Ethylene — Polymer & Chemical Grade | Royal Global Energy
C₂H₄
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EthylenePolymer & chemical grade — C₂H₄

A colourless, highly reactive olefin produced by steam‑cracking naphtha, ethane and gasoil feedstocks across Turkmenistan and the Middle East — the single largest‑volume petrochemical building block in the world, supplied refrigerated to −104°C for seaborne and pipeline delivery.

It's the primary feedstock for polyethylene, ethylene oxide, ethylene glycol and vinyl chloride production, moved to market in cryogenic ethylene carriers and via dedicated pipeline grids.

Ethylene purity, % — axis 90–100
Polymer‑grade spec99.9%
Chemical‑grade, typ.95.0%

Polymer‑grade clears the near‑total purity floor polymerization catalysts demand — chemical‑grade runs with more tolerance for inerts.

Polymer‑Grade Chemical‑Grade C₂H₄ Steam Cracker Cryogenic −104°C Turkmenistan Middle East Polyethylene Feedstock Polymer‑Grade Chemical‑Grade C₂H₄ Steam Cracker Cryogenic −104°C Turkmenistan Middle East Polyethylene Feedstock
Grades

Polymer, chemical
or cracker grade

Royal Global Energy supplies ethylene in three commercial grades — polymer‑grade, chemical‑grade and cracker‑grade — each graded to its own purity, inert and trace‑contaminant limits, but drawn from the same steam‑cracker feedstock slate.

Purity is held to a near‑total floor for polymer‑grade cargoes, where catalyst‑poisoning trace contaminants like acetylene, sulfur and oxygenates are held to single‑digit parts‑per‑million, while chemical‑ and cracker‑grade streams carry more tolerance for inerts.

PGE

Polymer‑grade ethylene

Min. 99.9 mol% purity, for LDPE, HDPE and LLDPE polymerization catalysts that demand near‑total purity.

CGE

Chemical‑grade ethylene

Min. 95.0 mol% purity, for ethylene oxide, ethylbenzene and other non‑polymer chemical synthesis.

Cracker

Cracker‑grade ethylene

Typ. 90.0 mol% purity, for on‑site combustion, fuel blending and lower‑value derivative streams.

Ethylene purity by grade

Target fraction Spec limit
Polymer‑Grade Ethylene
99.9% Min
Chemical‑Grade Ethylene
95.0% Min
Cracker‑Grade Ethylene
90.0% Typ.
Total sulfur, polymer grade
2 ppm wt Max
Acetylene content
5 ppm vol Max
0 25 50 75 100

Purity and trace‑contaminant limits by grade, against a 0–100 index axis. Ethylene tested to ASTM D2504 (hydrogen / CO), D2505 (CO₂ / acetylene / C3+) and D6667 (total sulfur).

Reference

Trading specification

Property Limit
Ethylene purity99.9 mol% Min
Total sulfur2 ppm wt Max
Water content10 ppm vol Max
Acetylene5 ppm vol Max
Carbon monoxide2 ppm vol Max
Methane + ethane1,000 ppm vol Max
Cargo‑level trading specification, polymer‑grade basis. Grade‑specific limits for chemical‑grade ethylene follow below.
Application

Where it's used

Supplied as polymer‑grade, chemical‑grade and cracker‑grade ethylene, moving through three core demand channels as the world's highest‑volume petrochemical building block.

Polyethylene production

The largest single end use for ethylene — polymer‑grade cargoes feed LDPE, HDPE and LLDPE reactors for the plastics industry.

Ethylene oxide & glycol

Around 16% of global ethylene output goes into ethylene oxide, the feedstock for mono‑ethylene glycol, antifreeze and PET resin.

Vinyl chloride & derivatives

Feeds vinyl chloride monomer (PVC), styrene and alpha‑olefin production across the wider petrochemical derivative chain.

