09-11-2020

Oriental Energy selects Honeywell Technology to increase on-purpose propylene production

Honeywell today announced Oriental Energy Company Ltd. will use Honeywell UOP’s C3 Oleflex™ technology for propane dehydrogenation to meet growing demand for the production of polymer-grade propylene. The Oleflex unit is scheduled to start up in Maoming, Guangdong in 2022.

UOP will provide services, equipment, catalysts and adsorbents for the Maoming plant. The project marks Oriental Energy’s fourth C3 Oleflex unit, and the 44th award for C3 Oleflex technology in China, where demand continues to rise for propylene, the primary component in many plastic resins, films and fibers.

Since 2011, 68 of the last 92 dehydrogenation projects globally have been based on UOP technology, including many in China. Global production capacity of propylene from Oleflex technology currently stands at approximately 7.9 million metric tons per year.

“Longtime customers such as Oriental Energy continue to invest in UOP’s Oleflex technology because of its strong record for operational reliability and cost efficiency compared to other dehydrogenation technologies,” said Bryan Glover, vice president and general manager of UOP’s Process Technologies business. “We continue to see significant growth in China with the immense demand for propylene.”

UOP’s C3 Oleflex technology uses catalytic dehydrogenation to convert propane to propylene and is designed to have a lower cash cost of production and higher return on investment compared to competing dehydrogenation technologies. The Oleflex technology’s low-energy consumption, low-emissions and fully recyclable, platinum-alumina-based catalyst system also helps minimize impact on the environment. The independent reactor and regeneration design helps maximize operating flexibility and onstream reliability.

Nanjing-based Oriental Energy Company, Ltd. Is one of the first companies in China to adopt on-purpose propylene technology. It previously has licensed three C3 Oleflex units, each at 660,000 metric tons a year, two of which are in operation with a third going into production this year. In addition to these three, two more units are planned.