The Indmax Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) process produces propylene, ethylene and butylenes in refineries directly from heavy residues. The Indmax FCC technology is a unique solution for vertical integration of refinery and petrochemical complexes. The Indmax FCC process combines the proprietary Indmax catalyst and process concepts developed by Indian Oil Corporation Limited, R&D Centre (IOCL R&D), India, with the state-of-the-art FCC technology, design features and know-how of Lummus Technology, the exclusive licensor of Indmax FCC technology worldwide.
This process is highly-flexible as it involves only riser cracking as seen in typical FCC units. The catalyst and operation can be easily adjusted depending on the demand and pricing of different products and any changes in feedstock properties. The proprietary hardware, such as Micro-Jet Plus™ injectors, ModGrid® stripper internals, direct-coupled cyclones, patented MSO™ air distributor design and spent catalyst distributor, are employed for superior performance, especially when processing residues. These hardware features offer advantages in terms of low delta coke (higher catalyst-to-oil ratio) and lower dry gas production even with high Conradson Carbon Content (CCR) feeds. There is no need for a catalyst cooler or carbon monoxide (CO) boiler on the regenerator vessel for feeds with CCR content as high as 6.0 wt%.
This technology can be adopted in any grassroots refinery and petrochemical complex or revamp of an existing FCC/RFCC unit with minor hardware modifications along with Indmax catalyst to enhance light olefin generation from low value heavy feedstocks.
