Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
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ThyssenKrupp
A company
of ThyssenKrupp
Technologies
Uhde
1
2 Table of contents
Page
1. Company profile 3
3. Organic chemicals
3.1 Ethylene dichloride EDC, Vinyl chloride VCM 6
3.2 Ethylene oxide EO, Ethylene glycol MEG 8
3.3 Propylene oxide and other organic chemicals 10
4. Polymers
4.1 High-density polyethylene HDPE 12
4.2 Low-density polyethylene LDPE 14
4.3 Polypropylene PP 16
4.4 Suspension polyvinyl chloride PVC-S 18
4.5 Polyester PET 20
4.6 Polyamide and special polymers 22
Synthesis gas
Natural gas generation
Butanes
Reformate
Pyrolysis
gasoline
Aromatics
separation
Coke
oven
light oil
Coke plant
Coal
Electrolysis
Sodium
chloride
Crops (Starch)
Uhde can offer plants in a wide range of fields, such as: Organic chemicals
Organic chemicals
UIF
These technologies are supplied by
our subsidiary Uhde Inventa-Fischer
5
Polyethylene
Ethylene Ethylene oxide Ethylene glycol Mouldings,
films, fibres
Propylene Polypropylene
Hydrogen
Glucose Lactic acid Polylactide Fibres, films, bottles,
medical applications
Polymers
Polypropylene PolyamideUIF
Homopolymers PA 6, 6.6, 11, 12 and
Copolymers copolyamide for textile applications
Polyethylene and engineering plastics
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) Polylactide (PLA)UIF
Medium-density polyethylene (MDPE)
Others
Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
Styrenic plastics
Linear polyethylene (LLDPE)
(ABS, EPS, GPPS/HIPS)
Polyvinyl chloride Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)
PVC-S Urea-formaldehyde resinsUIF
PolyesterUIF Engineering plastics
PET, PBT, PEN, PTT and copolyester
for textile, bottle and film grade
UIF
These technologies are supplied by
our subsidiary Uhde Inventa-Fischer
6 3.1 Ethylene dichloride EDC
Vinyl chloride VCM
We provide technologies with
economic and environmental benefits
Vinyl chloride, its precursor ethylene dichloride, It includes the entire process chain from the
and also polyvinyl chloride, the main end prod- chlor-alkali electrolysis and the EDC/VCM plants
uct, rank amongst the worlds largest money- to the PVC plant. The annual capacities of the
spinners. 35-50 million tonnes of each product individual plants within the framework of this
are produced around the world each year. And, project will combine to form one of the world's
although people have been saying for decades largest PVC complexes.
that chlorine chemicals are on their way out,
production continues to grow by 3-4 % per year. Our extensive experience in the design, con-
This is due on the one hand to the versatility of struction and commissioning of such plants and
PVC, and on the other, to the considerable im- our intensive development of individual process
provements which the processes have undergone steps and equipment are borne out by the above
in the last years with regard to environmental successes. Our joint research and development
and safety issues. projects with Vinnolit ensure that we supply
competitive, environment-friendly processes
Uhde is the exclusive contractor for Vinnolit tech- which produce high-quality products.
nology. Vinnolit has been producing EDC, VCM
and PVC for over 60 years and is one of the 10 The latest joint development is the new boiling
largest PVC producers in the world. Since 1963 reactor technology for the direct chlorination of
we have used Vinnolit know-how to design new ethylene. This new technology provides an
plants for our customers and optimise existing energy-efficient technology for the production of
ones. The overall annual capacity of all these furnace feed and sales EDC from chlorine and
plants has reached more than 10 million tonnes ethylene without the need for a distillation step.
of EDC and more than 5.5 million tonnes of VCM. In combination with a special catalyst, by-prod-
uct formation is significantly minimised. The first
Uhde has engineered and constructed several production-scale plant (capacity 250,000 t/year
large vinyl complexes with integrated chlor-alkali of EDC) is operating successfully at Limburgse
electrolysis plants. A new huge vinyl complex Vinyl Maatschappij NV (LVM), Tessenderlo,
is being built by Uhde on the Persian Gulf. Belgium.
