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ExxonMobil develops new hydrogen burner

 

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Hydrocarbon Engineering,

Any list of hard-to-decarbonise sectors typically includes the chemical industry. That is because producing olefins–the building blocks for plastics and other modern materials–requires a large amount of heat. In fact, temperatures inside the furnaces that 'crack’ hydrocarbon molecules into olefins exceed 2000°F.

But what if these furnaces could run on hydrogen, a fuel that produces no CO2 emissions when combusted?

That would be a game changer.

And that is exactly what ExxonMobil has done at its olefins plant in Baytown, Texas, where it has designed and installed pyrolysis burners that can operate on up to 100% hydrogen fuel. A total of 44 burners were installed in one of the plant’s steam cracking furnaces.

Commercial testing of these next-generation burners began in December. ExxonMobil tested at 98% hydrogen, which is the maximum hydrogen concentration currently available for commercial demonstration at the site, and it was able to produce ethylene and other olefins identical to those produced via traditional methods.

“We’re leading the way on hydrogen because with global demand for plastics continuing to grow, finding ways to reduce emissions from olefins production is crucial,“ said Dan Holton, senior vice president of ExxonMobil Low Carbon Solutions.

Getting hydrogen-ready

ExxonMobil plan to install these 100% hydrogen-capable burners in additional steam cracking furnaces at its Baytown Olefins Plant over the next few years.

The company is getting hydrogen-ready because it is planning to build a plant at Baytown that would produce up to 1 billion ft3/d of hydrogen. Hydrogen that will have very low carbon intensity because it will capture and store more than 98% of the CO2 emissions associated with its production.

Switching to hydrogen can significantly reduce CO2 emissions. For example, at the furnace in which the company installed the new burners, it demonstrated a 90% reduction in direct CO2 emissions from the furnace during tests.

Today, pyrolysis burners are largely fuelled by hydrocarbons, particularly natural gas.

The demonstration of these burners was the culmination of more than four years of work by scientists, engineers, and other specialists.

 

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