Commissioning will be completed and commercial operation will begin this quarter in Port Arthur, Tex., at the world's largest single-train olefins plant.
BASF Corp., Mount Olive, NJ, and Atofina Petrochemicals Inc., Houston, formed BASF Fina Petrochemicals LLP in November 1998 to build and operate the new liquids (naphtha) cracker and related facilities. BASF holds a 60% share and Atofina a 40% share in this new partnership (OGJ, Aug. 3, 1998, p. 31). Atofina is a TotalFinaElf SA subsidiary.
The new steam cracker will be integrated with and built next to Atofina's 176,000-b/d refinery in Port Arthur (Fig. 1). It will convert naphtha and light hydrocarbons into mainly ethylene and propylene for BASF production plants in Freeport, Tex., and Geismar. La., along with other sites in North America. These materials are used in the manufacture of plastics, fibers, solvents, paints, and surfactants (OGJ, Sept. 20, 1999, p. 62).
The ethylene unit alone will be able to produce 2.1 billion lb/year (950,000 tonnes/year; tpy) of polymer-grade ethylene and 1.2 billion lb/year (540,000 tpy) of polymer-grade propylene.
With the olefins-conversion unit, the plant can produce 1.9 billion lb/year (860,000 tpy) of polymer-grade ethylene and 1.9 billion lb/year (860,000 tpy) of polymer-grade propylene.
OGJ reported in 1999 that the conversion unit will use ABB Lummus Olefins Conversion Technology to control production of propylene using metathesis reaction. The catalyst in the fixed-bed metathesis reactor promotes the reaction of ethylene and butene-2 to form propylene. Simultaneously, it encourages butene-1 to isomerize to butene-2, which is consumed in the metathesis reaction.
In addition to these units, others being built are a condensate splitter, FCC offgas pretreater, selective hydrogenation unit for the mixed C4s from the ethylene unit, benzene and toluene extraction unit, utilities and waste-treatment facilities, and a cogeneration facility.
Port Arthur facilities
The cracker is the first to be completed among a cluster of projects at the Port Arthur site.
As OGJ reported last year (OGJ Online, Nov. 3, 2000), also under construction near the Port Arthur refinery is a $225-million, integrated C4 olefins complex that will be operated by Sabina Petrochemicals LLC, a joint venture of Shell Chemical Co., Houston (60% and venture operator), BASF (24%), and Atofina Petrochemicals (16%).
In connection with the Sabina project, BASF Fina Petrochemicals is also building a $25 million olefins-conversion unit next to its naphtha steam cracker and Atofina Petrochemicals Inc.'s 176,000-b/d refinery in Port Arthur, Tex.
BASF will operate both plants; target completion for both is first half of 2003.
The Sabina plant is going in between the Atofina refinery and the BASF Fina Petrochemicals naphtha steam cracker.
Shell will supply about two-thirds of the feedstock for the Sabina plant, with the remaining third coming from the steam cracker.
The 900-million-lb/year butadiene extraction unit will be the world's largest and use BASF technology. The second plant will be a 662 million lb/year indirect alkylation unit using UOP LLC technology. Both are part of the Sabina project.
Feedstock will move by pipeline from Shell's Deer Park, Tex., refinery. Butadiene production will be used to make rubber and plastic products at plants in southeast Texas.
The alkylation unit will produce Sabinate, a high octane, low-sulfur-gasoline blending component.
ABB Lummus Global Inc. and Zachry Construction Corp. are providing engineering, procurement, and construction for the Sabina plant.
