Mexicos major grassroots effort: Ethylene XXI

project
The federal government, through Pemex Gas and Petroqumica Bsica, using the law that regulates
Mexican oil, decided to promote private investment to build a new major petrochemical complex called
Ethylene XXI.
One of Mexicos main goals is to efficiently develop its energy sector. This nation has put into place the
National Development Plan 20072012, which is focused on strengthening the exploration and production of
crude oil and natural gas; modernizing and expanding refining capacity; increasing storage capacity, supply
and transportation of energy products; and building a series of processing plants for natural gas and its
derivatives.
The federal government, through Pemex Gas and Petroqumica Bsica, using the law that regulates Mexican
oil, decided to promote private investment to build a new major petrochemical complex called Ethylene XXI.
The investment required to build this new modern complex is estimated at US$2.7 B. The project scope
includes building an ethylene cracker in Coatzacoalcos; Pemex Gas and Petroqumica Bsica will supply
ethane for the new cracker. The produced ethylene will be used to support derivative facilities to manufacture
polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and other derivatives.
The new project site is 192 hectares (ha); 60% will be used by the physical complex, 10% of the area will be
used during construction and then re-vegetated, with a further 30 ha set aside as a permanent conservation
area.

PROJECT SCOPE
Pemex used a public auction in which several companies were invited to participate as owner -operators for
Ethylene XXI. Mexicos Idesa Group and Brazils Braskem were selected as the companies to create the new
JV. Both companies presented the best proposal for the development of Ethylene XXI.

Aerial view of the construction site of

Ethylene XXI.
The new petrochemical complex will meet domestic demand for petrochemical products and replace imported
materials with high-quality petrochemicals at highly competitive prices. One goal for Ethylene XXI is to replace
40% of current PE imports. The project will also enable production of more value-added products by
monetizing ethane as a raw material for petrochemicals rather than consuming it as energy.
Startup of the new facility is forecast to begin during the second half of 2016. Part of the package offered by
Pemex was a long-term agreement to supply ethane for the next 20 years. The ethane supply will be an
addition to what Pemex already supplies to Pemex Petrochemical.

PROJECT MILESTONES
Ethylene XXI Project is over 54% complete. The goal is to be 75% complete by the end of 2014. Four new
processing plants should be operational by September 2016: three PE units and one ethylene cracker. The
project also includes electrical power for the facility, along with a control room,
laboratories, maintenancefacilities, administrative facilities, cafeterias, storage facilities, and an electric
substation with 22 towers.

Installation of one of the ethylene splitter

columns.
The civil contractors have a 95% completion rate on these ancillary facilities, and the mechanical assembly
phase is 80% complete. At present, the electromechanical phase is under way in which 80 km of wire and
tubing will be installed per week. Approximately, 14,600 employees are working on the site, and this
employment level will be maintained until April 2015. When complete, the facility will employ 440 permanent
full-time workers.

PROCESS
Out of the total 180 Mbpd of ethane that PEMEX produces in the Co atzacoalcos area, it only uses 88 Mbpd for
domestic petrochemical production. The remaining ethane is reinjected back into its gas production operations
or is sold as fuel. However, PEMEX will provide Ethylene XXI with 66 Mbpd of the ethane that was previo usly
sold as fuel for the production of ethylene and, ultimately, PE.

Workers prepare the separation column

for transport to the construction site.

PROCESS UNITS
The project includes the construction and operation of several process plants, including an ethane cracker,
with a nominal capacity of approximately one million tpy (MMtpy) of ethylene; two high -density PE (HDPE)
plants, with capacities of approximately 400 Mtpy and 350 Mtpy; and one low-density PE (LDPE) unit with a
capacity of approximately 300 Mtpy. The ethylene produced at the cracker will be used as raw material for the
three PE plants.
The facilities will be located in the municipality of Nanchital de Lzaro Crd enas del Rio, in the state of
Veracruz (southeast Mexico) near the PEMEX Cangrejera petrochemical complex. It is in close proximity to the
PEMEX Pajaritos Maritime Terminal, on the shore of the Gulf of Mexico, which is the main petrochemicalproducing region in Mexico.

