Innovation

The company analyzes the major causes of scale build-up in the quench system of the olefins plant to develop advanced digital analytical innovations that can predict and prevent scale build-up in production processes. This can reduce the amount of chemicals used in the production process by 700 tons per year, while maintaining the production run time and reducing the risk of the quench system shutdown before the factory maintenance cycle (turnaround). As a result, the company achieved cost-savings of up to 8.7 million baht per year and plans to expand this innovation to predict scale build-up for use in other production units seeking opportunities to modify feedstocks in the production process at a lower cost.

The company has developed innovations to cleaning machines for heat exchangers in aromatics plants. By collaborating with external agencies, chemical cleaning can replace the current physical cleaning process through injections. This increases the efficiency of the heat exchanger by 15%, resulting in a reduction in costs from the process of using steam for heat exchange by more than four million baht per year and extending the service life by more than 50% of the original usage time. This washing innovation also simplifies the process of disassembling and reassembling the equipment and helps reduce the risk of chemical exposure from operators. Because it’s an operation in a closed system, the company plans to use the technology in other factories in the future.

GC has collaborated and conducted research and development with the Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology (PETROMAT), an association with knowledgeable personnel in materials research and development. A team of researchers from GC's Upstream Innovations unit and experts from PETROMAT jointly research and develop high-performance absorbent materials for use in the absorption of chloride gas in the process of aromatics plants. Using this newly developed adsorbent material can significantly reduce production costs compared to commercial absorbent materials used today. In addition to its industrial benefits, the research team has patented the formulation of the absorbent material as a foundation for further technological advancements and commercial use in the future.

GC developed the Furnace Optimization Model using Advance Analytic Model (AA) principles to optimize crackers in the olefins process and help prolong the service life of the furnace by adjusting its conditions to be more suitable and adjusting feedstocks and product portfolios to maximize profits according to the current market situation.

A team of researchers has developed an optimized heat exchanger (Fin-Fan) system in the aromatics plant. Using CFD modeling simulations, it was found that installing an inlet bell at the bottom of the fan ring improved airflow to the fan blade plane. More than 24 units of Inlet Bell devices were installed to reduce energy consumption.