May 24, 2005 - "World-scale Aromatics Complex in Oman"
Oman Oil Company has awarded Axens a technology license package for a world-scale aromatics production complex to be located at Sohar, the Sultanate of Oman. The complex will be fed principally with naphtha feed from the Sohar refinery RFCC unit and will produce 800,000 metric tons per year of paraxylene and 210,000 metric tons per year of benzene. The complex is to be implemented on a fast-track basis.
The ParamaX Technology Suite to be implemented in Oman is composed of the following processes:
• Naphtha hydrotreating - for feedstock purification • Aromizing™ - continuous catalyst regenerative (CCR) reforming for aromatics production from naphtha • Morphylane® - aromatics extractive distillation • Eluxyl® - High-purity paraxylene separation from mixed C8 aromatics • XyMaxsm - C8 aromatics isomerization with ethylbenzene dealkylation • TransPlussm- toluene and C9+ aromatics transalkylation to produce C8 aromatics.
Uhde will provide the basic engineering for the Morphylane process. Axens will provide basic engineering for the other ParamaX technologies as well as the integrated package.
Paraxylene is the principal feedstock in the polyester production chain. Polyester is used in the apparel and carpet industries, as a tire component, and in the film and resin industries. Benzene is the starting block of a large set of polymeric materials such as nylon fibers, polystyrene for plastic packaging, polycarbonates for impact resistant glass substitutes and compact disks. The annual demand growth rates for paraxylene and benzene are 6 and 4% respectively, and are expected to be sustained for several years.
Aromizing, Eluxyl and ParamaX are trademarks of Axens; XyMax and TransPlus are service marks of Exxon Mobil Corporation; Morphylane is a trademark of Uhde GmbH.
Oman Oil Company S.A.O.C. (OOC) is 100 % owned by the Government of the Sultanate of Oman. The company was created in 1992 to give the Government another vehicle for pursuing investment opportunities in the energy sector both inside and outside Oman. Through participation in energy and energy related projects, OOC plays a role in the Sultanate's efforts to diversify the Omani economy and help generates Omani and foreign private sector investment. In Oman, OOC has interest in numerous projects that are either in operation, under construction or under development. These include gas transmission, petroleum retailing, refining, petrochemicals and aluminum smelting. Outside Oman, OOC has interests in exploration and production, crude oil pipelines and petroleum product logistics. For further information on OCC, please visit www.oman-oil.com