Ethylene
EDC recycle EDC liquid + gaseous
distillation chlorination by-products
HCl
EDC
Oxygen by-product
Oxychlorination recovery
HCl
7
Ethylene oxide (EO) is one of the chemical Besides low feedstock prices and large capaci-
industrys most versatile products. Its various ties, the application of best available technology
derivates ethylene glycols, glycol ether, is of key importance. Shell is one of the leading
ethoxylates and ethanolamines are used in EO/MEG manufacturers and licensors as well as
the production of plastics, and in the manufac- the leading supplier of EO catalysts. The quality
ture of solvents, brake fluids, cosmetics, pro- of the glycol produced by the Shell process
pellants, antifreeze etc. An emerging application ranks among the highest in the world and meets
is the manufacture of 1,3-propanediol. the most stringent specifications for polyester
fibre-grade and bottle-grade PET. Furthermore,
In the next few years the ethylene oxide market the Shell process is known for its high safety
is estimated to grow by more than 5% per year. standards and its low environmental impacts.
Mono ethylene glycol is the most important
derivative of ethylene oxide. Its growth is driven For the engineering and construction of EO/MEG
by an increasing demand for polyester, both plants, Uhde uses Shell's outstanding EO/MEG
bottle-grade and fibre-grade. technology and provides plant concepts which
permit economical production. Uhde is one of
Shells authorised basic engineering contractors.
Current project capacities range from 100,000
t/year to 600,000 t/year. At the moment a
360,000 t/year MEG is being constructed at
Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China.
Ethylene
Oxygen CO2
CO2
removal
EO
reaction
EO
recovery
Light ends
removal & High-purity EO
EO purification
MEG
EG EG EG
reaction dewatering purification DEG
TEG
Water
MEG = mono ethylene glycol, DEG = di ethylene glycol, TEG = tri ethylene glycol
9
Propylene recycle
PO
purification PO
Propylene
Reaction Decompressing/
Hydrogen unit Propylene recycling
peroxide
Methanol
processing
Methanol recycle
Waste water
11
Uhdes experience in the design of HDPE plants In the past, Uhde engineers have continually
stretches as far back as the 1950s. The first confirmed their expertise in this area by work-
plant was constructed in 1959, and by 2005 ing with the licensor to incorporate the latest
Uhde had already carried out the engineering technological innovations in HDPE technology
for more than 30 plants around the world into their plants. Their scope of services covers
based on the Hostalen process. The overall every aspect of plant design, from basic
capacity of all the plants constructed amounts engineering to detail engineering. And whilst
to more than 4 million tonnes per year. Additional the first plant designed by Uhde had a capacity
plants with a capacity of 3 million tonnes per of only 6,000 tonnes per year, todays plants
year are under construction. now achieve capacities of 400,000 tonnes per
year.
The HD Hostalen slurry process, originally
developed by Hoechst AG, is now marketed The list of polyolefin plants designed by Uhde
by LyondellBasell, the largest manufacturer in the last few years is impressive and includes
of polyethylene in Europe. some of the world's largest HDPE plants:
2 HDPE plants, each 300,000 t/year,
HDPE products are mainly used in film, pipes, commissioning 2006
blow moulding applications, injection moulding 300,000 t/year MD/HDPE plant,
applications, tapes and fibres. And it is here commissioning 2006
that bimodal products used primarily in the 300,000 t/year HDPE plant,
manufacture of high-quality pipes and films commissioning 2007
are particularly worthy of mention. 220,000 t/year HDPE plant,
commissioning 2008
Uhde has taken on a large part of the EPCC
services (engineering, procurement, construc-
tion and commissioning) for these contracts
up to and including the turnkey supply of the
plants.
