The study of the ideal integration of an oil refinery and an ethylene production facility has regained interest due to the rising costs of crude oil and its derivatives. This study proposes a multi-objective optimization approach that maximizes the net profit and production of ethylene and propylene in an integrated plant.

The transportation fuel and chemicals sectors are facing multiple urgent challenges. They must quickly reduce their dependence on petroleum resources with cost-competitive solutions while also addressing concerns such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and decarbonization.

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) is a regulation that requires refineries in the U.S. to output a certain percentage of their fuel from renewable sources, such as plants or animal waste. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets the minimum proportion of renewable fuel every year. The goal of the RFS is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and dependence on fossil fuels.

Refiners are actively developing new solutions to decarbonize their finished products—such as transportation fuels or commodity chemicals—as part of the energy transition. As a result, refiners are now exploring the co-feeding of alternative feedstocks, including renewable and recyclable crude oils, as a means of lowering the carbon footprint of their products.

Steam distribution systems are a vital part of process manufacturing because steam is a versatile means of delivering carefully controlled heat energy, usually via a heat exchanger.

Plastics are some of the most vastly used materials in modern life. They are the building block of products manufactured by almost every sector, including packaging, building and construction, textiles, consumer products, transportation, electrical and electronics, and industrial machinery.