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Equipment sizingCostingE-fuels

Olefin Pooling & Polishing (Oligomerisation Feed Conditioning)

Pre-feasibility sizing and costing of an intermediate olefin pooling, buffering, and polishing system delivering a controlled feed to oligomerisation, with capacity scaling curves and levelized cost outputs.

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alexi

I do low-carbon energy stuff for 10 years & build things I wish existed.

Inputs

Select a screening configuration affecting losses, consumables, and CAPEX reference levels.

Sum of all olefin-rich inlet streams entering the pooling/polishing system.

t/h

min 0.1 · max 300 · step 0.1 · t/h

Annual operating utilization including planned/unplanned downtime.

min 10 · max 100 · step 1 · %

Effective buffering time to equalise upstream fluctuations and maintain stable oligomerisation feed.

min 0.5 · max 48 · step 0.5 · h

Representative inlet pressure at battery limits.

bar

min 1 · max 80 · step 0.5 · bar

Target outlet pressure to the oligomerisation feed system.

bar

min 1 · max 80 · step 0.5 · bar

Representative inlet temperature at battery limits.

C

min -20 · max 120 · step 1 · C

Target outlet temperature for stable downstream operation.

C

min -20 · max 120 · step 1 · C

Blended site electricity price used for pumps, compressors, and temperature control auxiliaries.

EUR/MWh

min 0 · max 300 · step 1 · EUR/MWh

Real or nominal must be consistent with cost basis; used only for annualization via CRF.

ratio

min 0 · max 0.25 · step 0.005 · ratio

Amortization period for installed CAPEX.

years

min 1 · max 40 · step 1 · years

Results

Pooled olefin outlet flow

After polishing losses, at nominal inlet flow

…t/h

Annual pooled olefin mass

Outlet tonnes per year based on capacity factor

…t/yr

Annual losses

Purges, filters, adsorbent changeover, off-spec handling (screening)

…t/yr

Design basis capacity (inlet)

Nominal inlet throughput used for sizing and costing

…t/h

Annual olefin-rich inlet

Total annual mass entering the pooling/polishing system (before losses)

…t/yr

Number of polishing/equalisation trains

Parallel trains required for the design throughput

…count

Total plot space

Tanks + skids plus integration margin

…m2

Equipment purchase cost (EPC)

Excludes installation, indirects, owner costs

…EUR

Total installed CAPEX

Installed/direct cost for pooling + polishing system

…EUR

Fixed O&M cost

Labour, routine maintenance, inspections (fraction of installed CAPEX)

…EUR/yr

Annualized replacement cost

Adsorbent/media replacement (polishing section)

…EUR/yr

Levelized cost of pooled olefin

Cost per tonne of pooled olefin delivered to oligomerisation

…EUR/t

About

Calculator context

Introduction

This calculator screens an olefin pooling & polishing asset that receives one or more olefin-rich streams and delivers a flow-equalised, impurity-polished, pressure/temperature-adjusted feed to downstream olefin oligomerisation (commonly used within e-kerosene / e-SAF value chains). It estimates major sizing parameters (buffer storage, train count, plot space) and produces a pre-feasibility CAPEX/OPEX and levelized cost using standard chemical engineering scale-up practice.

Methodology follows widely used screening conventions: power-law cost scaling (a.k.a. six-tenths rule variants) and capital recovery factor (CRF) annualisation consistent with IEA/IRENA-style techno-economic reporting, complemented by process-plant cost heuristics (e.g., Peters & Timmerhaus-type factoring) and public e-fuels benchmarking ranges (IEA, IRENA, Concawe, Fraunhofer, FfE).

Methodology

Key steps and equations (all variables defined in the UI or assumptions):

  • Throughput & availability

    • Operating hours: h_op = 8760 × CF, where CF = capacity_factor_percent/100.
    • Annual inlet mass: m_in,yr = F_in × h_op.
    • Polishing loss: m_loss,yr = m_in,yr × f_loss; outlet flow: F_out = F_in × (1 − f_loss).

  • Buffer storage sizing (surge/pooling)

    • Buffer mass: m_buf = F_out × storage_hours × fill_fraction.
    • Buffer volume: V_buf = (m_buf/ρ) × overdesign.
    • Tank count is estimated by V_buf and a maximum practical single-tank volume.

  • Asset count and plot space

    • Parallel trains: n_units = ceil(F_design / train_capacity_max).
    • Plot space: A_plot = (A_tanks + A_skids) × integration_margin.

  • Costing with scaling curves

    • Specific CAPEX scaling (mandatory): specific_capex_scaled = clamp(specific_capex_ref × (F_design/F_ref)^(k−1), min, max).
    • Total installed CAPEX: CAPEX_total = specific_capex_scaled × F_design.
    • Equipment purchase cost: CAPEX_equip = CAPEX_total / install_factor.

  • Annualisation and levelized metrics

    • CRF = (r*(1+r)^n)/((1+r)^n−1) with a denominator guard.
    • Annualized CAPEX: C_cap,yr = CAPEX_total × CRF.
    • Total annual cost: C_tot,yr = C_cap,yr + O&M_fixed + electricity + consumables + replacement.
    • Levelized cost: LCO = C_tot,yr / m_out,yr (reported in EUR/t).

