MOSCOW (MRC) -- Global engineering firm KBR announced it has been awarded a dual-pressure nitric acid technology contract by Hanwha Corporation for its new plant at Yeosu, South Korea, said the company.
Under the terms of the contract, KBR will provide license, basic engineering design and technical support to Hanwha for a 1,200 tonne/day dual-pressure nitric acid plant. Nitric acid is an intermediate chemical used to produce various products including fertilizers, plastics and dyes.
"KBR is proud to be selected by Hanwha to deliver our leading dual-pressure nitric acid technology that offers tangible CAPEX and OPEX benefits, including reduced net energy consumption through efficient energy recovery," said Doug Kelly, KBR president, Technology.
"This contract highlights KBR's continued commitment to bringing energy-efficient sustainable technologies to the industry."
As MRC reported earlier, in July 2021, KBR was awarded technology licensing contracts by PKN Orlen for KBR's leading Solvent Deasphalting (SDA) and Residue Fluid Catalytic Cracking (RFCC) technologies as part of PKN's Bottom-of-the-Barrel project for its Plock Refinery in Poland.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,396,960 tonnes in January-July 2021, up by 7% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 841,990 tonnes in the first seven months of 2021, up by 29% year on year. Supply of propylene homopolymers (homopolymer PP) and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of statistical copolymers of propylene (PP random copolymers) subsided.
Since 1954, KBR said it has licensed 76 grassroot nitric acid plants globally.