“Historically, propylene has been produced as a byproduct of making ethylene from petroleum, but with the influx of lighter feedstocks, the amount of propylene from these manufacturing processes is dramatically reduced,” said John Gugel, vice president and general manager of Honeywell UOP’s Process Technology and Equipment business. “The Oleflex process addresses the growing propylene supply gap by producing on-purpose propylene from propane, which is in abundant supply.”
This technology uses catalytic dehydrogenation to convert propane to propylene. Its low energy consumption, low emissions and fully recyclable, platinum-alumina-based catalyst system minimizes its impact on the environment, and has a lower cash cost of production and higher return on investment compared to other technologies. The independent reaction and regeneration sections enable steady-state operations, improved operating flexibility, and a high on-stream factor and reliability.
Honeywell UOP also licenses C4 Oleflex technology, which converts butanes to butylenes, the primary ingredient for making high-octane fuel additives and synthetic rubber. Including this project, the technology has been selected for 52 out of 64 propane and isobutane dehydrogenation projects globally since 2011.
Since the technology was first commercialised in 1990, Honeywell UOP has commissioned 29 Oleflex units for on-purpose propylene and isobutylene production. Global production capacity of propylene from Oleflex technology now stands at approximately 6.8 million tpy.
