Integrated ethylene production process

Process for the production of ethylene in an integrated configuration comprising a steam cracker configuration and an oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) configuration, wherein the steam cracker configuration comprises a steam cracker unit, a water condensation unit and a carbon dioxide removal unit and the ODH configuration comprises an ODH unit and a water condensation unit, which process comprises the following steps:

• subjecting a stream comprising saturated hydrocarbons to steam cracking conditions in the steam cracker unit, resulting in a stream comprising water, unconverted ethane, ethylene, acetylene, hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and C3+ hydrocarbons;
• feeding at least a portion of the stream coming from the steam cracker unit to the water condensation unit of the steam cracker configuration, and removing water and a portion of the C3+ hydrocarbons from said stream by condensation in the water condensation unit, resulting in a stream comprising unconverted ethane, ethylene, acetylene, hydrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and C3+ hydrocarbons;
• subjecting a stream comprising ethane and oxygen to oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) conditions in the ODH unit, resulting in a stream comprising unconverted ethane, ethylene, acetylene, unconverted oxygen, water, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide;
• feeding at least a portion of the stream coming from the ODH unit to the water condensation unit of the ODH configuration, and removing water from said stream by condensation in the water condensation unit, resulting in a stream comprising unconverted ethane, ethylene, acetylene, unconverted oxygen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide;
• feeding an effluent coming from the ODH configuration, which effluent comprises unconverted ethane and ethylene, to the steam cracker configuration at a position which is downstream of the steam cracker unit;
• removing unconverted oxygen, carbon monoxide and acetylene from at least a portion of the stream coming from the ODH unit by oxidation of carbon monoxide and acetylene into carbon dioxide in an oxidation unit which is located at a position (a) which is downstream of the ODH unit, and (b) which is downstream of the steam cracker unit, and upstream of the carbon dioxide removal unit of the steam cracker configuration;
• feeding a stream comprising unconverted ethane, ethylene, optionally acetylene, hydrogen, methane, optionally carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and C3+ hydrocarbons to the carbon dioxide removal unit of the steam cracker configuration, and removing carbon dioxide from said stream in the carbon dioxide removal unit of the steam cracker configuration, resulting in a stream comprising unconverted ethane, ethylene, optionally acetylene, hydrogen, methane, optionally carbon monoxide and C3+ hydrocarbons;
• and
• recovering unconverted ethane and ethylene from at least a portion of the stream coming from the carbon dioxide removal unit of the steam cracker configuration and optionally from at least a portion of the effluent coming from the ODH configuration, which effluent comprises unconverted ethane and ethylene, which is fed to the steam cracker configuration at a position which is downstream of the carbon dioxide removal unit of the steam cracker configuration.