Tianjin Bohai starts maintenance at PDH plant

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Tianjin Bohai has undertaken a planned shutdown at its propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant, as per Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that the company has started turnaround at the plant in end-December, 2019. The plant is likely to remain under maintenance for around six weeks.

Located in Tianjin, China, the PDH plant has a propylene capacity of 600,000 mt/year.

As MRC reported earlier, the company last shut this plant for an unscheduled turnaround from 1 to 11 November, 2019.

Propylene is the main feedstock for the production of polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,904,410 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments increased from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.

Tianjin Bohai is a state owned enterprise, with over 100 subsidiaries and 35,000 employees. It has joint venture relationships with a number of foreign partners, including: LG Chem, Solvay, Akzo Nobel, Clariant, Veolia, Air Liquide and Vopak.
MRC

Jiangsu Sabron starts maintenance at PS plant in China

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Jiangsu Sabron Petrochemical CO LTD, has shut its polystyrene (PS) plant for a turnaround, reported Apic-online.

A Polymerupdate source in China informed that, the company has started maintenance at the plant on January 4, 2020. The is likely to restart on January 18, 2020.

Located at Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu, China, the PS plant has a production capacity of 100,000 mt/year.

As MRC wrote previously, the company last conducted scheduled maintenance works at this plant from 12 to 24 June, 2019.

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated consumption of PS and styrene plastics totalled 458,770 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, which corresponds to the level of 2018. November estimated consumption of PS and styrene plastics rose by 2% year on year, totalling 49,210 tonnes. PS production remained in January-November 2019 the same as a year earlier. Russian producers manufactured 471,390 tonnes of material in the first eleven months of 2019.
MRC

Yokogawa releases Exaquantum R3.20 Plant Information Management System

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Yokogawa Electric Corporation announced the release of Exaquantum™ R3.20, an enhanced version of its plant information management system (PIMS) software package in the OpreX™ Asset Operations and Optimisation family, said the company.

Exaquantum supports the digital transformation initiatives of customers in the process industries by gathering large volumes of plant data and transforming it into usable, high-value business information. Exaquantum R3.20 comes with extended connectivity to OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) and enables more efficient and secure communication with business systems and data analysis tools to help achieve operational improvements.

To implement digital transformation journeys and drive improvement initiatives requires improved visibility into operations and the removal of information silos across an enterprise. In the process industries, this means plants are becoming more sophisticated with sensors and smart devices generating growing volumes of process data that needs to be accumulated, integrated, and structured for analysis and decision-making on plant information management systems (PIMS). Increasingly, this large volume of data is also required by other business systems and tools, so it needs to be efficiently exported from the PIMS in a standardized format. In some situations, process data is used not just by plant operators but also other functions across the organization such as management, research, logistics, and procurement, so the data must be usable in a PC environment that follows the corporate IT regulations. Extending the usability of standardized plant data to a wider audience opens up opportunities to more easily extract value from this information and break down any silos that may exist.

As it was written earlier, Yokogawa Electric Corp signed a strategic alliance framework agreement to accelerate collaboration with chemicals major SABIC. The agreement includes selection of Yokogawa as a preferred supplier of control systems. To date, Yokogawa has delivered integrated control systems in some SABIC plants such as a large 1m tonnes/year ethylene plant in Jubail.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,724,670 tonnes in the first ten months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market in January-October 2019 totalled 1,066,520 tonnes, up by 7% year on year. Supply of block copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymer) and homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) increased, demand for statistical copolymers (PP random copolymer) decreased.

Yokogawa established Yokogawa Saudi Arabia in 2006 and Yokogawa Service Saudi Arabia in 2007. Yokogawa engages in broad-ranging activities in the areas of measurement, control, and information. The industrial automation business provides vital products, services, and solutions to a diverse range of process industries including oil, chemicals, natural gas, power, iron and steel, and pulp and paper.

Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (Sabic) ranks among the world's top petrochemical companies. The company is among the worldпїЅs market leaders in the production of polyethylene, polypropylene and other advanced thermoplastics, glycols, methanol and fertilizers.
MRC

LyondellBasell grants 400 KTA Hostalen ACP License to Shandong Jinhai Chemical

MOSCOW (MRC) -- LyondellBasell, the world’s largest licensor of polyolefin technologies, announced that Shandong Jinhai Chemical Co., Ltd. will use the LyondellBasell Hostalen "Advanced Cascade Process" (Hostalen ACP) technology for a new facility, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.