Applications

  • Project developer (screening): compare alternative buffering hours (e.g., 4 h vs 12 h) and polishing intensity to see effects on CAPEX, plot space, and EUR/t.
  • Process integrator (layout & tie-ins): estimate tank count, train count, and plot space to validate brownfield fit and utility routing before FEED.
  • Commercial team (contracting): translate pooled outlet tonnes to annual delivered mass and quantify expected polishing losses for supply agreements feeding oligomerisation units.

Model

123 variables — inputs, calculations and outputs, with their dependencies.

123 variables shown of 123
VariableValueUnitDepends on
30t/h—
90%—
8h—
8bar—
12bar—
25C—
35C—
1——
80EUR/MWh—
0.08ratio—
20years—
VariableFormulaUnitDepends on
if((<=)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(<=)+(<=)+(<)+(<)+(<)+(<)+(>)+(<)+(>)>,,)bool
*t/h
*—
*h/yr
if(==,,)—
**t
(/max(,))*m3
max(,ceil(/max(,)))count
/max(,)m3
(*/max((*),))^m
*(^2)/max(,)m2
*m2
*(/max(,))^m2
-bar
-C
bar
C
if(==,,)EUR/(t/h)
*(/max(,))^(-)EUR/(t/h)
clamp(,,)EUR/(t/h)
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
*EUR
(*(+)^)/max(((+)^-),)—
*(/max(,))^—
clamp(,,)—
if(==,,)EUR/t
*EUR/yr
*/max(,)MWh/yr
*EUR/yr
if(==,,)years
*t/yr
**/max(,)MWh/yr
*kg/yr
*/max(,)t/yr
*/max(,)t/yr
VariableFormulaUnitDepends on
t/h
*t/yr
*(-)t/h
*(-)t/yr
*t/yr
(+)*m2
max(,ceil(/max(,)))count
*EUR
/max(,)EUR
*EUR/yr
*EUR/yr
*/max(,)EUR/yr
++++EUR/yr
/max(,)EUR/t
/max(,)EUR/MWh

Assumptions

59 assumptions used in the calculations

  • Prevents division-by-zero and undefined CRF denominators.

    Market range Not applicable (numerical)

    0.000001
    Numerical stability constant for division guards in the DSL

  • Avoids inline numeric literals per spec.

    Market range Not applicable

    0
    DSL identity constant

  • Avoids inline numeric literals per spec.

    Market range Not applicable

    1
    DSL identity constant

  • Converts % inputs to fractions in all calculations.

    Market range Not applicable

    0.01fraction/%
    Unit conversion constant

  • Standard TEA annualisation convention for continuous processes.

    Market range 8760

    8760h/yr
    Calendar year hours (non-leap)

  • Provides contingency between nominal and design throughput for screening sizing and modularisation.

    1.1ratio
    Conceptual design margin

  • Represents purge, filter backwash, and off-spec handling losses.

    0.005ratio
    Screening assumption for standard filtration/guard bed losses

  • Higher-spec impurity control often increases purge and media changeover losses.

    0.015ratio
    Screening assumption for deeper polishing / higher purge operation

  • Used to convert buffer mass to tank volume for plot space and tank count screening.

    0.65t/m3
    Representative liquid olefin mixture density under pressurised handling

  • Accounts for operating headspace, minimum heel, and control band for level control.

    0.9ratio
    Operational usable fraction of buffer storage

  • Adds capacity for surge, uncertainty, and usable volume vs nominal.

    1.15ratio
    Tank sizing/design margin factor

  • Used to determine tank count by ceiling division; site-specific constraints can change this.

    500m3
    Practical maximum single buffer tank size for modular screening

  • Allows estimating footprint from volume using simple geometry.

    1.5ratio
    Vertical tank height-to-diameter ratio

  • Tank footprint geometry.

    Market range Not applicable

    3.141593
    Mathematical constant

  • Avoids inline numeric literals in geometry formulas.

    Market range Not applicable

    4
    DSL helper constant

  • Used to estimate tank diameter from volume.

    Market range Not applicable

    0.333333
    DSL helper constant for cube-root exponent

  • Covers access, pipe racks, clearance, egress, and constructability margins.

    1.25ratio
    Plot space integration margin

  • Captures pumps/compressors, heat exchange, polishing vessels, metering/control cabinets footprint.

    120m2
    Reference skid area for pooling/polishing skids at reference capacity

  • Anchors CAPEX and area scaling at a mid-scale olefin pooling system.

    50t/h
    Reference capacity for scaling curves

  • Footprint scales sublinearly with capacity due to shared infrastructure and equipment scaling.

    0.7
    Area scaling exponent

  • Supports parallel train count estimation at screening stage.

    25t/h
    Maximum practical per-train throughput for modular polishing skids

  • Installed cost proxy for tanks + skids + instrumentation at pre-feasibility level.

    45000EUR/(t/h)
    Reference installed specific CAPEX at reference capacity (standard polishing)

  • Higher impurity control often requires larger polishing vessels, redundancy, and more instrumentation.

