The facility will be part of Shandong Yulong’s 20 million t/y year refining and petrochemical integrated project planned to take shape in Shandong Province. ECI will provide technology, design and training for staff in addition to supporting commissioning, start-up and production.

As the technology partner of ECI, Spanish energy company Repsol will provide what it describes as “extensive technical expertise.” Repsol operates several LDPE, EVA, and EBA plants in its industrial complexes in Spain and Portugal and has more than 40 years of experience producing polymers in high-pressure facilities.

The Chinese plant will use former British chemical group ICI’s high-pressure autoclave technology to produce polyethylene. ECI said its design has added “significant improvements” in the product range, reliability, and expandability to the original technology, and has optimized it to make use of modern materials, design techniques, standards and industry best practices for construction, operation, and maintenance.

Joaquin Flores, president of ECI Group, called the agreement with Shandong “an important milestone” for the project partners. The US engineering and design partnership, he said, has “considerable experience in providing technical service high-pressure polyethylene facilities over the full lifecycle, having worked with every major current producer and licensor. The execution of the Chinese project, he said, “confirms the strength of our new technology offering, incorporating Repsol’s in-depth product knowledge and market reputation.”

Headquartered at Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the ECI Group comprises Simon Carves Engineering, headquartered in Manchester, UK, as well as ECI’s International Technical Excellence Center (ITEC).

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist