By the OGJ Online Staff
HOUSTON, June 21 -- Shell Chemical LP Thursday announced plans for a $400 million expansion of a lower olefins plant in Deer Park, Tex.
The company plans a major cracker debottlenecking project, adding 500,000 tonnes/year of ethylene capacity. When completed, the facility will be able to produce 1.3 million tonnes/year of ethylene.
The plans involve a lower olefins plant that was built in 1971 but shut down in 1981 due to overcapacity.
Shell said that in 1996, a partial refurbishing and startup of the fractionating facilities (cold side) of the plant was completed. The expansion project would refurbish those facilities and recondition all furnaces as well as mechanical and companion equipment. It would be fitted with electronic control systems and modern nitrogen oxide reduction technology.
Shell said the refurbishment, to come on stream in late 2003, would amount to 70% of the cost building a new plant.
A major part of the Deer Park output will feed a higher olefins and detergent development project at Geismar, La., and a butadiene joint venture at Port Arthur, Tex.
Shell is planning to connect these developments by pipelines with Deer Park.