    65000EUR/(t/h)
    Reference installed specific CAPEX at reference capacity (high-spec polishing)

  • Represents economies of scale for process equipment and installation.

    0.65
    Installed CAPEX power-law exponent

  • Prevents unrealistically low specific costs when extrapolating to very large capacities.

    25000EUR/(t/h)
    Lower clamp for scaled specific CAPEX

  • Prevents unrealistically high specific costs when extrapolating to very small capacities.

    120000EUR/(t/h)
    Upper clamp for scaled specific CAPEX

  • Converts equipment purchase cost to installed/direct CAPEX for a packaged process unit.

    1.7ratio
    Installed-to-equipment factor

  • Captures routine maintenance, staff allocation, inspections, and overheads excluding electricity and variable consumables.

    0.04ratio
    Reference fixed O&M fraction of installed CAPEX

  • Allows slight reduction of O&M fraction at larger scale due to economies of scale.

    -0.05
    O&M fraction scaling exponent

  • Avoids underestimating fixed O&M at large scale.

    0.025ratio
    Lower clamp for O&M fraction

  • Avoids overestimating fixed O&M at small scales beyond plausible staffing needs.

    0.07ratio
    Upper clamp for O&M fraction

  • Represents average electrical auxiliaries without detailed hydraulics/heat-duty modeling.

    15kWh/t
    Specific auxiliary electricity for pumping/compression and temperature-control auxiliaries

  • Converts kWh to MWh for electricity cost calculations.

    Market range 1000

    1000kWh/MWh
    Unit conversion

  • Represents filters, sampling consumables, minor chemicals, and waste handling on a per-throughput basis.

    0.6EUR/t
    Variable consumables cost per tonne (standard polishing)

  • Higher sampling frequency and tighter spec control can increase consumables and disposal costs.

    1.2EUR/t
    Variable consumables cost per tonne (high-spec polishing)

  • Represents periodic replacement of guard bed media or adsorbent cartridges.

    2.5years
    Replacement interval for polishing media/adsorbent (standard)

  • Tighter spec and higher loading often shorten media life.

    2years
    Replacement interval for polishing media/adsorbent (high-spec)

  • Approximates media/catalyst/adsorbent cost relative to vessels/packaging for annualized replacement estimation.

    0.15ratio
    Replacement media cost as fraction of polishing equipment purchase cost

  • Provides subsystem CAPEX breakdown at screening level without double-counting.

    0.25ratio
    Equipment cost split fraction: tanks/pressure vessels

  • Represents guard beds/adsorbers, filters, and associated vessels/valving.

    0.35ratio
    Equipment cost split fraction: polishing section

  • Represents circulation/transfer pumping and possible boosting compression.

    0.15ratio
    Equipment cost split fraction: pumps/compressors

  • Represents temperature trim equipment (exchangers, electric heaters, small chillers).

    0.1ratio
    Equipment cost split fraction: heater/cooler / heat exchange

  • Represents flow meters, analysers, control valves, PLC/DCS cabinets, and instrumentation.

    0.15ratio
    Equipment cost split fraction: metering/control

  • Converts tonnes to kilograms for LHV and stoichiometric calculations.

    Market range 1000

    1000kg/t
    Unit conversion

  • Used to express implied cost per MWh-fuel consistent with e-fuels reporting.

    43MJ/kg
    Typical kerosene/jet fuel lower heating value

  • Converts MJ to MWh for energy-based levelization.

    Market range 3600

    3600MJ/MWh
    Unit conversion

  • Used only to translate pooled olefin output into an equivalent e-kerosene energy basis for EUR/MWh reporting.

    0.92t/t
    Indicative mass yield from olefin feed to kerosene-range product via oligomerisation + finishing

  • Provides contextual e-fuels stoichiometry (CO2 + 3H2 -> CH2 + 2H2O) for reporting consistency; not used in this asset's cost.

    0.43kg/kg
    Approximate stoichiometric hydrogen requirement per kg hydrocarbon (CH2 basis)

  • Provides contextual e-fuels stoichiometry consistent with common TEA reporting; not used in this asset's cost.

    3.15kg/kg
    Approximate stoichiometric CO2 requirement per kg hydrocarbon (CH2 basis)

  • Capacity factor below 0% is physically impossible.

    0%
    Input validity bound

  • Capacity factor above 100% is physically impossible.

    100%
    Input validity bound

  • Negative buffer hours are not meaningful.

    0h
    Input validity bound

  • Non-positive absolute pressure is physically impossible.

    0bar
    Input validity bound

  • Negative discount rates are disallowed in this screening calculator to avoid misinterpretation.

    0ratio
    Input validity bound

  • Lifetime must be at least 1 year for CRF to be defined.

    1years
    Input validity bound

  • Negative electricity prices are excluded for screening robustness.

    0EUR/MWh
    Input validity bound

  • Below this range, special materials/cryogenic design likely required; excluded for this screening scope.

    -50C
    Input validity bound

  • Above this range, thermal cracking/polymerization and metallurgy considerations dominate; excluded for screening scope.

    250C
    Input validity bound

  • Negative mass flow is physically impossible.

    0t/h
    Input validity bound