Enterprise starts up new unit at Mont Belvieu complex

Located in Mont Belvieu, Tex., the new iBDH plant recently entered service, with volumes scheduled to continue ramping up during the next 2 weeks, EPP said on Jan. 13.

Supported by long-term, fee-based contracts with investment grade customers, the iBDH unit—once at full rates—will have the capability to process about 25,000 b/d of butane into nearly 1 billion lb/year of both high and low-purity isobutylene for use primarily as feedstock at EPP’s olefins assets to expand production of lubricants, rubber products, alkylate for gasoline blendstock, and methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) for meeting growing demand on export markets.

The new Mont Belvieu unit comes as supplies of isobutylene—also a byproduct of ethylene production plants—have decreased as a result of increased use of low-cost, light-end feedstocks, specifically ethane, instead of more expensive crude oil derivatives, EPP said.

The iBDH unit is equipped with Honeywell UOP LLC’s proprietary C₄ Oleflex technology (OGJ Online, Feb. 27, 2017).

EPP will also use UOP’s Oleflex technology at a second propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant currently under construction at the Mont Belvieu complex (OGJ Online, Sept. 26, 2019).

The new PDH plant, which will have the capacity to process up to 35,000 b/d of propane to produce up to 1.65 billion lb/year of polymer-grade propylene, remains on schedule for completion in first-half 2023, EPP said.