Slovnaft plant visit

Details of Ethylene Oxide, Ethyl benzene, Cumene and Phenol/Acetone Manufacturing complex

  • Background
    • Slovnaft
      • Refinery (output 5.5 – 6 million tons)
      • 80 % of fuels production is exported
      • Slovnaft entered into a strategic partnership with MOL Group (Hungary) in 2004
      • The core business of Slovnaft is the production and sales of petrochemical products
      • In particular Slovnaft produces a wide range of polyethylene and poplypropylene within the MOL Group, together with the TVK in Hungary
    • Present project
    • Concerns ethylene oxide, ethylbenzene, cumene and phenol units of Slovnaft
    • The options are:
      • rent out of the production unit and its operation
      • sale of the production unit and its operation
      • sale of the production unit and its dismantling for relocation or equipment resale
      • sale of the production unit for scraps
    • Options are for 1 to 4 units, or their combination
    • All combinations of units and options are possible
    • In cases of dismantling or demolition, demolition level of the terrain is 0.00 m
    • Ethylene oxide unit is the only one already shut down. The 3 other ones are still running
    • The shutdown of the 3 still operating units is planned for June 2011. One month is then necessary for cleaning and decommissioning
    • Reasons of the project
    • These units are no more considered as core business for Solvnaft
    • Too small units for Slovnaft, compared to European competition. For example present ethylene oxide plants have a capacity of 100-200 ktons/y at Shell, 250 kt/y in Saudi Arabia
    • Old units, higher operating and maintenance costs
    • Need of space for new investments of Solvnaft?
  • Ethylene oxide (EO) unit inspection
    • Date of start up: 1977
    • Capacity: 50 kt/y (35 kt of EO + 15 kt glycol)
    • Technology: Shell
    • Status: shut down on 30 September 2010
    • Last turn over: 3-4 years
    • Condition: good, well maintained
    • Upgrade: none, no capacity increase
    • Raw materials:
      • Ethylene: from the site, at market price
      • Oxygen: from external company
      • Silver catalyst from the market
    • End uses: mainly production of glycols; organic synthesis, washing products, ethanolamines, glycoethers
    • Accessibilty for dismantling: good, some steam pipes to remove
    • Remarks:
    • Was operated by 39 persons (5 shifts)
    • Mainly carbon steel (90 %)
    • Glycol unit is part of the EO unit
    • Silver catalyst has been removed and sold (!)
    • The office/control room building will not be demolished
  • Cumene unit inspection
    • Date of start up: 1973
    • Capacity: 60 kt/y
    • Technology: UOP
    • Status: still working, shutdown planned on 30 June 2011
    • Last turn over: 3-4 years
    • Condition: good, well maintained
    • Upgrade: none, no capacity increase
    • Raw materials:
    • Benzene: from the site, at market price
    • Propylene: from the site, at market price
    • End uses: production of phenol and acetone (same location on the site).
    • Accessibilty for dismantling: good
    • Remarks:
    • Some heat exchangers have brass pipes inside
    • Cumene is used on site for phenol production, not sold
    • Common control room with phenol and ethylbenzene units
    • This UOP phenol unit replaced in 1966 an old Soviet cumene unit, after a fire accident in the alkylation sector
    • 50 % of the catalyst has been replaced last year (27 tons) for 2 beds out of the 4 beds of the unit. The 2 other beds were shut down in prevision of the cumene unit shutdown planned in June 20011
  • Phenol/acetone unit inspection
    • Date of start up: 1966
    • Capacity: 35 kt/y
    • Technology: Soviet
    • Status: still working, shutdown planned on 30 June 2011
    • Last turn over: 2006-2007
    • Condition: good, well maintained
    • Upgrade: no, no capacity increase
    • Raw materials:
    • Cumene
    • Air
    • End uses:
      • Phenol end uses: polyamide fibers, phenol resins, polycarbonate, epoxy resins, herbicides, coloring agents, medicines.
      • Acetone end uses: varnish resins, medicines, chloroform, polymethylmetacrylates (PMMA, plexiglass), as strong solvent
    • Storage: 8 x 50 m³ tanks, 7 x 100 m³ tanks, 4 x 250 m³ tanks
    • Accessibilty for dismantling: good
    • Remarks:
    • Same site as cumene and ethylbenzene units (common benzene feed from the refinery)
    • Common control room with cumene and ethylbenzene units
    • 40-50 % stainless steel
    • Very good quality of produced phenol
    • Production of acetone in the same unit
    • Old compressors and pumps, but well maintained
    • Minimum 2 oxidation lines out of the 4 lines have to be in operation
    • Ethylbenzene unit inspection
      • Date of start up: 1966
      • Capacity: 42 kt/y (design capacity: 60 tons/y)
      • Technology: Soviet
      • Status: still working, shutdown planned on 30 June 2011
      • Last turn over: 3-4 years
      • Condition: good, well maintained
      • Upgrade: no, no capacity increase
      • Raw materials:
      • Ethylene: from the site, at market price
      • Benzene from the site, at market price
      • End uses: production of styrene used as monomer for polystyrene resins and copolymers
      • Accessibilty for dismantling: good
      • Remarks:
      • Same site as cumene and phenol units (common benzene feed from the refinery)
      • Only 2 of the 3 alkylation lines are usually running

 

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