configuration with a higher CO₂ flue gas concentration, smaller flue gas volume, and a contaminant-resistant carbon-capture unit. In addition, the refiner now has a path to increased profitability as compared to installing traditional carbon-capture solutions.

The Synthesized Air FCC Advantage

Economic Carbon Capture

Capturing CO₂ from the FCC unit remains an elusive goal for many refiners, as the cost and size of a standard carbon-capture unit typically doesn’t make it a viable business case.

As part of the Honeywell UOP Synthesized Air FCC technology, the carbon capture unit size, Capex, Opex and installation costs have been reduced by recycling 70-80% of the flue gas back into the process, while unlocking opportunities for increased FCC throughput, and processing of a wider range of feedstocks, and improving the capabilities of the entire complex.

FCC Regenerator Debottlenecking

Normal FCC operations can have hydraulic constraints of the main air blower, as well as high temperature constraints, and high velocities in the FCC regenerator.

With most FCC flue gas getting recycled back into the FCC regenerator and using CO₂ as opposed to N₂, you can eliminate hydraulic, high temperature, and high velocities in the FCC regenerator.

Increase Profitability From the FCC

Typically, carbon-capture systems are only about removing CO₂ from the flue gas —there is no financial benefit.

With Honeywell UOP Synthesized Air FCC, you can leverage the larger heat sink and mass flow rate by the displacement of N₂ by CO₂ to:

• Increase processing of opportunity feedstocks.
• Increase throughput.
• Increase steam and electricity production for additional refinery decarbonization.
• Increased production of valuable products via a higher catalyst-to-oil ratio and/or throughput increase.