Phenol Plant

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Facility Inspection Report

Phenol Plant

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Executive Summary

The phenol plant was designed for a nominal capacity of 110,000 TPY. Plant’s was revamped in 1985, where all equipment was replaced with new. Last plant revamping was done in 2000, in order to increase plant’s capacity to 180,000 tpy. Today, with a general and progressive performance increasing, is possible to get a total production of:

- 200,000 tpy phenol - 125,000 tpy acetone - 41,000 tpy cumene and alphamethylstyrene mixture - 16,000 tpy tar

Phenol Plant

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General plant lay out is good.

Some spare parts are also available.

Phenol Plant

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Process Description

Plant needs following raw materials to produce 1 ton of phenol:

- cumene 1,352 kg/t - caustic soda (100%) 10 kg/t - sulphuric acid (98%) 5 kg/t - sec-butylated alluminum 0.6 kg/t - tri-ethylen-glycol 3.2 kg/t - hig-pressure steam 2,250 kg/t - medium-pressure steam 700 kg/t - low-pressure steam 420 kg/t - cooling water 600 cubic m./t - demi water 1.35 cubic m./t - nitrogen 35 Ncubic m./t - compressed air 495 Ncubic m./t - electricity 165 KW/t.

Final products specifications are:

- phenol 99.99 % - acetone 99.9 %

Phenol Plant

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Phenol is obtained by two reaction phases: - first one done by reaction between cumene and oxygen to obtain cumene

hydroperoxide (CHP), - second one consisting in CHP separation, in acid environment.

Plant is designed with 4 main sections and other minor sections:

- cumene oxidation and oxidized washing section (made by two sub-sections that work in parallel),

- cumene hydroperoxide concentration section, - hydroperoxide separation section, where phenol, acetone and sub-products are

generated (this section is designed with 3 sub-sections that work in parallel), - acetone and phenol distillation and purification section.

Other secondary sections are:

- phenol recovery from waste water (chemical phenol removing), - phenol tars cracking (physical phenol removing), - hydrogenation of cumene and alphamethylstyrene mixture, - phenol loading platforms.

Phenol Plant

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Process was controlled by an ABB DCS system. Plant also includes a tank farm.

Several manuals are also available for plant design and revamping.

Phenol Plant

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Process Flow Diagram