Decanter Pellet
centrifuge homogeniser
Polymeri-
Catalyst sation
compounds reactor Receiver
Hexane
Stabilisers
Dryer
Hydrogen
Hexane
Ethylene +
Extruder
Comonomers
13
Uhde has been actively involved in the con- Uhde's expertise in working pressures in excess
struction of low-density polyethylene plants of 3,000 bar is proof not just of an excellent
since these polymers were first produced on a process knowledge, but also of exceptional
commercial scale. The design work carried out structural know-how. Moreover, the expertise of
by Uhde's engineers in this field provides proof our design engineers is ideally enhanced by the
of their many years of experience. expertise of our own high-pressure manufac-
turing facilities at our subsidiary Uhde High
In the field of LDPE, Uhde works particularly Pressure Technologies.
closely with LyondellBasell, Europe's largest
manufacturer of polyethylene with an annual The engineering and construction services
capacity of more than 2.5 million tonnes. To provided by Uhde include all process steps in-
date, Uhde has designed LDPE plants which herent in a plant, beginning with the extremely
are capable of an overall annual capacity of sensitive reactor system and extending to the
approx. 1.5 million tonnes. extrusion, drying, storing and packing units.
Uhde has been highly successful with its LDPE The polyethylene obtained in the high-pressure
plants in China. In 2005 not only the world's process is predominantly used in the manufac-
largest has been commissioned, which has a ture of films, but is also used for cable sheaths,
capacity of 400,000 t/year of LDPE, but we blow and injection-moulded parts and pipes.
also completed the basic engineering for a
250,000 tonne-per-year plant for Maoming.
HP separator
Ethylene
LP
Precompressor separator
Final
compressor
Moderator
Initiator
15
Polypropylene (PP), first produced commercially of polypropylene and novel polyolefins. In 2005
in the 1950s, is one of the fastest growing com- Uhde signed a contract for the basic engineer-
modity thermoplastics. It is commonly used in ing of China's biggest single-line polypropylene
the production of films, fibres and yarns, house- plant at Tianjin Petrochemical Company which
hold goods, food packaging, bottles, crates, comes on-stream in 2009. The plant is based on
containers and car parts. Most of the propylene LyondellBasells Spherizone process. It has a
produced in the world is used for PP manufac- capacity of 450,000 t/year.
ture.
By combining LyondellBasells PP technology
Today's polypropylene production technology is with Uhde's STAR process for the dehydro-
the result of 40 years of continual development. genation of propane (PDH) to propylene, the
Uhde started building its first PP plants in the production costs for polypropylene can be
60s, but the main technological progress was significantly decreased, because cheap propane
not achieved until the 80s when important new feedstock from natural gas liquids (NGL) or
catalysts were introduced and reactor design associated gas can be used.
was optimised. Since then, Uhde has con-
structed plants which produce more than 2.2 This process route is becoming more and
million tonnes per year of PP and has managed more important because there is no equivalent
to increase plant capacity considerably from capacity increase in propylene production from
project to project. conventional sources (i.e. steam crackers and
refineries) to meet the increasing demand for
Uhde collaborated with Basell in this area for propylene. A propylene demand/supply gap has
many years. In 2007 Lyondell and Basell joined been forecasted for the future, leading the way
forces combining two major industry players toward wide application of propylene on-purpose
to create a new global leader. Since then, we technologies like PDH.
have worked with LyondellBasell on a number
of projects. LyondellBasell's Spheripol process Uhde can supply tailor-made solutions for the
is the worldwide leading technology for PP propane - propylene - PP process chain.
production, and its Spherizone process is THE Common utility units (e.g. steam generation
new breakthrough process using a multizone unit, refrigeration unit, cooling tower etc.) can
circulating reactor for the production of all types thus be used, further increasing the feasibility
of such projects.
LyondellBasell's Spheripol process for
the production of polypropylene homo- Bulk polymerisation Gas phase copolymerisation Steaming Drying
polymers plus random and heterophasic
copolymers
Propylene
recycle
Catalyst +
cocatalysts
Hydrogen
Propylene
PP powder
The most widely used process in the manufac- veloped a special cyclone dryer, which has been
ture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) involves suspen- licensed via Uhde to many PVC producers world-
sion polymerisation. The homopolymers pro- wide.
