Aromatics Processes, Technology and Markets

Introduction

This 5-Day training course focuses on the technology of Aromatics. While this is an overview of aromatics, delegates are advised to have some previous knowledge of refining chemistry and the basics of petroleum refining before taking this training course. When we use the term ‘aromatics’, we are talking about cyclic structures, chemical compounds derived from petroleum, natural gas, and coal. In other words, they are chemicals derived from carbon.

Aromatic compounds comprise three of the seven basic compounds that are the basis for all petrochemicals, and these seven are often called the ‘building blocks’ for the petrochemical industry. They can be divided into three categories – olefins, aromatics, and natural gas-based compounds. In this training course, we will examine aromatics in detail. The training course will navigate through feedstocks, such as crude oil and gas, through aromatic feedstock processing all the way to polymer manufacturing as the finished consumer product as they are used in the end markets. Fundamental process chemistry integral to the industry will be discussed as well.

This training course will highlight:

• Commercial production of Aromatics
• Key Market players and size
• Economic aspects of the feedstocks and building blocks
• Technical aspects of the entire Aromatics value chains
• Downstream associated Benzene, Toluene and Xylene markets

Objectives

At the end of this training course, participants will:

• Apply acquired knowledge of the Aromatics Industry
• Understand the business of Aromatics
• Be familiar with the Aromatic building blocks for Petrochemicals
• Have a full understanding of the rapid growth and importance of Aromatics
• Explain the benefits to customers and colleagues of the Aromatics business

Training Methodology

This is an interactive course. There will be open question and answer sessions, regular group exercises and activities, videos, case studies and presentations on best practice. Participants will have the opportunity to share with the facilitator and other participants on what works well and not so well for them, as well as work on issues from their own organizations.

Who Should Attend?

It is invaluable to market analysts interested in the Aromatics sector. Engineers and industrial chemists working in chemical and petrochemical companies, located in company headquarters, chemical plants or integrated petrochemicals/refinery complexes will find the information covered extremely beneficial.

This training course is suitable for a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit: 

• Sales personnel with a petrochemical portfolio
• Market Analysts
• Chemical plant personnel
• Business development
• Process engineers
• Industrial chemists
• Researchers needing more commercial background

Course Outline

Day 1: Introduction 

• Crude Oil

  • Refining and petrochemical feedstocks

  • Petrochemicals Gas and Petroleum

  • The natural gas/shale gas revolution

  • Where does Coal fit in the strategy?

  • Aromatics Derivatives and uses

  • Crude oil, refining, integration with Petrochemical plants

  • Market growth and industry costs

• The Petrochemicals Business

  • The origins and history of the industry

  • What makes the industry unique?

  • Costs, Margins and Aromatics Prices

  • Evaluation of the Major Players in Aromatics market

  • Chemistry of the Aromatic molecule

  • Industry Profitability

  • How Ethylene and Propylene markets impact Aromatics

  • Introduction to Case Study work

Day 2: The Aromatics Value Chains

• Sources of Aromatics

• Supply and demand

• The Aromatics Value Chain and derivatives

• Feedstock costs and their impact on Benzene cost

• Differences in costs and margins between producing regions

• Aromatics Business and Technologies

  • Supply and demand

  • Costs and pricing

  • Aromatics – routes to manufacture

• Industry Structure and Feedstock Linkages

  • What are aromatics?

  • Benzene, toluene, xylenes, ortho and para xylene, ethyl benzene and cyclohexane

  • The relationship with polymers and the gasoline pool

  • Sources: reforming, naphtha cracking, coal tar distillates, dealkylation

• Aromatics Markets

  • Benzene for styrene, phenol, cyclohexane, aniline

  • Toluene for TDI, caprolactam dealkylation and disproportionation

  • Xylenes for para- and ortho-xylene

  • Para-xylene for PTA and DMT

  • Ortho xylene for phthalic anhydride

  • Cyclohexane for adipic acid and caprolactam and ultimately nylon

Day 3: BTX Fundamentals

• The business of Benzene, Toluene and Xylenes

• Feedstocks to produce BTX

• Detailed investigation of major BTX Derivatives

• The Future for BTX

• The Technology of Aromatics

  • Process descriptions and flow schemes; pyrolysis gasoline extraction, reforming and reformate extraction, toluene hydrodealkylation and disproportionation

  • Benzene from coal

  • Isomerization and separation of para- and ortho-xylene

  • Ethylbenzene by distillation from xylenes

  • Cyclohexane by hydrogenation of benzene

• The Valuation of Aromatics and Feedstocks

  • Interaction of aromatics streams with refining

  • The petrochemical and refinery interface

  • Octane value

  • Is it the end for aromatics into the gasoline pool?

  • What are the alternative outlets?

Day 4: Aromatics Derivatives

• What are the major Aromatics derivatives molecules?

• How are they made and marketed?

• What they are used for

• Business Structure

• Aromatic heterocyclic Molecules

• What the future holds

• New Development in Aromatics

  • Aromax and other routes by light naphtha reforming

• Aromatics Strategy and Economics

  • Driving forces for aromatics producers

Group Exercises

• Impact of Oil and Gas markets on future aromatics availability, valuation and marketing

• Paraxylene and PTA

Day 5: The Polymers Business  

• Polymers from aromatics

  • Plastics: what are they and how are they made

  • Methods of manufacture

  • Polymer types

  • Key properties

  • Polymer Markets and Applications

• Polymer Fundamentals

  • What are they

  • How they are made

  • What they are used for

  • Margins and consumption

  • Business Structure

  • What the future holds

• Polymers to Products

  • The properties of finished products

  • The role of the Processor

  • Markets and Applications

  • Green Polymers, towards a sustainable future with Polymers.