Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP will build the world’s largest on-purpose 1-hexene plant at its Cedar Bayou Chemical Complex in Baytown, Tex., using proprietary technology.
The plant will be able to produce 250,000 tonnes/year of comonomer-grade 1-hexene from ethylene for use in the production of polyethylene.
Chevron Phillips said it has reached agreements with S&B Engineers & Constructors Ltd. for engineering and construction of the plant, which is to start up in first-quarter 2014.
Chevron Phillips recently announced plans to expand capacity of its Sweeny NGL fractionator at Old Ocean, Tex., by 19% based on growing availability of gas liquids produced from shale plays in the region (OGJ Online, Mar. 26, 2012).
The company is studying the feasibility of building a 1.5 million tpy ethane cracker at Cedar Bayou and two related polyethylene plants with capacities of 500,000 tpy each at Cedar Bayou or Sweeny (OGJ Online, Mar. 29, 2011).
In December it said Shaw Energy & Chemicals is designing the ethane cracker.
