Channelview, Texas

It is carried out in the Hquid phase at 100—130°C and catalyzed by a soluble molybdenum naphthenate catalyst, also in a series of reactors with interreactor coolers. The dehydration of a-phenylethanol to styrene takes place over an acidic catalyst at about 225°C. A commercial plant (50,51) was commissioned in Spain in 1973 by Halcon International in a joint venture with Enpetrol based on these reactions, in a process that became known as the Oxirane process, owned by Oxirane Corporation, a joint venture of ARCO and Halcon International. Oxirane Corporation merged into ARCO in 1980 and this process is now generally known as the ARCO process. It is used by ARCO at its Channelview, Texas, plant and in Japan and Korea in joint ventures with local companies. A similar process was developed by Shell (52—55) and commercialized in 1979 at its Moerdijk plant in the Netherlands. The Shell process uses a heterogeneous catalyst of titanium oxide on siHca support in the epoxidation step. Another plant by Shell is under constmction in Singapore (ca 1996). 

Figure 4-50. Catalyst slide valve. (Source Enpro Systems, Channelview, Texas.)...

Figure 1-11. Examples of air distributors. (Top courtesy of Enpro Systems, Inc.. Channelview, Texas bottom courtesy of VAL-VAMP, Incorporated. Houston. Texas.) Note These distributors are upside down for fabrication...

The Lyondell plant (ARCO Chemical Company) operates one of the first industrial scale chromate recovery systems in the U.S. The chromate recovery system is located in the ethylene plant of the Channelview, Texas, chemical complex. It was designed to treat a 1100 GPM cooling tower blowdown stream containing a 20-25 ppm chromate (CrO, ). A strongbase anion resin is used to selectively remove the chromate. This unit was placed in service in June, 1976. Information presented in this paper is based upon operating experiences. Economic considerations are also included. 

Standard Oil of California added the petrochemicals of Gulf Oil, purchased in 1984, to its subsidiary Chevron Chemical. Other United States petrochemical producers took advantage of special circumstances. Amoco was served by a strong terephthalic (TPA) base and its good performance in polypropylene Arco, by its Lyondell subsidiary in Channelview, Texas, and by its development of the Oxirane process through which propylene oxide could be produced by direct oxidation with styrene as a coproduct. The process also led to MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl ether), the antiknock agent used as a substitute for tetraethyl lead. 

Commercial plants Lyondell Petrochemical Co., Channelview, Texas, uses both the OCT technology and ethylene dimerization technology. Two other plants have used related technology. Two plants have recently started up a 690 MM Ib/yr unit for BASF Fina Petrochemical in Port Arthur, Texas and a 320 MM Ib/yr unit for Mitsui Petrochemical in Osaka, Japan. Six other plants are under design or construction, bringing... 

Hiis method, initially intended for the more selective production of propylene oxide, is commercialized by ARCO Chemical (formerly Oxirane an Atlantic Richfield Co subsidiary, and by Sheli The first industrial plant was built in 1973 by Montoro, a Joint venture of Oxirane and Empecrol, at Alcudia, Spain. This plant can now manufacture 100.0CX) t/year of styrene and 40,000 t/year of propylene oxide. Two other facilities based on this technology are also in operadoo, one at Channelview, Texas, and the second in Japan, owned jointly by Sumitomo and Showa Denka (Nippon Oxirane), capable of producing 455,000 and 225,000 t year of styrene respectively, as well as about 180,000 and 90.0001/ year of propylene oxide. Shell has also built production capacities of 330,000 and 12SJXX) tf year of these two products at its Moerdijk complex in the Netherlands. 

The latest industrial application of metathesis was developed by Phillips, who started up a plant in late 1985 at Channelview, Texas, on the Lyondell Petrochemical Complex, with a production capacity of 135,000 t/year of propylene from ethylene. This facility carries out the disproportionation of ethylene and 2-butenes, in the vapor phase, around 300 to 350°C, at about 0.5.106 Pa absolute, with a VHSV of 50 to 100 and a once-througb conversion of about 15 per cent. 2-butenes are themselves obtained by the dimerization of ethylene in a homogeneous phase, which may be followed by a hydroisomerization step to convert the 1-butene formed (see Sections 13.3.2. A and B). IFF is also developing a liquid phase process in this area. 

Allyl alcohol can be made by the isomerization of propylene oxide. ARCO Chemical has obtained an exclusive worldwide license from Kuraray in Osaka, Japan for their hydroformulation technology to produce 1,4-butanediol from allyl alcohol. In 1990, ARCO commissioned both the alcohol and the 1,4-butanediol process at their Channelview, Texas propylene oxide plant [91. 1,4-Butanediol is a versatile chemical intermediate that can be used to produce tetrahydrofuran, polybutylene teraphthalate resins, polyurethanes, and pyrrolidone. At this time only a relatively small quantity of propylene oxide is used for this purpose. However, it is growing... 

ARCO Chemical has commercialized a process in their Channelview, Texas propylene oxide complex to produce 1,4 butanediol from allyl alcohol. The technology is licensed from Kuraray of Japan. It fits well with ARCO... 

We can start one thread in 1955, when the Texas Butadiene and Chemical Corporation bought the LyondeU Country Club in Channelview, Texas, and built a plant on that site. Sinclair Petrochemicals then purchased the Channelview site in 1962. Atlantic Refining Company and Richfield Oil Corporation formed Atiantic Richfield (ARCO) in 1966, which merged in 1969 with Sinclair, so the Channelview... 

Channelview, Texas, US A city block-sized area was scorched and 17 were killed when an ARCO wastewater tank exploded. 

Different market conditions rendered attractive the use of the process in the reverse direction to produce polymerization grade propene from ethylene and but-2-ene. In this process, but-2-ene can be obtained directly from the C4 fraction of a naphthta cracker or by dimerization of ethylene. In 1985, the Lyondell Petrochemical Co. started to operate a plant at Channelview (Texas, U.S.A.), for the production of 135000 tons of propene per year. In this process, part of the ethylene formed by cracking units of ethane is dimerized to but-2-ene using a homogeneous nickel catalyst developed by Phillips. This but-2-ene reacts with the rest of ethylene, on the classical Phillips catalyst, to produce propene. 

Huntsman at Port Neches, XX, Sabina Petrochemicals at Port Arthur, IX, Equistar Chemical at Channelview, IX, and Texas Petrochemicals at Houston, IX, represent the largest producing plants of butadiene in the United States. Aiso Sheii Chemical has two production plants at Deer Park, XX, and Norco, LA, while ExxonMobil has two butadiene plants at Baton Rouge, LA, and Baytown, XX. Equistar Chemical has two additional plants at Chocolate Bayou, XX, and Corpus Christi, IX. Total US production capacity is about six billion pounds annuaily. 

In the United States, the large producers of styrene are Lyondell Chemical at Channelview, TX Cosmar at Carville, LA Chevron Philips Chemical at St. lames, LA Dow Chemical at Freeport, TX NOVA Chemicals at Bayport, TX Sterling Chemicals at Texas City, TX and INEOS at Texas City, TX. 

---