Coupling of the methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process in an FCC unit to improve the yield of light olefins via continuous membrane emulsification

The preparation of heavy oil emulsions with excellent micro-explosion properties is a novel approach for increasing the yield of light oil from FCC. The methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process is an important method for producing light olefin. Coupling the two processes to increase the liquid product and light olefin yields during FCC may provide considerable social and economic benefits. Therefore, we proposed a preparation method for methanol solution/heavy oil emulsions via continuous membrane emulsification. The optimal FCC product distribution was obtained when the methanol concentration was 20%. This concentration enhanced the liquid product and light olefin yields by 10.88% and 0.26%, respectively. Moreover, the micro-explosion energy was calculated using the diameters and velocities of the child droplets, which further clarified the differences in the micro-explosion performance characteristics of the emulsions. When the methanol concentration of the emulsion reached 20%, the child droplets produced after a micro-explosion had optimal kinetic energies, resulting in excellent micro-explosion performance characteristics.