UOP LLC, a Honeywell company, announced it has been selected to provide technology to produce propylene in China.
Fujian Meide Petrochemical Co. Ltd. will use Honeywell’s UOP C3 Oleflex process technology to convert propane to propylene, a key ingredient in the production of materials such as films and packaging. It is the 12th Oleflex project Honeywell’s UOP has announced since the beginning of 2011, and the company’s second project with Fujian Meide.
“UOP’s Oleflex technology has been used extensively in China due to the region’s accelerated propylene demand,” said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of Honeywell’s UOP Process Technology and Equipment business unit.
“To date, UOP’s combined Oleflex projects will help increase propylene production by more than 5 million metric tons globally in the next three years. We are pleased UOP’s technology is at the forefront of helping meet demand for this vital resource, and we look forward to working with Fujian Meide on another project.”
China’s propylene consumption accounts for more than 15 percent of worldwide demand, and it is growing at about 5 to 6 percent per year, according to market projections.
In 2011, Honeywell’s UOP licensed its C3 Oleflex process technology to Fujian Meide to produce 660,000 metric tons of propylene annually. The new unit, expected to start up in 2015, will produce the same annual quantity.
In addition to technology licensing, Honeywell’s UOP will provide engineering design, catalysts, adsorbents, equipment, staff training and technical service for the project at Fujian Meide’s facility in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, China.
The UOP C3 Oleflex process uses propane dehydrogenation (PDH) to convert propane to propylene. Compared with competing PDH processes, Oleflex technology provides the lowest cash cost of production, the highest return on investment and the smallest environmental footprint. The superior performance of Honeywell’s UOP technology stems from its low capital costs, low energy use, high propylene yield and reliability, and maximum operating flexibility.
Since the Oleflex technology was commercialized in 1990, Honeywell’s UOP has commissioned nine C3 Oleflex units for on-purpose propylene production and six C4 Oleflex units for on-purpose isobutylene production.
Since 2011, Honeywell’s UOP has announced 11 new Oleflex units across China, Abu Dhabi and North America, including China’s first combined C3/C4 Oleflex unit and the first two C4 Oleflex units.
Fujian Meide Petrochemical Co. Ltd. is a fully owned subsidiary of China Packing Group Company Ltd., which is headquartered in Fuzhou City, Fujian Province, China.
UOP LLC, headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois, USA, is a leading international supplier and licensor of process technology, catalysts, adsorbents, process plants, and consulting services to the petroleum refining, petrochemical, and gas processing industries.
UOP is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Honeywell International Inc. and is part of Honeywell’s Performance Materials and Technologies strategic business group.
