After upgrading one of the process towers, a Styrene and Polyester Resins Plant of "Nizhnekamskneftekhim" Inc has solved two the most important problems at once: higher quality of styrene and significant increase of its yield with the same level of feedstock consumption.

A rectification tower 60 m high and up to 5.5 m in diameter separating return ethyl benzene has been added ten meters more in height, and traditional trays inside have been replaced with specialty stainless steel packing of "Norton" company (USA), by the efforts of the erection and operation personnel. After completion of the work, a technological process to produce styrene has become more dynamic due to which as a result of reduction of feedstock consumption it's become possible to produce additionally three thousand tons of styrene per year.
To put it in the words of petrochemical experts, reduction of valuable feedstock consumption has become possible thanks to decrease of thermal polymerization of styrene in the tower and reduction of irretrievable losses of styrene in the technological process. At the same time, a summed up capacity of the Styrene Plant itself has been augmented by 5000 TPA, which favors for considerable extra earnings to "Nizhnekamskneftekhim" Inc in selling this product which is in demand both domestically and overseas.

Of late, the world market hardened the requirements to styrene quality: ethyl benzene content in it should not exceed 500 per mille (to remind you: 1 per mille is equal to 0.001). So after completing the work dealing with the equipment upgrading and replacement of the obsolete process automation system with the state-of-the-arts one, the "Nizhnekamskneftekhim" personnel managed to bring the content of the undesirable ethyl benzene in the final product down to 0.005-0.008 percent. That chemical "purity" of styrene will meet the requirements of a most exigent consumer. Here, it is important to underline a fact of no small account: the process to produce styrene is carried out with highly effective low toxic inhibitors of styrene polymerization, developed, by the way, by "Nizhnekamskneftekhim" experts. Therefore, offering for sale a high purity styrene, "Nizhnekamskneftekhim" Inc have the right to expect a keen demand for the same on the part of domestic and overseas consumers.

The state-of-the-art arrangement of the APAKS system in automating a technological process allows to monitor the entire process of styrene production, and the process personnel have the possibility to follow the entire process on the display within any lapse of time and, if necessary, to interfere into it making required adjustments and ensuring a stable high quality of products.

Press Service
"Nizhnekamskneftekhim" Inc.