November 16, 2007 - "Petrobras’ COMPERJ Complex to use ParamaX and other Axens Technologies"
Petrobras has awarded Axens process licenses for its new, world scale Rio de Janeiro Petrochemical Complex (COMPERJ) located in Itaborai, Brazil. COMPERJ will be the largest industrial undertaking in the history of Petrobras and Brazil, and represents one of the largest investments in the world, totaling an estimated $8.5 billion. The complex is due to come on stream in 2012 and to be fully operational in 2013. With a processing capacity of 150,000 bpd of Brazilian heavy oil, COMPERJ will significantly increase Brazil’s heavy oil refining capacity and reduce naphtha imports.
Through the agreement, Axens will supply its ParamaX® technologies, as well as middle distillate, kerosene and pyrolysis gasoline plus heavy naphtha hydrotreatment units.
The first phase of the project will produce about 1.5 million tons per year (tpy) of high purity aromatics components: 780,000 tpy of paraxylene and 690,000 tpy of benzene. ParamaX designates a suite of technologies for the production of paraxylene and benzene from naphtha. Axens and ExxonMobil Chemical have entered into an Alliance to provide paraxylene production technologies for grassroots paraxylene complexes around the world. Uhde’s Morphylane® process is also a part of the ParamaX technology suite.
The ParamaX and other Axens technologies included in the complex are: o Naphtha hydrotreating – feedstock purification o AromizingTM – mixed aromatics production o Morphylane® – aromatics extraction o Eluxyl® – paraxylene purification o XyMax – C8 aromatics isomerization with ethylbenzene dealkylation o TransPlus – aromatics transalkylation o Kerosene hydrotreatment – specification attainment o Middle distillate hydrotreatment – specification attainment o Pyrolysis gasoline and heavy naphtha hydrotreatment – specification attainment
Axens is also teaming up with Petrobras-Cenpes to provide the hydrocracking technology, which is a centerpiece at the complex. Cenpes (Centros de Pesquisa) is Petrobras’ Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello Research and Development Center, which has an important role in meeting the technological demands that drive Petrobras.
___________________ Aromizing, Eluxyl, and ParamaX are proprietary commercial names of Axens. XyMax and TransPlus are proprietary process names of Exxon Mobil Corporation. Morphylane is a proprietary commercial name of Uhde.
Petrobras Petrobras (Petroleo Brasileiro SA), the Brazilian state oil company, is an integrated corporation whose businesses include exploration, production, refining, retailing and transportation of oil and byproducts, natural gas, fertilizers and petrochemicals.
ExxonMobil Chemical The term "ExxonMobil Chemical" refers collectively to some or all of the companies affiliated with Exxon Mobil Corporation which have chemical manufacturing and/or marketing operations around the world
