Chinese plant commissions propylene unit

Jan. 30, 2015
Sanyuan Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (SPCL), a subsidiary of Zhejiang Fuling Holding Group, has commissioned a 450,000-tonne/year propane dehydrogenation unit unit at its 600,000-tpy plant in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, China.

Sanyuan Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (SPCL), a subsidiary of Zhejiang Fuling Holding Group, has commissioned a 450,000-tonne/year propane dehydrogenation unit unit at its 600,000-tpy plant in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, China.

The unit, which uses UOP LLC’s C3 Oleflex process technology to produce propylene from propane via catalytic dehydration, is intended to boost supplies of on-purpose propylene to help meet rising Chinese demand, said UOP owner Honeywell International Inc.

China, whose current propylene consumption accounts for more than 15% of global demand and growing 5-6%/year, has ramped up investments into on-purpose propylene technology as supply from traditional propylene production—which occurs as refinery by-product—remains below market demand, Honeywell said.

SPCL initially tapped UOP to license its C3 Oleflex technology for the unit in 2011, which at the time, was due to start up in 2013, the service provider said in a Nov. 30, 2011, release.

Preliminary design and construction planning for the project began in late September 2011, while actual construction activities were due to begin in February 2012, according to a series of October 2011 releases from SPCL.

This is the second propylene production unit using UOP’s Oleflex process technology to be commissioned in China. The first unit, also with a 450,000-tpy production capacity, was confirmed entering operations late last year, Honeywell said in a Dec. 23, 2014, release.

UOP also has licensed an additional 12 planned units based on Oleflex technology Chinese operators, the company said.