Guangdong Petrochemical’s 500,000 tons per year polypropylene plant’s extrusion granulation unit has been put into operation and is producing qualified granules

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On October 13, the extrusion granulation unit of Guangdong Petrochemical’s 500,000-ton/year polypropylene plant was put into operation, producing qualified granules. This plant is the world’s UNIPOL polypropylene facility with the largest single-extruder capacity; it was constructed under EPC contract by Huayou Company. Covering an area of 55,000 square meters, it achieved completion on May 20, 2022, and is the first production facility in Guangdong Petrochemical’s integrated refining and chemical processing project to be completed. This facility utilizes GRACE Company’s Unipol gas-phase polymerization technology, and uses propylene, ethylene, and hydrogen as primary raw materials to produce three types of products: homopolymers, random copolymers, and impact-resistant copolymers. Polypropylene granules are formed by mixing polypropylene powder with various types of additives, heating it to a molten state at high temperatures (200–300°C), and then, under the action of twin-screw extruders and melt gear pumps, passing it through a die before being pelletized underwater using cutters. Under normal operating conditions, 63 tons of polypropylene pellets can be produced per hour, with a maximum of 78.75 tons per hour. The qualified pellets produced are evenly mixed using a mixing system, then sent to the packaging warehouse via an air-conveyance system, and from there are transported by road or rail for sale. Since the installation of the main gearbox began on October 16, 2021, Guangdong Petrochemical Company, in collaboration with German experts, the general contractor, supervisors, and maintenance teams, has spent nearly a year overcoming numerous difficulties to complete 46 key tasks, including foundation construction, installation of main equipment, installation of auxiliary units, process piping, electrical and instrumentation installation and commissioning, as well as pickling and oil transportation.