Case Study · Hydrocarbon & Chemical
EDC/VCM Cracking Furnace High Emissivity Coating: 10% Higher Cracking Rate at SABIC
| Industry | Hydrocarbon & Chemical |
|---|---|
| Asset | EDC/VCM cracking furnace |
| Customer or location | SABIC, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
| Products used | Emisshield M-2, ST-3, ST-17 |
| Headline metric | +10% cracking rate |
| Secondary metric | 2 to 6% energy savings |
| Also measured | Two additional furnaces coated since |
A SABIC petrochemical operator coated 40 process tubes of an EDC cracking furnace with Emisshield M-2 and the ceramic fiber walls and burner blocks with ST-3 and ST-17. A third-party evaluation reported production records, a cracking rate up about 10%, and energy savings of 2 to 6% depending on operating parameters. The client has since coated two additional furnaces.
01
What was the challenge?
The operator wanted to improve the efficiency of an EDC cracking furnace operating at about 850°C while increasing cracking rates, with stable tube temperatures through extreme heat cycles.
02
What was applied?
Emisshield M-2 on 40 process tubes; ST-3 and ST-17 on the ceramic fiber walls and burner blocks. A third party evaluated performance.
03
What were the results?
| Metric | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Cracking rate | Baseline | +~10% |
| Energy savings | 2 to 6%, with reports exceeding 6% | |
| Production | Baseline | Production records set |
| Tube temperatures | Stable under extreme heat cycles |
Higher production per unit of energy led the client to coat two more furnaces.
04
Why did it work?
Coated walls and blocks re-radiate into the coil while coated tubes absorb more of that energy, so the same firing cracks more feed. See Production Increase.
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