Day 1 : Wednesday 21 October 2020

With the National Recovery Plans now underway, the Green Deal policy of the European Commission has gotten hands and feet – the largest economic package in European History will focus on a Green recovery. Support for Hydrogen, electrification, the circular economy and more.
The European Climate Law enters it last stage in the political negotiations and will cast in stone the EU Commitment to become Climate Neutral by 2050. A new chemical strategy for Sustainability is underway.
What does this mean for the Chemical Industry. A daunting task. And an interesting presentation.

We all know Advanced Process Control - what is advanced automation is providing on top 
How did companies in the process industry implemented advanced automation and remote operation and what were the benefits 
Is it possible to operate an Ethylene plant from remote, what does it require and what is the benefit 
Which solutions are already implemented by Ethylene producers and what were the drivers 

Popcorn polymer formation is a known process safety risk in ethylene processing units with relatively high butadiene concentration (e.g. butadiene purification units).
This presentation will summarize a 2019 loss of containment event involving popcorn polymer plugging a unit with relatively lower bulk butadiene concentration, namely an olefins purification unit in a depropanizer tower system.
As part of the event investigation, it was determined that popcorn polymer can form in units at lower butadiene concentrations when combined with initiators such as oxygen, peroxides or rust, particularly in areas with restricted fluid circulation.  A characteristic of popcorn polymer (vs. other forms of butadiene-related polymer) is growth which can result in mechanical damage, unit plugging and possible loss of containment if not mitigated.
This presentation will provide a broad overview of popcorn polymer fundamentals, highlight the risks associated with popcorn polymer via an incident summary and suggest mitigation ideas to address this process safety risk.