To provide a method for producing ethylene using a petroleum-based hydrocarbon material containing organochlorine compound(s) without affecting the quality of the final product and the equipment.
The method for producing ethylene at least as the final product 17 comprises the 1st step 1 of lowering the organochlorine level in the petroleum-based hydrocarbon material to an acceptable level or lower and feeding the resultant material together with steam to a cracking oven, the 2nd step 2 of carrying out a thermal cracking of the material to obtain a cracked mixed gas essentially comprising steam and ethylene, the 3rd step 3 of cooling the cracked mixed gas to condense the steam and separating the resultant oil and water, the 4th step 4 of reevaporating at least part of the water separated and recycling the steam thus generated to the cracking oven, the 5th step 5 of extracting at least part of the water separated out of the system, and the 6th step 6 of refining the cracked mixed gas.
ORIHARA AKIRA
Toru Nakayama
Masayuki Enomoto