This article published in Hydrocarbon processing presents the development and commercial readiness of a next generation catalytic crude to chemicals (CTC) technology, designed to directly convert whole crude oil into high value petrochemicals while retaining the flexibility to produce fuels. Building on a high severity fluidized catalytic cracking (FCC) platform, the technology enables the conversion of crude oil into more than 70 wt% olefins and aromatics, addressing future limitations in conventional petrochemical feedstock supply.
Developed through close collaboration between industry leaders, the technology has been de‑risked through extensive pilot testing, cold‑flow modeling and advanced computational fluid dynamics. The article details the process concept, scale‑up strategy and integration of the CTC converter into greenfield and brownfield petrochemical complexes, demonstrating strong technical performance, high conversion efficiency and attractive economics. Together, these results position catalytic crude‑to‑chemicals technology as a robust pathway to maximize petrochemical production directly from crude oil.
