Orpic develops key downstream complex
Published by Anna Nicklin,
Assistant Editor
Hydrocarbon Engineering,
Worldwide demand for high and low density polyethylene is increasing, especially in Asia, where it is an important raw material for the manufacture of various plastic products for both domestic and industrial uses. Oman Oil Refineries and Petroleum Industries Co. (Orpic) is aiming to meet this demand with its US$4.5 billion Liwa Plastics Industries Complex (LPIC) project, which is a vital element in the Sultanate’s programme to reduce its overall reliance upon the export of natural gas and crude oil by further developing Oman’s downstream industry. Nexans is playing a vital role in the LPIC project by providing a variety of instrumentation and fiber optic telecommunication cables that will be supplied via Rexel, the global cable distributor.
Orpic’s LPIC complex will include a refinery, aromatics plant, steam cracker and downstream polypropylene and polyethylene plants, making it one of the best integrated refinery and petrochemical facility combinations in the world. With the new facility, plastics production will be increased by 1 million t, allowing for a total of 1.4 million t of polyethylene and polypropylene production by 2020. It is anticipated that 150 technicians and 350 operators will be required to manage the new facilities, which are also expected to create more than 1200 jobs in the local area.
LPIC will be equipped with Nexans’ instrumentation, fibre optic telecommunication cables and fieldbus cables, supplied through the Group’s established partnership with Rexel. These cables feature the HYPRON® design to provide an alternative to lead-sheath cables for onshore oil and gas installations, especially within refineries and petrochemical installations in moist areas where corrosive aromatic hydrocarbons are present. These cables contribute to cleaner environment by avoiding lead exposure and emissions thanks to three concentric, co-extruded sheaths which provide water tightness as well as resistance to inorganic and organic chemicals (such as chlorine and synthetic oils as well as aromatics, benzene, petrol).
The LPIC project will enter the commissioning phase at the end of 2018 ready for commercial operation from 2020.
Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/petrochemicals/24072018/orpic-develops-key-downstream-complex/
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