Sinopec Zhenhai launches ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol plant with METEOR™ EO/EG process

Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (ZRCC) has launched a new ethylene oxide/ethylene glycol (EO/EG) plant in China utilizing the revolutionary METEOR™ EO/EG process. Licensed through The Dow Chemical Company, the Most Effective Technology for Ethylene Oxide Reaction (METEOR) process integrates process simplicity, inherent safety and superior catalyst technology into a single reactor design. The ZRCC Plant, which first started up in April 2010, is the second plant in China to utilize the METEOR process. The first, operated by Sinopec-SABIC (Tianjin) Petrochemical Co. (SSTPC), began production in February 2010. Together, these METEOR plants attain significant reductions in feedstock consumption and greenhouse gas emissions when compared to industry averages. Based on 2010 figures to date, these METEOR plants are anticipated to curb feedstock consumption and greenhouse gas emissions over the course of a calendar year as follows: o Ethylene feedstock reduced approximately 50,000 metric tpa o Oxygen feedstock reduced approximately 165,000 metric tpa o Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions reduced approximately 150,000 metric tpa "Having two METEOR EO/EG plant start-ups in China within such a short timeframe has been a tremendous accomplishment," said Hugo Gonzalez, global commercial manager for Dow Technology Licensing. "The ZRCC project required incredible coordination from the companies involved, which were working under great pressure to meet challenging deadlines for both plants. This demonstrates our team's excellence in technology transfer and project execution, as well as the ease of implementation that METEOR provides." The ZRCC plant located in Ningbo, in China's Zhejiang province, is the first METEOR™ dual-reactor plant ever built. With a capacity of 650 kta of ethylene glycol (EG) and 100 kta of pure ethylene oxide (EO), the plant has been operating with excellent reliability since its initial start-up in April. The plant surpassed all performance requirements in July after 30 days of continuous operations - further confirming the ease of operation and reliability that comes with METEOR. "The seamless technology transfer, cooperation and teamwork between Dow and ZRCC have been very successful, allowing a safe and smooth start-up and operation of the METEOR EO/EG plant," said Mr. Zhang Yuming, Vice President of ZRCC. "We look forward to a continued long-term relationship between the two companies." Aker Solutions assisted on the preparation and expansion of the process design package, while SINOPEC Shanghai Engineering Co. Ltd. (SSEC) completed the detailed engineering for the facility.