- Email: [email protected]
Thai PX completes catalyst change
FOCUS
ON
C ATA LY S T S
Foster Wheeler obtains contract from ENOC
Topsoe selected for Saudi Arabian formaldehyde plant
ENOC Processing Co (EPCL) has granted Foster Wheeler a front-end engineering design contract to improve its condensate refinery in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, in UAE. The new complex will house a new 70,000 bbl/day/stream hydrotreater, a continuous catalytic reformer, and ancillary processing units. It will enable EPCL to upgrade its current naphtha product to a low-sulfur petrochemical naphtha product stream, provide a 102 RON reformate product stream, and operate the facility at full capacity using sour condensates. Other new products include butane, sulfur, and LPG.
Haldor Topsoe is to supply a licence, engineering, catalysts, equipment, and fully programmed control system for a formaldehyde plant for Saudi Formaldehyde Chemical Company Ltd (SFCCL) at Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The plant will be able to produce aqueous formaldehyde of up to 55% strength. Initial capacity will be 200 tonne/day (as 37% formaldehyde). The plant will be capable of upgrading to the Topsoe Formaldehyde SR Process. This would raise capacity to 400 tonne/day. SFCCL’s chemical complex at AlJubail already has three formaldehyde production lines based on Topsoe technology.
Petroleum Review, Feb 2005, 59 (697), 10 (The Institute of Petroleum, 61 New Cavendish St, London W1M 8AR, UK. Tel: +44 (0)207 467 7118/9. Fax: +44 (0)207 637 0086. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.petroleum.co.uk)
Chemical Market Reporter, 7 Feb 2005 (Website: http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com)
Thai PX completes catalyst change
Haldor Topsoe A/S’ pretreating catalyst is being employed by Singapore Refining Co Pte Ltd (SRC) at its first hydrocracker reactor. Haldor’s hydrocracking catalyst is also utilised on the first bed of SRC’s second hydrocracking reactor. SRC’s 16,000 bbl/day HCU-2 unit is a high pressure and high-conversion hydrocracker that runs in recycle mode to maximise the manufacture of middle distillates with an option for jet fuel.
At its paraxylene plant in Srirachi, Cholburi province, Thailand, Thai Paraxylene Co has completed a $5 M catalysts change project which will increase capacity from 289,000 to 348,000 tonne/y. In 2006, the company plans to invest $40 M to further increase capacity to about 407,000 tonne/y. Asian Chemical News, 21 Feb 2005, 11 (479), 7
SRC employs Topsoe’s pretreating catalysts
Hydrocarbon Processing, Feb 2005, 84 (2), 36
US holds back alpha-olefins plant progress in Iran The construction of Jam Petrochemical’s alpha-olefins plant in Assaluyeh, Iran, is being delayed by US sanctions. The plant is designed to use zirconium as a catalyst but US authorities have vetoed the technology supply agreements as the metal must be radioactive. The 200,000 tonne/y plant was scheduled to have started up in 2005. Work on a 115,000 tonne/y butadiene plant has also not started. The alpha-olefins plant is part of the tenth olefins complex at Assaluyeh. The complex is 80% complete and incorporates the world’s largest ethylene cracker with a capacity of 1.32 M tonne/y. European Chemical News, 14 Feb 2005, 82 (2134), 30
APRIL 2005
Toyo Engineering to build methanol unit for Oman Methanol Oman Methanol Co LLC (OMC) has commissioned Toyo Engineering Corp to provide a 3000 tonne/day methanol unit at the Sohar Industrial Port Area. The contract includes basic and detailed engineering as well as other technical services for the plant’s erection, construction, precommissioning, commissioning, and startup. The facility, which would be the first methanol plant in Oman, will employ the Low-Pressure Methanol Process of Johnson Matthey, along with Toyo’s proprietary MRF-Z reactor for methanol synthesis. Hydrocarbon Processing, Feb 2005, 84 (2), 34
Basell process for Saudi HDPE unit Basell SaudiAramco and Sumitomo Chemical Company have opted for Basell’s Hostalen technology for a 300,000 tonne/y HDPE plant that will form part of the new integrated refining and petrochemical complex to be erected in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia. Commissioning is set for late 2008. Separately, Basell has made its new family of Ziegler catalysts available worldwide. The catalysts are for use in gas phase PE technologies. The Avant Z 230 catalysts can produce the full range of narrow-molecularweight LLDPE, MDPE, and HDPE. Chemical Market Reporter, 7 Feb 2005 (Website: http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com)
Gas phase process for Russian PE plant Basell NV has licensed the newest type of its Spherilene PE process to Nizhnekamskneftekhim Inc of Russia to be used on a 230,000 tonne/y LLDPE and HDPE facility. This licence agreement is the first to be issued for the new generation Spherilene technology and the eighth licence overall signed by Basell in Russia. The licences represent a combined capacity of 1.4 M tonne/y of PE and PP. High Performance Plastics, Mar 2005, 6
NEW TECHNOLOGY Apatite catalyst used to synthesise n-butanol from ethanol Although in normal circumstances no activity is exhibited by hydroxyapatite, by manipulating the molar ratio of the constituent phosphorus and calcium, Sangi has succeeded in giving it high catalytic activity. The new catalyst has been utilised in the company’s new process for the synthesis of n-butanol, 1,3-butadiene, and high octane fuel from bioethanol. The process requires a relatively low temperature. The company anticipates being able to offer n-butanol at a significantly lower cost than that derived from petroleumbased processes. The technology offers a closed loop system with no waste or emissions. The new
5
ON
C ATA LY S T S
Foster Wheeler obtains contract from ENOC
Topsoe selected for Saudi Arabian formaldehyde plant
ENOC Processing Co (EPCL) has granted Foster Wheeler a front-end engineering design contract to improve its condensate refinery in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, Dubai, in UAE. The new complex will house a new 70,000 bbl/day/stream hydrotreater, a continuous catalytic reformer, and ancillary processing units. It will enable EPCL to upgrade its current naphtha product to a low-sulfur petrochemical naphtha product stream, provide a 102 RON reformate product stream, and operate the facility at full capacity using sour condensates. Other new products include butane, sulfur, and LPG.
