The propane-propylene splitter is a key piece of equipment for the propane dehydrogenation (PDH) unit, and also the tallest appliance of the entire Polimery Police complex. The splitter will be used to separate propylene and unreacted propane in order to obtain premium quality polymers, which in turn will serve as an input in the production of polypropylene.

‘The complex and extremely demanding operation of mounting in place the propane-propylene splitter has been successfully completed. We have thus reached another milestone in the Polimery Police project,’ said Mariusz Grab, President of the Management Board of Grupa Azoty Zakłady Chemiczne Police S.A.

The overall stage of completion of the Polimery Police project, taking into account all its sub-projects, including: design, procurement, deliveries and construction work, is close to 60%. The progress of construction work is 48%.

The splitter was lifted to a vertical position using a ring crane with a base diameter of 21 metres, overall height of 121 metres and maximum lifting capacity of 1,600 tonnes.

‘Preparations for the task took 12 weeks, including 21 days for the assembly of the crane itself. During that time, the propane-propylene splitter was fitted with racks, exterior pipes, and was insulated. Before the splitter, the ring crane had been used to install eight other pieces of equipment, including a 56-metre-tall depropanizer weighing 257 tonnes,’ added Andrzej Niewiński, President of the Management Board of Grupa Azoty Polyolefins S.A.

Once its full target capacity is reached, the Polimery Police complex will be able to deliver 429 thousand tonnes of propylene and 437 thousand tonnes of polypropylene per year.

Responsible for implementation of the contract is Korea’s Hyundai Engineering Co., Ltd.

The project is scheduled for completion in 2023.