duced are commonly used in pipes and cables
manufactured using extrusion and moulding The successful execution of numerous projects
applications. Another extremely widespread use can be ascribed to the close partnership between
of PVC-S is the manufacture of sections for win- Vinnolit, as the licensor, and Uhde. Based on
dow frames. In addition, PVC-S is also used in this cooperation Uhde has gained a significant
the production of transparent films and in the competitive edge: Uhde is the only engineering
manufacture of injection-moulded parts. company able to provide customers, from a
single source, with the entire process chain for
Uhdes experience in the design, engineering a PVC complex, from chlorine manufacture to
and construction of PVC plants goes as far EDC/VCM and PVC production.
back as the 1960s. In designing plants for
PVC-S, Uhde works exclusively with Vinnolit, The world's largest integrated single-train PVC
one of the 10 largest PVC manufacturers in the complex, which includes the complete process
world. Overall, the worldwide capacity of plants chain as described, is being built by Uhde on the
based on the Vinnolit PVC-S process is about Persian Gulf for ARVAND Petrochemical Co. The
1.8 million tonnes per year. polymerisation section of this complex is equipped
with 150 m3 high-performance reactors.
The Vinnolit PVC-S process uses a high-perform-
ance polymerisation reactor, which is available As in all other cases, our cooperation with
in sizes up to 175 m3 and achieves an annual Vinnolit is not just aimed at marketing the tech-
productivity of up to 600 t of PVC per m3 of nology, but also at continuously developing the
reactor volume. Vinnolit's technology does not process. Joint development projects comple-
require chilled water and can be operated with- ment the experience gained in production,
out or in combination with a reflux condenser. research and licensing procedures. Together,
For drying the wet PVC cake Vinnolit has de- they form a stable basis for continuous opti-
misation of the process.
Off-air
Cooling water
Cyclone drying
VCM system
Activator
Demin. water
Centrifuge
Dispersing agent
Cooling water
Slurry
PVC
powder to silo
Air
Highly efficient production plants are of major ESPREE tower reactor which combines the
importance in covering the increasing world esterification and prepolycondensation stages
demand for high-quality plastic products and in a single vessel and the proprietary DISCAGE
synthetic fibers. As a plant construction con- reactor a shaftless basket/disk-type reactor
tractor and special supplier, Uhde can offer which operates extremely efficiently and ensures
numerous first-class proprietary processes for optimum postcondensation despite high viscos-
the production of polyesters (PET/PBT/PEN/PTT) ity. Uhde Inventa-Fischer can offer a number of
and polyamides (PA 6/PA 6.6) via its subsidiary different DISCAGE reactor types. These cover a
Uhde Inventa-Fischer, the leading technology broad spectrum of polyester applications for
supplier for these polymers. In total, Uhde various final viscosities.
Inventa-Fischer has built more than 400 poly-
ester and polyamide 6 plants worldwide and The high molecular polyester product from the
ideally enhances Uhdes technology portfolio. DISCAGE reactor is transferred directly to:
direct spinning machines (textile-grade
Polyesters are the feedstock basis for a wide and technical-grade applications) or
variety of plastic products, such as fibres and film and sheet casting machines
film as well as bottles and other mouldings. (film applications, Melt-To-Film MTF)
Polyester plants based on a continuous poly- or it is discharged to the extrusion heads and
condensation process once required up to five converted into chips (pellets).
reactors, but Uhde Inventa-Fischer has suc-
ceeded in reducing this number to just two The latest big step in the polyester technology
through technological innovations. is Melt-To-Resin MTR Technology which com-
pletely replaces the conventional solid stating
At the same time, the production capacity of (SSP) process. Meanwhile, the technology is
polyester plants has been increased over the in operation in high capacity plants. It is based
years. Today, Uhde Inventa-Fischer is able to upon the well-proven 2-Reactor technology.
provide most competitive, high-capacity plants. Direct production of high-viscosity polyester
melt allows generation of bottle grade resin,
The two key technological features of the new sheet for containers, technical yarns and tyre
highly economical two-reactor single-stream cord in a one-step polycondensation process,
technology (2R technology) are the proprietary thus saving more than 30% of conversion costs
and adding to chips quality.
ESPREE
ADD
PTA DISCAGE
reactor
PIA
EG
Chips storage
Chip
production
Conditioning
Chip bagging
21
Extract Water
Regeneration
23
Polylactic acid
Raw materials and products
OP 450e
PDF 23.4.2009