Chevron Phillips Expands Texas PAO Plant

Chevron Phillips Chemicals has finalized plans to invest in an expansion of polyalphaolefins (PAO) capacity at its Cedar Bayou plant in Baytown, Texas, USA.

Capacity will rise by 10,000 t/y, or roughly 20%, to a total of 58,000 t/y. The additional feedstock required will be sourced from Chevron Phillips’ normal alpha olefins (NAO) plant at the site which was expanded by 100,000 t/y last year.

Construction is scheduled to start in April 2016 with start-up expected by mid-2017.

The company said the project will also improve process safety and overall efficiency while reducing waste generation.

The expansion is designed to meet rising demand for high-performance lubricants in automotive and industrial applications, such as engine and gear oils and greases, Chevron Phillips said.

The company markets its PAOs under the name Synfluid.