Influence of feedstock type on steam cracker performance
Hydrocarbon steam cracking

The feedstocks used in pyrolysis are quite varied, ranging from light saturated hydrocarbons such as ethane, propane or ethane-propane mixtures, to heavier or lighter petroleum cuts such as petrochemical naphtha and light or heavy gas oils. The United States, a country rich in natural gases combining ethane and propane with methane, still uses mostly light hydrocarbons for ethylene production; in Europe, on the other hand, steam crackers have traditionally been fuelled by petroleum cuts (cf. table B). ).

Table