SOCAR’s Azerikimya talks on petrochemical production’s modernization

By  Trend

Azerikimya Production Union of Azerbaijan’s state oil company SOCAR will build a number of new units by 2020, Fazail Yusifov, deputy head of Modernization and Reconstruction Department of Azerikimya, said.

He made the remarks at the fourth international conference in Baku titled "Oil refining and petrochemistry of the Caspian Sea and Central Asia" on November 29.

He said that construction of new units started last year and will cover the period until the end of 2019.

"Four new steam pyrolysis furnaces and a pressure swing absorption (PSA) hydrogen treatment unit will be built within the framework of the petrochemical production’s modernization project, and this will make it possible to bring purification of the hydrogen fraction to 99.9 percent," he said. "It is also planned to build a new hydrogen electrolysis unit, a new propane-propylene fraction (PPF) purification unit, which cleans raw materials from polluting substances and poisons (sulfur, water, arsenic, mercury, phosphine, mono and carbon dioxide), a dry gas cleaning unit, a new distributed control system (DCS) for ethylene and propylene plant (EP-300), and a new ethylene and propylene storage facility."

He added that at the same time, a lot of work is being done to modernize and reconstruct the existing units.

"In particular, we plan to reconstruct the existing propane-propylene fraction separation unit in order to increase propylene productivity from 136,000 to 187,000 tons, modernize hot and cold sections, existing C2 and C3 selective hydrogenation units, and this means replacing existing isothermal reactors with new ones," he said. "We expect to optimize the work of existing compressors of pyrogas, ethylene, propylene and a propylene heat pump, as well as upgrade auxiliary facilities and infrastructure. The work on the construction of treatment facilities, modernization of existing power substations and increase of the efficiency of the electrical system is underway."