Clariant extends catalyst portfolio in China

Clariant now offers three tailor-made catalysts for the industry-preferred ‘front-end’ process configuration for the selective hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene.

OleMax 252 offers high selectivity to ethylene and operational stability over wide temperature ranges. It is the cost-effective option for budget-minded ethylene producers as its low-bulk-density carrier offers cost savings on volumetric basis. It can be used in a new build or as a drop-in solution in an existing facility and is optimised to operate in de-ethaniser and de-propaniser overhead as well as in raw gas hydrogenation process configurations.

OleMax 254 delivers high selectivity while showing lower sensitivity towards CO swings. This allows stable operation over increased temperature ranges. The excellent durability of its carrier allows operating the catalyst through more than one cycle after ex-situ regeneration. The catalyst is suitable for de-ethaniser and de-propaniser plant configurations.

Both of the above catalysts are already installed in numerous world-scale ethylene production facilities proving outstanding performance.

OleMax 260 provides a near perfect selectivity to ethylene (close to 100% when operated properly), resulting in significant economic benefit for producers. Perhaps more important is the catalyst's ultra-high stability, which impedes thermal runaway reactions that can lead to unplanned production outages. The exceptional selectivity and consequent stability of OleMax 260 ensures reliable, on-specification performance over an unprecedentedly wide operating range, even at the extremely low CO levels typical of new cracking furnace technologies.

A further advantage of OleMax 260 is a faster, more sustainable start-up. The catalyst's simplified streaming procedure significantly reduces normal start-up-related hydrocarbon flaring and time to on-specification ethylene production. The first commercial start-up of this catalyst has been successfully achieved in the US.

Thomas Wenger, Head of Clariant's Business Unit Catalysts in China, commented” "Clariant's focused innovation process has delivered solutions to the remaining challenges faced in front-end selective hydrogenation of acetylene. Now, ultra-high selectivity is no longer a goal, but a proven attribute of Clariant's OleMax catalyst family."

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/product-news/09052018/clariant-extends-catalyst-portfolio-in-china/