China’s Hengli Petrochemical (Dalian) Refinery Co. Ltd. has awarded a contract to develop an extensive propane and butane dehydrogenation unit to Swiss firm Clariant and leading EPC firm, CB&I. the project includes the license and engineering design of the co-processing unit, which is to be built in Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. The design will be based on CB&I’s ‘Catofin’ catalytic dehydrogenation technology using Clariant’s tailor-made ‘Catofin’ catalyst and Heat Generating Material (HGM) to process feedstock containing 300,0000-MT of propane and 600,000-MT of isobutene for the joint production of propylene and isobutylene. “When completed, it will be the largest single-train co-processing dehydrogenation unit in the world,” Clariant said in a press note.

The ‘Catofin’ process operates at optimum reactor pressure and temperature to maximise conversion of propane and isobutene for a high yield of propylene and isobutylene, and correspondingly low investment and operating costs. These performance advantages are now further enhanced through the inclusion of HGM in the process. HGM is an innovative metal-oxide material, which is designed to significantly increase selectivity and yield of ‘Catofin’ units. Hengli will be the second co-processing plant to utilise HGM.