TECHNOLOGY LICENSORS AND CONTRACTORS

The ethane cracker technology is licensed from Technip. The HDPE technology is from INEOS, one of the
largest chemical companies in the world; while the LDPE technology is licensed from LyondellBasell, the
worlds third-largest independent chemical company. Odebrecht-ICA Fluor are the contractors for the site
preparation and construction phases. The engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) will be conducted
by a JV venture between Technip and Odebrecht-ICA Fluor (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Process diagram of Ethylene XXI.

The ethylene is produced by the pyrolysis of ethane in direct-fired-heated furnaces. Polymer-graded ethylene
is separated from coproducts via a purification train, and is sent to the HDPE and LDPE units. For LDPE
operations, the ethylene is subjected to gas-phase, free-radical polymerization under high pressures, using a
tubular reactor. With the additions of peroxides and modifiers, up to 17 types of LDPE resins can be produced.
The HDPE process is a low-pressure, low-temperature reaction using continuous liquid-phase reactors.
Ethylene and comonomer, in the presence of an activator, produce the HDPE resin.

At the height of the construction activity,

nearly 15,000 workers were on site.

Unloading of the buried bullet system,

which will be used instead of spheres
as a safety precaution in storing
hydrocarbons.

INFRASTRUCTURE
Besides the construction of the major plants, the project also includes infrastructure installations, such as an
underground 3.7-km water pipeline to the PEMEX La Cangrejera water system located to the north of the
project site, and an underground 1.6-km ethylene pipeline from a distance less than 1 km from the site fence
line. As an alternate ethylene supply from the PEMEX facility to the PE units, an underground 1.6 -km pipeline
for natural gas will be supplied from PEMEX at a connecting pipeline located 1 km south of the project site; and
a 5-km electricity transmission line from the substation will furnish 400 MW. HP

Interview with Cleantho de Paiva Leite Filho, Director of Business and Development
and Communication of Braskem-Idesa
As part of the JV for Ethylene XXI, Hydrocarbon Processing discussed several key issues
with Braskem-Idesas Director of Business and Development and Communication,
Cleantho de Paiva Leite Filho.
HP: What are the advantages of the technology that Braskem chose for the
construction
of plants?
CPLF: The technologies chosen for the plants were Technip for the cracker, INEOS
Innovene S (slurry loop) for the two HDPE plants and LyondellBasells Lupotech-T
(tubular) for the LDPE plant. For the cracker, the main factors that contributed to the
selection were experience, energy balance, need to maximize ethylene production and the
cost of the total project. For the polymer plants (HDPE and LDPE), the main factors were
suitability of the products for the principle markets we will be selling, the experience of
the licensor in similar capacity plants and the total CAPEX and OPEX.
HP: Will Mexico stop importing PE with this new plant?
CPLF: No, because Mexicos PE demand in 2015 will be around 2.1 MMton. The other
local supplier only produces 0.65 MMtpy, and Braskem/Idesa will only produce 1 MMtpy. There will still be a need for imported materials to cover the gap. The market is
expected to continue growing by 2%/yr to 4%/yr. We will greatly reduce Mexicos
imports, but we will still have a deficit.
HP: Can you mention some details about the equipment installed inside the plants?
CPLF: We are installing more than 700 units of primary equipment, as well as several
hundred units of secondary equipment, for a total of 38,000 tons in the entire project.
Among these are the ethylene separation columns that measure 92 m in height and weigh

over 900 tons; and the 3 m in diameter water cooling network; the use of a buried bullet
system instead of spheres, which is a less dangerous option in the event of a fire, and,
finally, the onsite electric cogeneration plant that will produce 150 MW.
HP: What were some of the technical difficulties that had to be solved in the
different stages
of construction?
CPLF: The main difficulties in a megaproject of this size are the planning and
coordination. There are many parallel fronts in EPC, which are in progress all over the
world. This project involved companies in over 20 countries around the world.
Additionally, the onsite work involves civil, mechanical and electrical engineering
components simultaneously, with nearly 15,000 workers. Logistics include controlling
vehicular traffic; the flow of personnel and trucks; supplying food to feed all of the
workers; transportation to and from the work site; controlling access to the site; and
controlling the entry and exit of materials, tubing cranes, and more ....and all this while
maintaining an impressive safety record. The project has more than 50 million man hours
as of August 2014. This was a major coordination challenge. HP