The process technology will be used for a 400 KTA high density polyethylene (HDPE) facility to be built in Heze City, Shandong Province, P.R. China.

“Products from the Hostalen ACP process fits best the growing market need for applications requiring multi-modal HDPE resins,” said Neil Nadalin, Director of Licensing at LyondellBasell. Nadalin added: “This is our second license with Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group with a 200 KTA Spheripol polypropylene line already awarded in 2017. This new license confirms once again the trust investors and operators place in our leading polyolefin expertise.“

Mr.Ding Shu Bing, Vice President of Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group stated: “Selecting LyondellBasell’s Hostalen ACP technology for our project will enable us to produce on a reliable and economical basis high-quality, strong and long-lasting products such as PE pipes, film and many other applications enhancing peoples day to day live.“

With these new capacity additions, LyondellBasell has licensed over 8000 KTA of benchmark multi-modal HDPE resins.

The Hostalen ACP low-pressure slurry process technology manufactures high performance, multi-modal HDPE resins with an increased stiffness/toughness balance, impact resistance and high stress cracking resistance used in pressure pipe, film and blow molding applications.

The Shandong Jinhai HDPE plant will commence operations using Avant Z501 and Avant Z509 catalysts to produce a full range of multi-modal HDPE products.

New licensees can take advantage of LyondellBasell’s in-house expertise of continuous process, operating and product improvements by optionally joining our Technical Service program.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,724,670 tonnes in the first ten months of 2019, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. The estimated PP consumption in the Russian market in January-October 2019 totalled 1,066,520 tonnes, up by 7% year on year. Supply of block copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymer) and homopolymer of propylene (homopolymer PP) increased, demand for statistical copolymers (PP random copolymer) decreased.

LyondellBasell is one of the largest plastics, chemicals and refining companies in the world. Driven by its 13,000 employees around the globe, LyondellBasell produces materials and products that are key to advancing solutions to modern challenges like enhancing food safety through lightweight and flexible packaging, protecting the purity of water supplies through stronger and more versatile pipes, and improving the safety, comfort and fuel efficiency of many of the cars and trucks on the road. LyondellBasell sells products into approximately 100 countries and is the world's largest licensor of polyolefin technologies.
MRC

Wanhua plans second ethylene project at Yantai site

MOSCOW (MRC) -- Wanhua Chemical Group has disclosed plans for a second ethylene cracker project at its Yantai, China, site with local government officials, reported Chemweek.

The project will include a 1.2-million metric tons/year (MMt/y) ethylene unit; pyrolysis gasoline hydrogenation; aromatics extraction; and production facilities for butadiene, high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density (LDPE), PE plastomers and elastomers, polypropylene (PP), and other derivatives. Timing and other details were not disclosed. The second ethylene project will use naphtha and C4s as feedstock.

Wanhua's first ethylene project in Yantai is currently under construction. Wanhua said in its annual report published in July that construction on the phase-one project will be complete in 2020. The first project includes a 1 MMt/y ethylene unit as well as polyvinyl chloride and linear-low density PE. Wanhua is also building a propylene oxide/styrene monomer plant at Yantai.

As MRC wrote before, China’s top petrochemical maker Wanhua Chemical Group aims to increase LPG imports to about 5.5 million mt in 2020 from 4 million mt this year as it procures feedstock from diversified sources ahead of new projects in Yantai and widens trading activities in Asia.

A 1 million mt/year ethylene integration project - phase two of its petrochemical project in northeast Shandong province - will be the first ethylene cracker to use LPG as feedstock globally and is set for commercial production in the second half of 2020. Together with associated downstream units and a nearby feedstock storage rock cavern with a capacity of 1.2 million cubic meters, the project is costing around Yuan 20 billion.

Ethylene and propylene are feedstocks for producing polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP).

According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,904,410 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2019, up by 6% year on year. Shipments of all PE grades increased. PE shipments increased from both domestic producers and foreign suppliers. The PP consumption in the Russian market was 1,161,830 tonnes in January-November 2019, up by 7% year on year. Deliveries of all grades of propylene polymers increased, with the homopolymer PP segment accounting for the largest increase.
MRC