PGE CGE Cracker‑Grade Refrigerated Liquid
Facility & product

Our
operations

RGE steam cracker unit
Process
Steam Cracker Unit
Cryogenic ethylene carrier loading at export terminal
Export
Cryogenic Ethylene Carrier
Technical data

Full specifications

ComponentValueTest method
Ethylene purity≥ 99.9 mol%Calculation
Hydrogen≤ 10 ppm volASTM D‑2504
Carbon monoxide≤ 2 ppm volASTM D‑2504
Carbon dioxide≤ 5 ppm volASTM D‑2505
Total sulfur≤ 2 ppm wtASTM D‑6667
Methane + ethane≤ 1,000 ppm volASTM D‑2505
Acetylene≤ 5 ppm volASTM D‑2505
Total C3 & higher≤ 10 ppm volASTM D‑2505
Total combined nitrogen, as NH₃≤ 1 ppm wtASTM D‑4629
Water≤ 10 ppm volASTM D‑5454
Oxygen≤ 5 ppm volASTM D‑7607
Methanol & other oxygenates≤ 10 ppm volASTM D‑4815
ComponentValueTest method
Ethylene purity≥ 95.0 mol%Calculation
Hydrogen≤ 50 ppm volASTM D‑2504
Carbon monoxide≤ 10 ppm volASTM D‑2504
Carbon dioxide≤ 50 ppm volASTM D‑2505
Total sulfur≤ 10 ppm wtASTM D‑6667
Methane + ethane≤ 4.0% volASTM D‑2505
Acetylene≤ 20 ppm volASTM D‑2505
Total C3 & higher≤ 50 ppm volASTM D‑2505
Total combined nitrogen, as NH₃≤ 5 ppm wtASTM D‑4629
Water≤ 20 ppm volASTM D‑5454
Oxygen≤ 10 ppm volASTM D‑7607
Methanol & other oxygenates≤ 20 ppm volASTM D‑4815
Purity ranges for this grade are shown above, under Grades.
Storage

Storage & export loading

Ethylene ships as a refrigerated liquid at −104°C — from vacuum‑insulated cryogenic tanks at the terminal to purpose‑built ethylene carriers, a much smaller and more specialized fleet than the LPG trade.

Boil‑off gas is continuously recovered and re‑liquefied or used as fuel gas throughout the voyage, and every loading is metered and sampled at custody transfer to confirm purity on arrival.

3,000–15,000 m³
Carrier capacity (ethylene carrier)
10 Bar
Max design pressure, semi‑refrigerated
−104°C
Min design temperature
150–400 m³/hr
Typ. loading rate
ETHYLENE −104°C · CRYOGENIC cryogenic loading arm boil‑off gas return
Storage & vessel propertySpecification
Containment typeFully / semi‑refrigerated cryogenic tank, vacuum jacketed
Design pressureUp to 10 barg, semi‑refrigerated
Design temperature−104°C to +45°C
Material9% nickel steel / aluminum, cryogenic‑rated
Loading armCryogenic loading arm, vapour return line
MeteringMass flow / Coriolis, custody transfer
Safety systemsRelief valves, ESD, gas detection, boil‑off recovery
InsulationPerlite / polyurethane, vacuum‑jacketed piping
Cargo‑specific loading and storage parameters vary by terminal and vessel; full loadmaster data shared pre‑fixture.
Ethylene shipping

Transport &
classification

Shipping data for ethylene cargoes — polymer‑grade and chemical‑grade — moved under IMO gas carrier codes and IMDG/ADR regulations.

Refrigerated liquid ethylene is classified for maritime and overland transport as UN 1038, Ethylene, Refrigerated Liquid.

Class 2.1, Flammable Gas, carried in dedicated cryogenic gas carriers under the IGC Code. No packing group is assigned to gases.

Restricted to cryogenic tank transport under ADR/RID; road and rail movement permitted only in dedicated vacuum‑insulated tank vehicles and wagons.

Stored in vacuum‑insulated cryogenic tanks with continuous boil‑off gas monitoring, away from ignition sources per site HSE procedures.

Documentation

Download specifications

Full data sheets for each ethylene grade, ready to share with your engineering team.

Polymer‑Grade Ethylene
Specification sheet · PDF
 Chemical‑Grade Ethylene
Specification sheet · PDF
 Refrigerated Liquid Ethylene
Specification sheet · PDF

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