Williams selects UOP technology to produce propylene

The selection is the sixth win for Honeywell’s UOP Oleflex process technology in North America, as petrochemical producers move to produce propylene from propane found in natural gas.

“Demand for propylene has continued to grow globally, but supply has not kept pace because of production shifts within the petrochemical industry,” said Pete Piotrowski, senior vice president and general manager of Honeywell’s UOP Process Technology and Equipment business unit. “The UOP Oleflex process has lower greenhouse gas emissions, low water usage and a highly efficient, platinum-based catalyst system. UOP’s technology continues to be the superior choice for customers seeking to boost propylene production.”

Williams’ propane dehydrogenation (PDH) facility, to be located in Alberta, Canada, will convert propane recovered from oil sands off gas into polymer-grade propylene. The PDH facility will be the first in Canada and will have an annual capacity of approximately 1 billion pounds.

Williams is one of the leading energy infrastructure companies in North America. Headquartered in Tulsa, Okla., Williams specializes in gathering, processing and transporting natural gas, producing natural gas liquids and olefins for petrochemical feedstocks, and processing oil sands off gas. Operations are primarily located in the Pacific Northwest, Rocky Mountains, Gulf Coast and Eastern Seaboard regions, as well as in Canada.

Compared with competing processes, Honeywell’s UOP C3 Oleflex technology provides the lowest cash cost of production, the highest return on investment and the smallest environmental footprint. This superior performance is characterized by low capital cost, high propylene yields, low energy and water consumption, and use of a fully recyclable platinum alumina-based catalyst system.

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, four of which are in North America, for on-purpose isobutylene production.

Since the beginning of 2011, Honeywell’s UOP has announced 10 new C3 Oleflex process units and three new C4 Oleflex process units across China, Abu Dhabi and North America. It also announced China’s first combined C3/C4 Oleflex unit, which is expected to start up in 2014.

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. 

Honeywell