UOP technology producing petrochemicals

UOP LLC has announced that Japan's Taiyo Oil Co. Ltd. has begun producing petrochemicals with UOP's Tatoray™ process technology, something that offers improved flexibility to yield either gasoline or valuable petrochemicals as demand changes.

Taiyo Oil created a license for the UOP process technology in 2013 for its Shikoku Operations in Japan. The new unit started production late last year and met all of its performance guarantees two weeks after start-up. The Tatoray process substantially increases production of benzene and xylenes, which are used to produce polymers and plastics.

UOP has worked with Taiyo for nearly 30 years and has provided almost all the process units for its Shikoku operations.

Before Taiyo began using the Tatoray process, the plant used UOP Thermal Hydro-Dealkylation (THDA) technology to convert less valuable, heavy aromatics to benzene, which is used to make plastics and detergents.

UOP's latest-generation Tatoray catalysts, which are used with the Tatoray process, have improved activity and stability in multiple commercial applications. This has enabled greater energy efficiency, higher on-stream efficiency and greater product value in petrochemical-grade benzene and mixed xylenes production. To date, UOP has licensed nearly 100 aromatics complexes, including more than 60 Tatoray units.

Adapted from press release by Joseph Green

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/petrochemicals/27052015/taiyo-oil-technology-honeywell-uop-846/