New reactor will boost capacity for Nova

07-Jul-14

The new 38 mtr reactor for Nova Chemical Corp.’s expanded polyethylene plant was lifted into place at the Joffre complex. The approximately 280-tonne piece of equipment is at the centre of a billion-dollar expansion of Nova’s polyethylene plant. It joins two existing reactors and is expected to boost total production capacity by 40 per cent — to approximately 2.5 billion pounds of linear low density polyethylene annually. The project, which started last spring, is expected to wrap up by mid-2016. The new polyethylene production line is being developed within the Joffre complex’s existing footprint, and the increased ethylene feedstock that will be required can be provided by the three ethylene plants already operating there.