Haldor Topsoe is to supply a licence, engineering, catalysts, equipment, and fully programmed control system for a formaldehyde plant for Saudi Formaldehyde Chemical Company Ltd (SFCCL) at Al-Jubail, Saudi Arabia. The plant will be able to produce aqueous formaldehyde of up to 55% strength. Initial capacity will be 200 tonne/day (as 37% formaldehyde). The plant will be capable of upgrading to the Topsoe Formaldehyde SR Process. This would raise capacity to 400 tonne/day. SFCCL’s chemical complex at AlJubail already has three formaldehyde production lines based on Topsoe technology.
Petroleum Review, Feb 2005, 59 (697), 10 (The Institute of Petroleum, 61 New Cavendish St, London W1M 8AR, UK. Tel: +44 (0)207 467 7118/9. Fax: +44 (0)207 637 0086. E-mail: [email protected]. Website: http://www.petroleum.co.uk)
Chemical Market Reporter, 7 Feb 2005 (Website: http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com)
Thai PX completes catalyst change
Haldor Topsoe A/S’ pretreating catalyst is being employed by Singapore Refining Co Pte Ltd (SRC) at its first hydrocracker reactor. Haldor’s hydrocracking catalyst is also utilised on the first bed of SRC’s second hydrocracking reactor. SRC’s 16,000 bbl/day HCU-2 unit is a high pressure and high-conversion hydrocracker that runs in recycle mode to maximise the manufacture of middle distillates with an option for jet fuel.
At its paraxylene plant in Srirachi, Cholburi province, Thailand, Thai Paraxylene Co has completed a $5 M catalysts change project which will increase capacity from 289,000 to 348,000 tonne/y. In 2006, the company plans to invest $40 M to further increase capacity to about 407,000 tonne/y. Asian Chemical News, 21 Feb 2005, 11 (479), 7
SRC employs Topsoe’s pretreating catalysts
Hydrocarbon Processing, Feb 2005, 84 (2), 36
US holds back alpha-olefins plant progress in Iran The construction of Jam Petrochemical’s alpha-olefins plant in Assaluyeh, Iran, is being delayed by US sanctions. The plant is designed to use zirconium as a catalyst but US authorities have vetoed the technology supply agreements as the metal must be radioactive. The 200,000 tonne/y plant was scheduled to have started up in 2005. Work on a 115,000 tonne/y butadiene plant has also not started. The alpha-olefins plant is part of the tenth olefins complex at Assaluyeh. The complex is 80% complete and incorporates the world’s largest ethylene cracker with a capacity of 1.32 M tonne/y. European Chemical News, 14 Feb 2005, 82 (2134), 30
APRIL 2005
Toyo Engineering to build methanol unit for Oman Methanol Oman Methanol Co LLC (OMC) has commissioned Toyo Engineering Corp to provide a 3000 tonne/day methanol unit at the Sohar Industrial Port Area. The contract includes basic and detailed engineering as well as other technical services for the plant’s erection, construction, precommissioning, commissioning, and startup. The facility, which would be the first methanol plant in Oman, will employ the Low-Pressure Methanol Process of Johnson Matthey, along with Toyo’s proprietary MRF-Z reactor for methanol synthesis. Hydrocarbon Processing, Feb 2005, 84 (2), 34
Basell process for Saudi HDPE unit Basell SaudiAramco and Sumitomo Chemical Company have opted for Basell’s Hostalen technology for a 300,000 tonne/y HDPE plant that will form part of the new integrated refining and petrochemical complex to be erected in Rabigh, Saudi Arabia. Commissioning is set for late 2008. Separately, Basell has made its new family of Ziegler catalysts available worldwide. The catalysts are for use in gas phase PE technologies. The Avant Z 230 catalysts can produce the full range of narrow-molecularweight LLDPE, MDPE, and HDPE. Chemical Market Reporter, 7 Feb 2005 (Website: http://www.chemicalmarketreporter.com)
Gas phase process for Russian PE plant Basell NV has licensed the newest type of its Spherilene PE process to Nizhnekamskneftekhim Inc of Russia to be used on a 230,000 tonne/y LLDPE and HDPE facility. This licence agreement is the first to be issued for the new generation Spherilene technology and the eighth licence overall signed by Basell in Russia. The licences represent a combined capacity of 1.4 M tonne/y of PE and PP. High Performance Plastics, Mar 2005, 6
NEW TECHNOLOGY Apatite catalyst used to synthesise n-butanol from ethanol Although in normal circumstances no activity is exhibited by hydroxyapatite, by manipulating the molar ratio of the constituent phosphorus and calcium, Sangi has succeeded in giving it high catalytic activity. The new catalyst has been utilised in the company’s new process for the synthesis of n-butanol, 1,3-butadiene, and high octane fuel from bioethanol. The process requires a relatively low temperature. The company anticipates being able to offer n-butanol at a significantly lower cost than that derived from petroleumbased processes. The technology offers a closed loop system with no waste or emissions. The new
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