LPC Ethylene Expansion Project Starts up

On November 20th, 2006 the 360 000 t/a ethylene unit, a key
facility of the 600 000 t/a (or nameplate capacity of 700 000
t/a) ethylene expansion integrated project (from 240 000 t/a to
600 000 t/a), successfully completed wet commissioning in CNPC
Lanzhou Petrochemical Company Ltd. (LPC) in Lanzhou, Gansu
province of western China, signaling the 600 000 t/a ethylene
expansion project started up and LPC has owned the 10.5 million
t/a refining and 600 000 t/a ethylene capacity.
   With a total investment of nearly RMB7 billion by China
National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), the project was approved
by the State Council on November 28th, 2003 and started
construction on April 8th, 2005. (CCR2005, No.10) The integrated
project includes 6 key chemical units - an ethylene unit, a LDPE
(low density polyethylene) unit, an all-density polyethylene
unit, a polypropylene (PP) unit, a C4-based butadiene extraction
unit and a gasoline hydrogenation unit with a design capacity
of 450 000 t/a, 200 000 t/a, 300 000 t/a, 300 000 t/a, 90 000
t/a and 200 000 t/a respectively. There are also 14 matched
facilities, 12 public facilities and 4 projects outside the
plant in the whole project. The ethylene unit adopts several
domestic technologies. The gasoline hydrogenation unit and the
butadiene extraction unit adopt the technologies and catalysts
developed by LPC. The LDPE unit and the PP unit can manufacture
products with 16 and 100 brands respectively. In addition, the
units also feature low energy consumption, low waste emission
and so on.
   When the 600 000 t/a ethylene unit put into steady operation,
a capacity of 360 000 t/a ethylene, 800 000 t/a resin with RMB10
billion for an annual sales revenue and RMB2 billion for the
output will be increased in LPC. (According to a different
calculation, the company called this unit as a 700 000 t/a
ethylene unit)