Lower cost alternative to crude oil-based production of light olefins

13-Dec-05

As oil prices escalate, gas-to-olefins are estimated to play an important role in the future production of petrochemicals. A lower cost alternative to crude oil-based production of light olefins will be demonstrated by UOP LLC (a subsidiary of Honeywell) and Total Petrochemicals. The integration of the Total Petrochemicals/UOP Olefin Cracking Process with the UOP/HYDRO MTO Process provides a truly economical route for production of light olefins from methanol. The two have signed agreements to jointly develop a program to integrate technology aimed at increasing the production of light olefins. The UOP/HYDRO MTO process converts methanol to ethylene and propylene along with some heavier olefins. The Total Petrochemicals/UOP Olefin Cracking process converts these heavier olefins predominantly to propylene with some associated ethylene. With the integration of the two processes, Total Petrochemicals and UOP will demonstrate a very significant increase in the production of light olefins, particularly propylene. The program is projected to allow further optimization of the combined processes that Total Petrochemicals intends to apply to a commercial plant. As per the agreement, Total Petrochemicals will construct a demonstration plant at its petrochemicals complex in Feluy, Belgium, that will consist of a UOP/HYDRO methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process unit and a Total Petrochemicals/UOP Olefin Cracking process unit. The demonstration plant is expected to come on stream in 2007. The integrated plant will feed an existing, large-scale polymerization pilot plant. The basic engineering for the demonstration plant is complete and detailed engineering, procurement and construction activities are scheduled for the end of this year.