Chemical recycling facility with electric process equipment

Abstract

Processes and facilities for providing recycled content hydrocarbon products (r-products) from the pyrolysis of waste plastic and cracking of the resulting recycled content streams are provided. Processing schemes are described herein that increase energy efficiency and help reduce overall environmental impact while producing valuable final products from chemically recycled waste plastic.

1 . A process for producing at least one recycled content hydrocarbon product (r-hydrocarbon product), said process comprising:
 (a) pyrolyzing mixed plastic waste in a pyrolysis facility to provide a recycled content pyrolysis vapor (r-pyrolysis vapor); and   (b) introducing a feed stream into an electrically heated cracker furnace, wherein the feed stream comprises at least a portion of the r-pyrolysis vapor, wherein the feed stream into the cracker furnace has an average daily feed rate of at least 1000 pounds per hour (lbs/hour).   
     
     
         2 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the feed stream introduced into the cracker furnace has an average daily feed rate of at least 1500 lbs/hour. 
     
     
         3 . The process of  claim 1 , wherein the feed stream introduced into the cracker furnace has an average temperature in the range of from 400 to 700° C. 
     
     
         4 . The process of  claim 3 , further comprising heating at least a portion of the feed stream prior to the introducing of step (b). 
     
     
         5 . The process of  claim 4 , wherein at least a portion of the r-pyrolysis vapor withdrawn from the pyrolysis facility has a temperature of not more than 700° C. 
     
     
         6 . The process of  claim 5 , further comprising combining the r-pyrolysis vapor with a hydrocarbon stream to form a combined stream, wherein the feed stream introduced into the cracker furnace in step (b) comprises at least a portion of the combined stream. 
     
     
         7 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein the hydrocarbon stream comprises predominantly C 2  to C 4  hydrocarbons. 
     
     
         8 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein the hydrocarbon stream comprises predominantly C3 hydrocarbons. 
     
     
         9 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein the hydrocarbon stream comprises predominantly C2 hydrocarbons. 
     
     
         10 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein the hydrocarbon stream comprises predominantly C5 to C22 hydrocarbons. 
     
     
         11 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein the hydrocarbon-containing feed has recycled content. 
     
     
         12 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein the hydrocarbon-containing feed does not have recycled content. 
     
     
         13 . The process of  claim 6 , wherein the temperature of the hydrocarbon stream is at least 25° C. warmer than the temperature of the r-pyrolysis stream when the streams are combined. 
     
     
         14 . The process of  claim 13 , further comprising, heating at least a portion of the hydrocarbon stream to provide the hydrocarbon stream combined with the r-pyrolysis vapor. 
     
     
         15 . The process of  claim 14 , wherein the cracker furnace is an induction furnace. 
     
     
         16 . The process of  claim 15 , wherein the cracker furnace is an electric arc furnace. 
     
     
         17 . The process of  claim 16 , wherein the cracker furnace is an electric resistance furnace. 
     
     
         18 . The process of  claim 17 , wherein the cracker furnace does not have a convection section. 
     
     
         19 . The process of  claim 18 , wherein the introducing of step (b) includes introducing at least 75 percent of the feed stream into a radiant section of the cracker furnace. 
     
     
         20 . The process of  claim 19 , further comprising cracking at least a portion of the feed stream in a plurality of tubes disposed in the cracker furnace, wherein each of the tubes includes one or more electric heating elements.