First METEOR™ EO/EG Process Facility Starts Up in China
Sinopec-SABIC (Tianjin) Petrochemical Co., Ltd (SSTPC), a joint venture between Sinopec and SABIC, relies on METEOR™ (Most Effective Technology for Ethylene Oxide Reaction) Process from Dow to produce ethylene oxide (EO) / ethylene glycol (EG) at its 40 / 360 KTA Sinopec Tianjin branch complex. The Tianjin facility has the largest single EO reactor in China. Production at the site began in early February 2010. SSTPC is the first DOW METEOR Process facility in China.
“The large scale of the Tianjin project made it a demanding and complex undertaking,” said Joe Bromley, global business director for Dow EO/EG Licensing and Catalyst. “The project’s success is the result of seamless cooperation between Dow and Sinopec. Both teams worked relentlessly to ensure safe and on-time start-up, even as they faced the extreme weather conditions of the coldest winter on record in China in 60 years. Now, Tianjin can be a source of pride for Dow and Sinopec as one of the most technologically advanced EO/EG facilities in China.”
Commitment Key to Success
Xu Hongxing, president of SSTPC, commended the commitment of both companies and the sharing of expertise in bringing the Tianjin project to fruition.
“Guidance provided by Dow’s start-up team and the close work and planning between the two parties over the last four years created a strong foundation for this ‘win-win’ outcome,” he said. “We look forward to continuous cooperation with Dow.”
Streamline Progress Enhances Productivity
METEOR EO/EG Process, with its simple, single-reactor design and its unique EO catalyst, which combines both high activity and the highest selectivity in the industry, offers Tianjin the most efficient route to EO/EG production. Commercialized in 1994, the METEOR EO/EG Process allows manufacturers to produce ethylene oxide and ethylene glycol with fewer steps, less equipment and smaller plot size requirements than competitive technologies. The streamlined process has low capital cost and the METEOR technology, combined with the industry-leading catalyst performance, enables the most efficient utilization of raw materials and a substantial reduction in plant emissions.
Ethylene glycol (MEG), a derivative of ethylene oxide, is an important raw material for a broad variety of industrial and consumer applications. It is used in the manufacture of polyester (PET) resins, films and fibers, as well as in the production of antifreezes, coolants, aircraft anti-icer and runway deicers and solvents.
Read more about the advantages of the METEOR process from Dow at: www.dow.com/licensing/offer.