Dow to Retrofit Louisiana Cracker with Fluidized Catalytic Dehydrogenation Technology to Produce On-Purpose Propylene
Dow expects that the retrofit will enable it to continue to meet growing demand for its businesses serving consumer, infrastructure, and packaging end markets while also remaining within its stated near-term capital expenditure targets.
Dow recently announced that it will retrofit proprietary fluidized catalytic dehydrogenation (FCDh) technology into one of its mixed-feed crackers in Plaquemine, La., to produce on-purpose propylene. Dow expects that the retrofit will enable it to continue to meet growing demand for its businesses serving consumer, infrastructure, and packaging end markets while also remaining within its stated near-term capital expenditure targets. In 2016, Dow expanded the ethylene capacity of this same cracker by more than 225,000 metric tons and added the ability to crack ethane while maintaining the flexibility to crack propane, butane, and naphtha.
According to Dow, it and other U.S. cracker operators are consuming more ethane instead of heavier feed slates, resulting in a reduction of coproduct production, including propylene. This reduction in propylene has created a supply/demand gap in the U.S. that requires additional on-purpose propylene sources to meet the needs of downstream derivatives.