MOSCOW (MRC) -- SOCAR HQ held a ceremony to sign licensing and design agreements for the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) unit between the Heydar Aliyev oil refinery (HAOR) and the French company Axens as part of the HAOR modernization and reconstruction project, according to Hydrocarbonprocessing.
The ceremony was attended by SOCAR President Rovnag Abdullayev, Axens CEO Jean Sentenac and other officials.
A signing ceremony was eventually held with the parties participating. The documents were signed by Bakhtiyar Mammadov, SOCAR HAOR Director and Fabien Lundy, Axens Process Licensing Global Commercial Director. It is worth noting that SOCAR and Axens have a long-term co-operation. At present, the diesel hydrotreatment, gasoline hydrotreatment and C4 (butane-butylene) hydrogenation units as part of the Heydar Aliyev refinery reconstruction project, as well as the C3 (propane-propylene) hydrogenation unit as part of the reconstruction works carried out at Azerkimya PU, the naphtha hydrotreatment, diesel hydrotreatment and kerosene hydrotreatment units at the STAR refinery built in Turkey are licensed by Axens.
The cooperation between SOCAR and Axens encompasses the training of engineers either in IFP School or in Axens in order to contribute to the successful implementation of the Heydar Aliyev refinery modernization projects including the operation of the licensed process units. These trainings aims also at developing skills in energy efficiency and sustainability. Some time ago, the AR-GE Research Centre of SOCAR Turkey, Axens and IFPEN started jointly to expand AR-GE Research capabilities, and identify subjects of common interest.
Rovnag Abdullayev, SOCAR President said, "The HAOR reconstruction and modernization project is progressing successfully. The project involves the design and construction of a number of new units at the refinery. In this respect, substantial work has been undertaken to license and implement design services for these units. Based on the research and detailed evaluation of the FCC unit, the French company Axens has been selected as the licensor. Under the agreements signed today, the preparation of the process design package for the unit will commence shortly. On this occasion, I congratulate Axens's leadership and wish our partners every success in their work."
As MRC reported earlier, Technip Energies (Paris, France) announced in April, 2021, that its work on the Azerikimya modernization project in Azerbaijan had been completed on time. The overhaul of the Socar petrochemical complex near the nation’s capital, Baku, was complete and the plant was handed over and was fully in operation. It had been producing ethylene and propylene on demand since October 2020.
Ethylene and propylene are the main feedstocks for the production of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), respectively.
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 2,265,290 tonnes in the first eleven months of 2021, up by 14% year on year. Shipments of all grades of ethylene polymers increased. At the same time, PP shipments to the Russian market were 1,363,850 tonnes in January-November, 2021, up by 25% year on year. Supply of homopolymer PP and block-copolymers of propylene (PP block copolymers) increased, whereas supply of injection moulding PP random copolymers decreased significantly.
MRC