MOSCOW (MRC) -- ZapSibNeftekhim (ZSNKh, part of SIBUR Holding, Tobolsk), launched modernisation of the propane dehydrogenation unit (DPD) required for the production of propylene and further production of polypropylene, the company said.
The unit was commissioned in 2013 as part of the first polymer production facility in Tobolsk. Planned for 2021-2022 modernization of the DGP unit will increase its capacity by more than 8% - up to 561 thousand tons per year and will allow the enterprise to become even more environmentally friendly.
"We are modernizing the propane dehydrogenation plant in order to increase its productivity, reliability and operational efficiency. At present, the polymer capacity of the enterprise exceeds the volume of propylene produced at the DGP unit, therefore, we partially use imported raw materials. This project will allow the complex to increase the share of its own raw materials for the production of final product - polypropylene, - says Maxim Rogov, General Director of ZapSibNeftekhim. - The global olefin market is growing by 3-4% per year, and the expansion of the plant's capacity will help us expand our presence in the growing market for propylene products while reducing production costs. "
"The project for the modernization of the DGP unit includes 12 subprojects. Five of them are associated with the replacement of equipment, another seven - with the installation of additional technological units. The equipment is mainly of Russian production, approved by the licensor," emphasizes Ramil Ryabikov, director of the ZapSibNeftekhim monomer plant.
The project is being developed jointly with the licensed company UOP, Honeywell. Since 2011, most of the new dehydrogenation projects in the world have been based on its UOP C3 Oleflex technology. The specialists of the licensor's company have confirmed the possibility of a safe and effective increase in the capacity of the gas generator.
SIBUR is currently working on detailed design with the licensor. Construction and installation work is scheduled to begin in November this year. Direct connection of new equipment will take place in the spring-summer period of 2022, during scheduled preventive shutdown repairs, this process will not affect the supply of propylene and, accordingly, polypropylene.
In April of this year, ZapSibNeftekhim began the production of a new grade of PE-100 polyethylene. This brand is distinguished by increased resistance to the external environment and an unusual appearance of the granules - they are black. The new brand is used mainly for the production of large diameter pipes (LDP, up to 1000 mm), which are in high demand in the oil and gas industry, housing and communal services and other areas as an alternative to steel pipes.
According to MRC's ScanpPlast, SIBUR Tobolsk / ZapSibNeftekhim had kept the April level of capacity utilisation in May, the total production of polypropylene reached 76,900 tonnes (in late April - early May, the company carried out preventive maintenance works). In general, in the first five months of the year, the total volume of polypropylene production at the Tobolsk complex was 439,300 tonnes, which is 25% more than a year earlier.
ZapSibNeftekhim is SIBUR's largest project, the construction of which was completed in May 2019. After reaching its design capacity, it became the largest modern petrochemical complex in Russia. The project is a plant for the production of various grades of polyethylene (1.5 million tons) and polypropylene (500 thousand tons). The budget of the complex is USD8.8 billion.
SIBUR is the largest vertically integrated gas processing and petrochemical company in Russia, uniting a number of production sites in various regions of the Russian Federation. The company sells products to consumers in the fuel and energy complex, automotive, construction, consumer goods, chemical and other industries in more than 80 countries around the world.
MRC