Honeywell (HON) recently announced that its UOP Russell business has introduced a new high recovery cryogenic gas processing plant that is 50% larger than other pre-engineered plants currently available. With a capacity of 300 million standard cubic feet per day, the new SC-30 gas plant employs Ortloff Recycle Split Vapor technology that can recover more than 99% of high-value ethane from natural gas.
Due to its larger size, the SC-30 plant is about 20% more energy efficient on a per-cubic foot basis, lowering gas processors’ capital and operating costs. The plant is prefabricated and delivered in modular form, and uses an advanced cycle process to extract high-value ethane from residue gas. Ethane is used almost exclusively as a petrochemical feedstock to produce ethylene, which is a primary component of plastics.
To make the SC-30 possible, UOP Russell created a new engineering design that included larger pumps, coolers, tanks and piping contained on modular skids. Each of these skids are manufactured in factory conditions, ensuring high manufacturing quality and on-time delivery. The entire plant can be transported on truck beds and assembled on site, anywhere natural gas is being produced.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. production of ethane is forecast to increase from an average of 1.25 million barrels per day (b/d) in 2016 to 1.7 million b/d in 2018.
