ADNOC signs MoU with Linde to explore expansion of nitrogen facilities

MOSCOW (MRC) -- State-owned energy and petrochemical firm Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with The Linde Group to explore the expansion of nitrogen facilities at Ruwais in Abu Dhabi, UAE, said Chemicals-technology.

The MoU builds on the joint business development commitment by the two parties that led to the formation of the joint venture Adnoc Industrial Gases ten years ago. In the initial stage, Linde will conduct a front-end engineering and design (FEED) study for the new Air Separation Units, which are expected to meet the expanding nitrogen requirements of ADNOC’s gas processing, petrochemicals, and refining businesses.

Subsequent steps will follow as the two companies grow together to satisfy the growing demand for industrial gases from ADNOC’s downstream businesses. ADNOC Downstream director Al Hajri said: "In line with its 2030 smart growth strategy, ADNOC plans to expand and diversify its downstream refining and petrochemicals activities, while also optimising efficiency and costs.

"The Ruwais Air Separation Unit Project will be carried out in two phases, each with the capacity to produce 70,000m? per hour of nitrogen."

ADNOC Industrial Gases specialises in producing gaseous nitrogen, liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen for its sites in Abu Dhabi. It was formed in 2007 as a joint venture between ADNOC and Linde. ADNOC has a 51% interest in the JV, while Linde holds the remaining stake.

Initially, the company was named ‘Elixier’ and its first plant, called ELIXIER I, being commissioned in 2009. The company’s name was changed with the launch of ADNOC’s unified brand last month.
MRC

SK Advanced shut PDH plant for maintenance

MOSCOW (MRC) -- SK Advanced has taken off-stream its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant for a maintenance turnaround, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in South Korea informed that the company has commenced maintenance at the plant on November 20, 2017. The plant is expected to remain off-line for a period of around one month.

Located in Ulsan, South Korea, the plant has a propylene production capacity of 600,000 mt/year.

As MRC informed before, in May 2016, SK Advanced Co. began trial production of propylene at its completed PDH plant in Ulsan, South Korea. Commercial operations started in the second quarter of 2016.

SK Advanced, a joint venture of South Korea's largest LPG supplier SK Gas and Advanced Petrochemical Company (APC) of Saudi Arabia.
MRC

Covestro presents matte films for medical equipment

MOSCOW (MRC) -- At Compamed tradeshow, Covestro has exhibited the first blown Platilon films with a very high matte level, which was previously only obtainable with cast films, as per the company's press release.

They are well suited for wearable health patches, which have to remain on the skin of patients for extended periods.

Covestro exhibited a new line of Platilon films with very matte surfaces. The products were developed for a variety of medical applications, including wound care, surgical drapes and wearable health patches. They are the first blown films with a very high matte level, previously only obtainable with cast films. The new products enable a more efficient production yet support modern design.

Thanks to their matte surface, the films are pleasant to the touch. In contact with clothing, they feature lower friction than glossy films and are therefore longer-lasting. And in the operating room, the anti-reflection films prevent staff from being blinded by bright light.

Wearables have enormous market potential, although the technology still needs to clear a few hurdles. Small electronic patches, however, are in broader use in the health care sector. Consumers can use them to determine their level of physical fitness, measure body temperature and pulse rate, or evaluate the quality of their sleep. In the future, improved and even smarter products are expected to play a supporting role in medical diagnosis and treatment, and even deliver medications in accurate dosages.

For these applications, wearables have to remain on the skin of patients for extended periods and be comfortable to wear. "A clever combination of different materials results in products that cling gently to the skin and are also breathable and hypoallergenic," says Gerd Buschel, a films expert at Covestro. The patch is affixed to the skin by means of a skin-friendly, breathable adhesive, which also is solvent-free. "In addition to the new matte films, we also market customized polyurethane raw materials for the manufacture of the electronic plasters," says Gerd Buschel.

As MRC wrote earlier, in September 2017, German drugs and pesticides group Bayer further reduced its holding in Covestro to 31.5% from 40.9% by selling 19 million shares in the plastics business for a total of EUR1.2 billion (USD1.4 billion).

With 2016 sales of EUR 11.9 billion, Covestro (formerly Bayer MaterialScience) is among the world’s largest polymer companies. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, and electrical and electronics industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics, health and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employs approximately 15,600 people (calculated as full-time equivalents) at the end of 2016.
MRC

Air Products to develop SD3.5bn coal-to-syngas facility in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Air Products has signed an agreement with Yankuang Group to build a USD3.5bn coal-to-syngas production facility at Yulin City, Shaanxi Province, China, as per Chemicals-technology.

The agreement was signed under the presence of the US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the former’s visit to China. Air Products chairman, president and CEO Seifi Ghasemi said: "Air Products is delighted to announce this significant expansion of our already strong relationship with one of China’s largest energy companies. "This new agreement confirms Yankuang’s trust in us, built on the supply reliability we have delivered for their Phase 1 project."

Under the agreement, Air Products and Yankuang Group subsidiary Shaanxi Future Energy Group (SFEC) intend to form a new joint venture (JV) company. The JV will have the responsibility to build, own and operate an air separation, gasification and syngas clean-up system to supply the SFEC site.

The air separation units are capable of producing nearly 40,000tpd of oxygen and will support the production of around 2.5 million normal cubic metres of syngas an hour. "The air separation units are capable of producing nearly 40,000tpd of oxygen and will support the production of around 2.5 million normal cubic metres of syngas an hour."
SFEC would provide coal, steam and power as well as procure syngas under a long-term, onsite contract.

Yankuang Group chairman Li Xiyong said: "We look forward to further extending our excellent partnership with Air Products, leveraging their technology, reliability and expertise to enable us to produce even more high-quality fuel and chemical products that drive growth and support sustainable development."

The final agreements of the deal are scheduled to be signed soon, while the project is expected to start operating in 2021. Currently, Air Products supplies 12,000tpd of oxygen to SFEC’s Phase 1 project in Yulin.

After the addition, SFEC Phase 2 will produce nearly four million tonnes of liquid fuels and downstream chemicals annually.
MRC

Catcracker halted at Venezuela Cardon refinery

MOSCOW (MRC) — The catalytic cracker at Venezuela’s 310,000 bpd Cardon refinery has stopped due to faults, said Reuters.

Union leader Ivan Freites said he had seen an internal report by state oil company PDVSA showing the cracker was down since Nov. 14. "It’s been closed for several days," a worker at the refinery on Venezuela’s Paraguana peninsula confirmed.

PDVSA, which has long been suffering unplanned stoppages around its refinery network in the OPEC nation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Freites said Cardon was only producing 110,000 bpd, according to the PDVSA report he had seen.
MRC