The present invention relates to a process for the production of polymers from waste plastics feedstocks comprising the steps in this order of: (a) providing a hydrocarbon stream A obtained by treatment of a waste plastics feedstock; (b) optionally providing a hydrocarbon stream B; (c) supplying a feed C comprising a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream A and a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream B to a thermal cracker furnace comprising cracking coil(s); (d) performing a thermal cracking operation in the presence of steam to obtain a cracked hydrocarbon stream D; (e) supplying the cracked hydrocarbon stream D to a separation unit; (f) performing a separation operation in the separation unit to obtain a product stream E comprising a monomer; (g) supplying the product stream E to a polymerisation reactor; and (h) performing a polymerisation reaction in the polymerisation reactor to obtain an polymer. The process of the present invention allows for optimisation of the quantity of waste plastic material that finds its way back into a polymer that is produced as outcome of the process.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of polymers from waste plastics feedstocks comprising the steps in this order of: (a) providing a hydrocarbon stream A obtained by treatment of a waste plastics feedstock; (b) optionally providing a hydrocarbon stream B; (c) supplying a feed C comprising a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream A and a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream B to a thermal cracker furnace comprising cracking coil(s); (d) performing a thermal cracking operation in the presence of steam to obtain a cracked hydrocarbon stream D; (e) supplying the cracked hydrocarbon stream D to a separation unit; (f) performing a separation operation in the separation unit to obtain a product stream E comprising a monomer; (g) supplying the product stream E to a polymerisation reactor; and (h) performing a polymerisation reaction in the polymerisation reactor to obtain an polymer. The process of the present invention allows for optimisation of the quantity of waste plastic material that finds its way back into a polymer that is produced as outcome of the process.

The invention provides methods for treating a source oil phase consisting of heavy oil, bitumen, a mixture of heavy oil and bitumen, a mixture of solvent and heavy oil or bitumen or both. The method comprises: introducing the source oil phase to a heated lower section of a device to provide an interior source oil phase; heating the interior source oil phase so as to thermally separate a light oil phase component therefrom and provide a vaporized light oil; and condensing the vaporized light oil phase on one or more internal cooling fins housed within the upper section of the device, to provide a condensed light oil phase liquid, wherein the internal cooling fins are angled so as to direct the condensed light oil phase liquid downwardly to a light end collection system.

The invention provides methods for treating a source oil phase consisting of heavy oil, bitumen, a mixture of heavy oil and bitumen, a mixture of solvent and heavy oil or bitumen or both. The method comprises: introducing the source oil phase to a lower reservoir section of a device, flowing the source oil phase through an array of vertically extending heated pipes with an inert gas so as to thermally separate a vaporized light oil phase component from a heated liquid source oil phase, and segregating fluid flows by density in an upper fluid separating manifold to provide a light product fluid and a heavy product fluid.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems and processes for producing olefins and/or dienes. The systems and processes may include thermally cracking a C1-C4 hydrocarbon containing feed to produce a cracked hydrocarbon effluent containing a mixture of olefins and paraffins. The systems and processes may also include dehydrogenating the cracked hydrocarbon effluent to produce a dehydrogenated hydrocarbon effluent containing additional olefins and/or dienes.

