13 September 2016
DETAILS
INEOS Oligomers has today announced plans
to significantly grow its
low viscosity polyalphaolefin (PAO) business.
Investment by the business
will significantly increase the supply
of low viscosity PAO to a growing market.
Bob Learman,
INEOS Oligomers CEO
“The industry needs an increased supply of high quality base oils,
such as PAO, to formulate
the next generation of advanced lubricant products.”
“INEOS is making the commitment to invest
* in both the PAO capacity and
* the necessary LAO feedstock supply
to ensure PAO is a viable and secure long term formulation
option for our customers.”
Plans to build
the world’s largest single train
low viscosity polyalphaolefin plant
are progressing well and
the business expects the 120 ktpa unit
to be on-stream in the first half of 2019.
Joe Walton,
Business Director INEOS Oligomers
“The new plant will provide additional capacity
and security of supply. In addition it will make
our overall production capability more flexible,
which is important in supporting new products
we plan to introduce to the market in the coming years
to keep pace with evolving customer needs.”
The business has also completed
* a debottleneck of its La Porte, TX plant,
producing low viscosity grades
* and has optimised production runs at its plant
in Feluy, Belgium.
The projects have successfully increased
its global low viscosity PAO capacity
by approximately 15%.
INEOS also has an engineering project
to mechanically debottleneck the Feluy PAO plant
which presents the business with a valuable option
to add a further 15% to their capacity by early 2018.
End applications for polyalphaolefins
have continued to grow across
both high and low viscosity grades.
These products are increasingly used
in industrial and automotive applications including
* passenger car motor oils,
* lubricants for wind turbines,
* heavy-duty diesel engine oils,
* and other specialty fluids.
Synthetic motor oils based on
polyalphaolefins (PAOs) from INEOS Oligomers
can help reduce engine wear
and extend the service intervals
compared to conventional petroleum based oils.
In addition to investment in its low viscosity grades
INEOS Oligomers has also previously announced
a new 20 ktpa high viscosity PAO unit
at its La Porte plant in Texas,
to be commissioned in the first quarter of 2017.
The unit, which is being built
at the company’s existing PAO facility
in La Porte, TX will use
INEOS’ metallocene high viscosity PAO technology
and will benefit from several site synergies.
In support of its investment to grow
its capacity across
its polyalphaolefins (PAO) facilities,
INEOS has also confirmed that it has decided
to build a 420 ktpa LAO unit at Chocolate Bayou, TX.
This unit will provide the raw materials
(including up to 85 ktpa of decene-1)
used by its polyalphaolefins units.
“Our customers have told us that
they value our back integration
into the manufacture of Linear Alpha Olefin (LAO),
which provides a secure supply
of the essential raw materials
for our PAO production,”
said Walton.
READ MORE
Media contacts
Jan Vermeersch, INEOS Oligomers, jan.vermeersch@ineos.com
Kevin Ratliff, INEOS Oligomers, kevin.ratliff@ineos.com
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