Design, simulation and techno-economic analysis of two processes for the conversion of shale gas to ethylene

Shale gas is being considered as feedstock for the production of major petrochemicals. One such chemical is ethylene. Although the typical production for ethylene is carried out via thermal cracking, alternative processes have been gaining importance recently. Among such alternatives are the Oxidative Coupling of Methane (OCM) and the Methanol to Olefins (MTO) processes. The first one is a direct conversion process while the second one involves several stages. The aim of this work is to carry out an economic, energy and environmental assessment for these two processes. The results show that the MTO process is more profitable under the economic and technical scenario considered here. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to show the shale gas and ethylene prices under which the OCM process would be economically attractive. An analysis on catalyst improvement needed for the OCM process to be profitable is also reported.