Oman plans world-scale aromatics complex

By OGJ editors

HOUSTON, May 25 -- Government-owned Oman Oil Co. SAOC plans a world-scale aromatics complex at Sohar, Oman, and has awarded a technology license package to France's Axens for the processes. The complex is to be put into service on a fast-track basis, Axens said.

The complex, which will produce 210,000 tonnes/year of benzene and 810,000 tonnes/year of paraxylene, will be fed principally with naphtha from the Sohar refinery's residuum fluid catalytic cracking unit.

Axens will provide basic engineering for a suite of technologies as well as the integrated package, and Uhde GMBH of Germany will provide basic engineering for an aromatics extractive distillation process.