SCORE™ (Selective Cracking Optimum REcovery)

Commercial Applications

KBR has been a leader in olefin plant design and construction and technology development for over 50 years. We provide cost-effective plants for the production of ethylene, propylene, butadiene and other by products from petrochemicals feedstocks ranging from ethane to vacuum gas oils. Since 1990, over 20 new ethylene plants have been brought on-stream using KBR technology, producing a combined ethylene capacity of 13 million metric tons per year. Through continuous improvement and technology innovations, KBR SCORE™ Technology has become the preferred choice for many major ethylene producers.

Values and Benefits

KBR's extensive olefins experience, combined with an exclusive license agreement to utilize ExxonMobil Chemicals ethylene technology developments, is the basis for our olefins plant designs under the trademark SCORE™, Selective Cracking Optimum REcovery. SCORE technology features:

  • cracking furnaces that provide the highest olefins yields available in the industry and
  • a low-capital, high-efficiency product recovery system based on low-pressure distillation tower designs. Depending on the feed, SCORE ethylene process technology may produce from 4 percent up to 12 percent more ethylene than typical designs, with less energy input per unit of ethylene produced.

KBR, as a SCORE technology licensor, combines the expertise and experience of ExxonMobil to offer the petrochemical industry state-of-the-art thermal naphtha cracking technology that features:

  • Highest yield selectivity to valuable light olefins in the industry
  • Lower capital investment
  • Exceptional reliability & operability
  • Efficient energy utilization
  • High on-stream factor
  • Wide feed and turndown flexibility
  • Smooth Startups
  • Lower maintenance costs
  • Lower ethylene production cost
  • Safe and environmentally compliant olefins plant designs

Process Information

SCORE Furnace Technology

Selective Cracking is KBR's pyrolysis furnace technology. SCORE olefins process features the short residence time SC-1 furnace design that provides the highest yield selectivity to light olefins in the industry and a highly reliable mechanical design. The selective SC-1 furnace design can be used to crack feeds ranging from ethane to vacuum gas oils.

SCORE Furnaces Give HigherYields

Relative Percent Yield Improvement

Relative Percent Yield Improvement Click to Enlarge

SC-1 furnaces have the following benefits:

  • Highest single pass ethylene yield in the industry
  • The same propylene production capability
  • Lowest feedstock consumption
  • Reduced capital and operating costs

Unique, Reliable Mechanical Design

SC-1 furnaces have a unique and reliable design featuring:

  • Design commonality for all petrochemical feedstocks
  • Capability to run multiple feedstocks in one furnace
  • No mechanical cleaning of in-line quench exchangers
  • On-line decoking while furnace remains in production
  • Total floor firing

SCORE Recovery Section Technology

Deethanizer First Flowsheet

Deethanizer First Flowsheet Click to Enlarge

Optimum REcovery is KBR's olefins product recovery section technology. Our technology incorporates advanced, proven features to help our clients achieve the optimum balance between operating and capital costs. KBR offers three recovery section flowsheets, all of which are proven in commercial operation in numerous KBR plant designs over many years.

The deethanizer-first flowsheet is KBR's primary offering for ethane and E/P feeds. The depropanizer-first design is KBR's primary offering for propane and all heavier feeds and is also flexible to ethane feeds. The demethanizer-first flowscheme can be used for propane, petrochemical naphtha and gas oil feeds and for ethane feeds where flexibility to heavier feeds is a design requirement.

Each of these recovery section designs has been optimized through the use of PINCH technology and lost work analysis and the implementation of pre-separation and distributed distillation concepts to reduce energy consumption and capital costs. Throughout the optimization process, KBR has paid special attention to maintaining flexibility and operability of the recovery system.

KBR's SCORE recovery flowsheets provide the following benefits:

  • Exceptional Reliability and Operability
  • Efficient Energy Utilization
  • Lower capital, operating, and maintenance costs for petrochemical production
  • Lower operating pressures and hydrocarbon inventories; safer plant.
  • Excellent economy of scale for large capacity projects; improved constructability
  • Continuous innovation leveraging KBR Technology Center and ExxonMobil alliance
Depropanizer First Flowsheet

Depropanizer First Flowsheet Click to Enlarge

For more information on Score™, please visit our KBR Petrochemicals publications.