Tarragona Propane Dehydrogenation Plant, Spain

The project is the world's biggest propane dehydrogenation plant, built at the BASF petrochemical complex in Tarragona in Spain. The plant is owned by BASF Sonatrach PropanChem SA.

The overall strategy behind the foundation of the dehydrogenation plant relies on the nature of the ethylene market. Production of propylene from steam crackers (70% of the present supply) is expected to fall, as plants are optimised to produce ethylene. There are only limited opportunities to increase production from refinery fluidised catalytic crackers (FCC), which account for 29% of supply. The main alternative method is propane dehydrogenation and metathesis.

OLEFLEX^TM PROCESS TECHNOLOGY

Construction of the facility began in July 2000, and the plant is expected to be completed in the middle of 2002. The production capacity of the site will be 350,000t/yr, and the cost of the new plant will be in the region of $200 million. The process technology used will be the Oleflex^TM process for converting propane to propylene.

When completed, the new facility will supply propylene to the new Tarragona polypropylene plant, belonging to Targor Iberica SA, a joint venture between BASF and Hoechst. Although the Targor plant is designed with the aim of limiting its consumption of propane, it still needs a substantial amount. This new plant is currently under construction, and also due to open in 2002. The rest of the propylene produced by the dehydrogenation plant could supply a 200,000-250,000t/yr acrylic acid plant, which BASF is also considering constructing at the site.

POWER STATION DESIGNED TO MAXIMISE INTEGRATION

The project will be completed by the construction of a 350MW power station by RWE in partnership with a Spanish company. This too will open in 2002, supplying the site with electricity and steam. Surplus gas from the dehydrogenation plant can be used in the power plant and it is estimated that this could amount to as much as 600,000MWh of combustible gas. The new propane dehydrogenation and polypropylene units will quintuple demand for steam at the site and double consumption of electricity. The German company sees the Spanish plant as an opportunity to extend its concept of Verbund production, which is designed to maximise the integration of a plant complex.

LURGI OEL·GAS·CHEMIE

Lurgi Oel·Gas·Chemie GmbH is the main contractor, having responsibility for the detailed engineering, equipment and construction of the plant. It also undertook much of the design work, together with the owner and UOP.

BASF SONATRACH PROPANCHEM

BASF Sonatrach PropanChem SA is a joint venture between BASF Aktiengesellschaft (51%) and Sonatrach (49%), set up in the last quarter of 1999. Sonatrach is a state-owned Algerian oil and gas company, and as the world's second largest exporter of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), will supply the necessary propane.