In the 1980s, global ethylene and propylene demand was on the rise. Capacity was limited by frequent plant maintenance, and the average plant runlength was less than 2 years. In 1986, fouling control in ethylene distillation was forever changed with the 1st Generation Actrene. Over the last 30 years, Actrene has increased plant runlength to a record 8 years, saved $127MM in cleaning costs, reduced hazardous operations by 500,000 man hours, & increased ethylene producers profits by $3.9 billion.