Dow adds FCDh tech to produce propylene on cracker

Dow will retrofit one of its two crackers in Plaquemine, Louisiana, with fluidised catalytic dehyrogenation (FCDh) technology to produce on-purpose propylene.

The move seeks to fill a gap in output as lighter cracking across the US Gulf coast has reduced propylene co-production and increased the need for more on-purpose propylene.

The retrofit adds an extra 100,000 t/yr of propylene production to the 1mn t/yr mixed-feed cracker by the end of 2021. The new propylene will supply Dow's integrated derivative units in Louisiana. Dow said that FCDh technology can reduce capital costs by 25pc and lower usage and greenhouse gas emissions by 20pc, making this technology more sustainable when compared to conventional PDH technologies.

Dow increased this cracker's capacity in 2016 by 250,000 t/yr of ethylene when it added ethane-cracking ability. Petrologistics II will be using this same technology for its new 500,000 t/yr Gulf coast PDH plant.