They were manufactured in Venice, but have now reached their final destination in Antwerp: the two steam boilers that form the heart of Project ONE’s “power plant”. Together, they have a production capacity of just under 400 tonnes of steam per hour. Thanks to their clever design, these boilers can flexibly respond to the steam demand in the various operational phases of the cracker.
The steam boilers play a crucial role in the start-up of our cracker. Once the cracker is running at full speed, it becomes self-sufficient in steam and produces no less than approx. 450 tonnes per hour of high-pressure steam.
When in operation, the cracker also independently produces the dilution steam needed to ensure that the cracking reaction takes place under optimal conditions and to sufficiently cool the tubes in the cracking furnace.
This allows the steam boilers to run at a lower setting after start-up. But even in “standby mode”, they continue to play a special role. If there is a power failure or a malfunction in one of the components of the cracker installation, the steam boilers kick in and ensure that the cracker is stopped or restarted safely.
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In this video, meet Steven Gommé and Ivan Oprins, team members of Project ONE, each passionate in their own way about the steam boilers that were recently installed. Steven, Production Engineer for the cracker, was closely involved in the ingenious design of the steam boilers. The steam comes in handy in the job of Commissioning Engineer Ivan Oprins too, because it will be used to thoroughly clean all systems to ensure a safe start-up.
A contribution to sustainability
The steam boilers also play their part in keeping the environmental impact of our installation as low as possible. The design aims for optimal heat integration, which translates into low fuel consumption. Thanks to this thorough integration, the steam boilers can run largely on the hydrogen-rich residual gas from the cracking plant and the evaporation gas from the ethane tank, greatly reducing the supply of natural gas. The steam boilers are also equipped with low NOx burners and a Selective Catalytic Reduction reactor. This combination of technologies ensures that our nitrogen emissions are significantly reduced.
