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?
- Slovnaft
- 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