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Azerikimya PU: Modernization and Reconstruction


Endorsed by the Presidential Decree dated 26 December 2014, the State Program for Development of Industry in the Republic of Azerbaijan for 2015–2020 prompted the start of modernization activities at the EP-300 unit of the Ethylene-Polyethylene Plant (PU Azerikimya) in 2016. Among the primary objectives of the modernization project was creating a sustainable supply of ethylene, propylene, pure hydrogen, and utilities as required (quantity- and quality-wise) for the Polypropylene and High Density Polyethylene units installed in the Sumgayit Chemical Industrial Park as part of the SOCAR Polymer project. The modernization and reconstruction activities successfully completed in December of 2021.

Feedstock to Azerikimya PU comes straight from SOCAR's Heydar Aliyev Oil Refinery. Azerikimya's Ethylene-Polyethylene Plant in Sumgayit represents the critical link in SOCAR's value chain, stretching all the way from the production of crude through to the production of polymers.

Under the project, units and equipment pieces were brought onstream across various disciplines (E&I, electrical, mechanical, process etc.), bringing the average daily feed processing rate to 2,500 tpd. The actual production rate of primary and other products at the plant has increased. The daily production rate of main products rose to 630 and 550 tpd for ethylene and propylene, respectively.

New storages, a PSA unit, PPF units­, 4x new furnaces, an M-4 turbocompressor, C2/C3 selective hydrogenation reactors, an ethylene recovery tower, a cold box hydrogen treatment section, and various (high-speed, enclosed, and special Torres) pumps were put in operation under the project. As far as instrumentation is concerned, the project enjoyed the implementation of DCS, ESD and functional signal systems (for simple instruments); during the 2020 turnaround, some of the newly installed units and pieces of equipment were linked to EP-300 unit, enabling to run the plant at a higher production rate.

The dry gas treatment unit is currently in the commissioning phases, and once brought onstream it will remove sulfur compounds and impurities from the gas.

Based on the 2020 forecast and the production target, a process configuration has been developed for parallel operation of the second reactor at the 15 tph capacity C4 hydrogenation unit, which will help ramp up its capacity to 25 tph. Once in operation, the unit expected to take in 500 tpd of industrial butane from HAOR and produce around 60 tons of additional ethylene. A design has been developed to use the old C3 unit as a dryer for industrial butane supplied from HAOR, and commissioning activities are ongoing.

Since the Ethylene-Polyethylene Plant will remain in operation for another 20 years, 4x new cooling towers have been installed as part of the new cooling water system to improve cooling efficiency.

Besides, activities have completed to relocate L-38 HV Substation to the Ethylene production area. The new substation is expected to employ innovative digital technologies and new generation equipment and provide reliable and stable power supply to production areas.

The construction of the new standby hydrogen storage has been completed and it is being commissioned as we speak; in case of process upsets in the ethylene production area, it will enable the continuous supply of gaseous hydrogen to SOCAR Polymer and fill gas cylinders to create an in-house reserve.

SOCAR-Uniper, a joint venture of SOCAR and Uniper (EON), has completed the energy efficiency upgrade project by installing a steam Generation facility at the Ethylene-Polyethylene plant, thus bringing energy efficiency from 32 to 68 MWh. Apart from fully supplying Azerikimya's power demand from the Sumgayit power grid, the installed turbogenerator helps transfer of the produced surplus electricity to SOCAR and other industrial facilities across Sumgayit. The completed modernization activities resulted in the plant's annual polypropylene and ethylene yields increasing from 90-100 and 100-120 to 187 kta and 192 kta, respectively.

Production Before modernization Current status
Propylene (kta) 90-100 187
Ethylene (kta) 100-120 192

As a result of the related activities, the actual production rate of main products at PU Azerikimya has doubled (and even tripled for some of the products). Besides, a sustainable supply of SOCAR Polymer plants with required amounts of ethylene, propylene, pure hydrogen, and utilities has been ensured.