Name and Location
Liwa plastic project (LPP), Oman.

Client
Oman Oil Refineries & Petroleum Industries Company (Orpic).

Project Description
The LPP is expected to double Orpic’s profitability by extracting significantly more value from every barrel of Omani crude and molecule of gas.

The LPP will include a nominal 900 000 t/y ethylene cracking plant, a high-density polyethylene plant, a linear low-density polyethylene plant, a new polypropylene plant to augment the existing one, a methyl tertbutyl ether (MTBE) plant, a butene-1 plant and associated utilities and off-site facilities.

The petrochemicals plant will be linked with the refinery, aromatics complex and polypropylene plant.

The feedstocks being considered are natural gas liquids (NGLs) extracted from natural gas in central Oman and piped to the Sohar complex, mixed liquefied petroleum gas produced in the refinery and aromatics complex, and dry gas produced in the resid fluid catalytic cracking unit and new delayed coking unit that will be part of the Sohar refinery improvement project.

Some of the materials produced in the petrochemicals complex, including hydrogen, MTBE, pyrolysis fuel oil and pyrolysis petroleum will be returned to the refinery, aromatics complex and existing polypropylene plant, further boosting integration and efficiency levels.

Value
$3.6-billion.

Duration
The LPP is scheduled for completion in 2018.

Latest Developments
Orpic has awarded five technology licensor contracts valued at an estimated $80-million. The contracts relate to the various LPP units of NGL extraction, PyGas hydrogenation, MTBE, polypropylene and polyethylene.

The NGL extraction technology will be provided by Randall and will be used in a natural gas extraction plant, located in Fahud. The plant will transport its products through a 300 km pipeline between Fahud and the Sohar industrial port. The NGL extraction process involves stripping some components from rich natural gas so that they can be used as feedstock for the plastics production process.

Axens will provide the technology for the PyGas hydrogenation unit. This unit is designed to produce several high-value components, such as isoprene, benzene, toluene and xylenes.

Chicago Bridge & Iron Co (CB&I) has been chosen as the licensor of the MTBE producing unit. MTBE is used as an additive in petrol to reduce engine ‘knocking’.

A licensor contract has also been awarded to Basell Poliolefine, which will provide the technological requirement for the polypropylene unit. This is a single bulk polymerisation line that is based on the LyondellBasell proprietary Spheripol process.

In addition, Univation will be the technology provider for the polyethylene unit. It will be a new two-line polymerisation process and will produce components that are used by customers for the production of films and parts.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, two major contracts were awarded for project management and the front-end engineering design (Feed). The project management contract was awarded to New Delhi, India-based Engineers India. The Feed and steam cracking technology contract was awarded to CB&I, which operates out of The Hague, Netherlands.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Randall Gas Technologies (NGL extraction technology), Axens (PyGas hydrogenation unit), CB&I (licensor of the MTBE producing unit and Feed and steam cracking technology contract), Basell Poliolefine (polypropylene unit technology), Univation (polyethylene unit) and Engineers India (project management).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Orpic, tel +968 2685 1000 or fax +968 2685 1211.
CB&I investors, Christi Thoms, tel +1 832 513 1200.
Basell Poliolefine, tel +39 0532 467111.
Univation Technologies, tel +1 713 892 3700.
Engineers India, email cad@eil.co.in.