Global growth in refined products is projected to remain sluggish relative to the growth expected in petrochemicals. The price of petrochemicals is also more resilient compared to that of transportation fuels and tends to fluctuate in a relatively narrow band. These factors have led crude producers and refiners to consider higher or total conversion of crude to chemicals. In a typical crude oil refinery, whole crude oil is fractionated and then processed to produce LPG, naphtha, diesel, gas oils and high boiling residuum. Some of these products are used as transportation fuels or as starting feedstock for olefins or aromatics production in the petrochemical industry. Many of the starting feedstocks for conventional olefin or aromatics production are first subjected to substantial, expensive and energy intensive refining processes designed to meet transportation fuel specifications. Saudi Aramco Technologies Company, Chevron Lummus Global (CLG) and Lummus Technology signed a Joint Development Agreement in 2017 and over the course of the following two years, after intense research, risk and economic analyses, and engineering studies, commercialized Thermal Crude to Chemicals, TC2C™.

TC2C™ is the first world scale Direct Crude to Chemicals converter with at least 70% conversion of crude to chemicals from widely available crudes. TC2C™ uses advanced separation devices and a series of novel catalysts including a breakthrough hydrocracking catalyst containing tailored mesoporous zeolite along with smartly configured fixed and liquid circulation reactor platforms to selectively condition crude for mixed phase steam cracking to produce petrochemical building blocks such as ethylene and propylene along with other chemicals. Unlike other processes, TC2C™ has the capability to upgrade difficult low-value byproducts, such as pyrolysis oil and other refinery orphan streams. TC2C™ optimizes the hydrogen content of the streams feeding the mixed phase steam cracking section leading to higher olefin yields. Asphaltenes in crude are eliminated which enhances and extends steam cracking heater run lengths. Finally, the technology is very adaptable to producing olefins, aromatics or a combination and can be used in retrofit as well as grassroots situations. CAPEX, OPEX, and carbon footprint are significantly reduced compared to conventional Crude Oil to Chemicals configurations.