Embodiments disclosed herein relate to systems and processes for producing olefins and/or dienes. The systems and processes may include thermally cracking a C1-C4 hydrocarbon containing feed to produce a cracked hydrocarbon effluent containing a mixture of olefins and paraffins. The systems and processes may also include dehydrogenating the cracked hydrocarbon effluent to produce a dehydrogenated hydrocarbon effluent containing additional olefins and/or dienes.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of propylene-based polymers from waste plastics feedstocks comprising the steps in this order of: (a) providing a hydrocarbon stream A obtained by hydrotreatment of a pyrolysis oil produced from a waste plastics feedstock; (b) optionally providing a hydrocarbon stream B; (c) supplying a feed C comprising a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream A and optionally a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream B to a thermal cracker furnace comprising cracking coil(s); (d) performing a thermal cracking operation in the presence of steam to obtain a cracked hydrocarbon stream D; (e) supplying the cracked hydrocarbon stream D to a separation unit; (f) performing a separation operation in the separation unit to obtain a product stream E comprising propylene; (g) supplying the product stream E to a polymerisation reactor; and (h) performing a polymerisation reaction in the polymerisation reactor to obtain an propylene-based polymer; wherein in step (d): • the coil outlet temperature is ≥800 and ≤850° C., preferably ≥805 and ≤835° C.; and • the weight ratio of steam to feed C is >0.3 and <0.8.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of polymers from waste plastics feedstocks comprising the steps in this order of: (a) providing a hydrocarbon stream A obtained by treatment of a waste plastics feedstock; (b) optionally providing a hydrocarbon stream B; (c) supplying a feed C comprising a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream A and a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream B to a thermal cracker furnace comprising cracking coil(s); (d) performing a thermal cracking operation in the presence of steam to obtain a cracked hydrocarbon stream D; (e) supplying the cracked hydrocarbon stream D to a separation unit; (f) performing a separation operation in the separation unit to obtain a product stream E comprising a monomer; (g) supplying the product stream E to a polymerisation reactor; and (h) performing a polymerisation reaction in the polymerisation reactor to obtain an polymer. The process of the present invention allows for optimisation of the quantity of waste plastic material that finds its way back into a polymer that is produced as outcome of the process.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of propylene-based polymers from waste plastics feedstocks comprising the steps in this order of: (a) providing a hydrocarbon stream A obtained by treatment of a waste plastics feedstock; (b) providing a hydrocarbon stream B; (c) supplying a feed C comprising a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream A and a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream B to a thermal cracker furnace comprising cracking coil(s); (d) performing a thermal cracking operation in the presence of steam to obtain a cracked hydrocarbon stream D; (e) supplying the cracked hydrocarbon stream D to a separation unit; (f) performing a separation operation in the separation unit to obtain a product stream E comprising propylene; (g) supplying the product stream E to a polymerisation reactor; and (h) performing a polymerisation reaction in the polymerisation reactor to obtain an propylene-based polymer; wherein in step (d): •⋅ the coil outlet temperature is 2:: 800 and:::; 850° C., preferably 2:: 805 and:::; 835° C.; and •⋅ the weight ratio of steam to feed C is >0.3 and <0.8.

The present invention relates to a process for the production of ethylene-based polymers from waste plastics feedstocks comprising the steps in this order of: (a) providing a hydrocarbon stream A obtained by treatment of a waste plastics feedstock; (b) providing a hydrocarbon stream B; (c) supplying a feed C comprising a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream A and a fraction of the hydrocarbon stream B to a thermal cracker furnace comprising cracking coil(s); (d) performing a thermal cracking operation in the presence of steam to obtain a cracked hydrocarbon stream D; (e) supplying the cracked hydrocarbon stream D to a separation unit; (f) performing a separation operation in the separation unit to obtain a product stream E comprising ethylene; (g) supplying the product stream E to a polymerisation reactor; and (h) performing a polymerisation reaction in the polymerisation reactor to obtain an ethylene-based polymer; wherein in step (d): ⋅the coil outlet temperature is ≥800 and ≤870° C., preferably ≥820 and ≤870° C.; and ⋅the weight ratio of steam to feed C is >0.3 and <0.8. Such process allows for optimisation of the quantity of waste plastic material that finds its way back into a polyethylene that is produced as outcome of the process. The higher that quantity is, i.e. the higher the quantity of chemical building blocks that are present in the waste plastic material that are converted to the produced polyethylene, the better the sustainability footprint of the process is. The process allows for circular utilisation of plastics. In addition, the process allows for increased efficiency in the production of polyethylene in that the fraction of ethylene in the cracked hydrocarbon stream D is increased. A further advantage of the process of the present invention is that the overall energy consumption towards polyethylene is reduced.