Project Profile
Value: US$ 6 billion (CAPEX)
Location: Sweeny facility in Old Ocean, Texas, Brazoria County (2 polyethylene units) and Cedar Bayou facility in Baytown, Texas (ethane cracker), USA
Ethane cracker capacity: 1.5 million t/y ethylene
Polyethylene capacity: 500,000 t/y
Start-up Year: 2017
The U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals Project, being developed by Chevron Phillips Chemicals in Texas, USA, comprises of an ethane cracker and two polyethylene units. The ethane cracker is estimated to have an annual capacity of 1.5million tonnes a year (3.3billion pounds/year) while each of the polyethylene units will have an annual capacity of 500,000t (1.1billion pounds).
Chevron Phillips is a joint venture between Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips.
This Chevron Phillips U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals Project includes:
- A new “world-scale” ethane cracker in its existing Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Texas, USA. It will use the proprietary Shaw technology.
- The two polyethylene facilities will be constructed at CPCC\'s Sweeny plant in Old Ocean, Texas, where Chevron Phillips currently has chemical processing facilities but not polyethylene yet. In addition, constructing polyethylene infrastructure at Old Ocean better positions the location for potential future capital expenditure. The facilities are expected to become the first ethylene derivative unit to be constructed at Old Ocean and will use the proprietary Loop Slurry technology.
With this significant addition of olefin capacity, Chevron Phillips plans to use this ethylene production as feedstock for the downstream development of polyolefins as part of its U.S. Gulf Coast (USGC) Petrochemicals Project.
The products produced at these two new facilities will be sold under Marlex® and Marflex® brand resins. Marlex® resins will feature rigid packaging and extrusion applications while the Marflex® resins will feature film and extrusion coating applications.
Polyethylene production at USGC Petrochemicals project
The polyethylene facilities will produce high and linear low density polyethylene products comprising of bimodal and metallocene-based polyethylene polymers. Apart from producing bimodal and linear products, these units will also produce current blow molding, injection molding and film grades offered by Chevron Phillips Chemical. Advanced dual loop bimodal technology and Chevron Phillips Chemical\'s metallocene technology will be used during the production process.
Control system
The petrochemical project will feature Yokogawa CENTUM® VP integrated production control system. The CENTUM VP system is mainly classified as a traditional distributed control system (DCS), but also offers more intuitive human-machine interface and a large-capacity field control station for faster processing of data. The dual-redundant configuration consisting of processor cards paired with two central processing units (CPUs) ensures uninterrupted operations and high availability.
Chevron Phillips is expected to create about 400 long-term jobs and 10,000 engineering and construction jobs. Chevron Phillips estimates completion date for the USGC Petrochemicals Project is 2017.
CPCC broke ground on two 500,000-tonne/year (tpy) polyethylene (PE) plants in Old Ocean, Tex., initiating a second phase of its US Gulf Coast petrochemicals project with the construction for the PE units, which will also include the installation of an on-site, 45-mile railroad track to hold and transport production from the units. (June, 2014)
CPCC reached final investment decision to expand the low-viscosity polyalphaolefins (PAO) capacity at its Cedar Bayou petrochemical complex. The expansion will boost PAO capacity by 10,000 tonnes/year (about 20%) to 58,000 tpy from its current capacity of 48,000 tpy. (April, 2016)
Operators:
Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. (joint venture of Chevron Corp. and ConocoPhillips): Operator with 100% interest
Contractors:
Technip USA & Zachry Industrial (Gulf Coast Partners): to design and build the two Polyethylene Plants. The scope of work includes the design, supply and installation of two 500,000 metric tons per annum Polyethylene Plants, together with the related offsites, utilities and rail yard. Technip\'s operating centre in Houston will provide detailed design and field support. Zachry will be responsible for construction. (October, 2013)
Fluor Corporation & JGC Corporation (50/50 JV): EPC contract
The project consists of the ethane unit (cracker) and associated offsite components. Fluor’s scope includes engineering and procurement for the outside battery limit scope as well as direct hire construction for the entire cracker project. (October, 2013)
Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc.: FEED agreement to design the polyethylene facilities
Shaw Energy & Chemicals (ex Stone & Webster on the way of Technip acquisition): FEED contract to design the ethane cracker
Yokogawa Electric Corporation: Main Automation Contractor, the contractual scope includes the supply of the control systems, safety systems, remote instrument enclosures, and the analyser shelters and analytical systems. (November, 2013)