【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Equipment】2881-2025: China’s company successfully commissioned the world’s largest single-unit MTBE plant under a turnkey contract

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Let’s give praise and support to the achievements made in China’s chemical technology and equipment sector; your participation in discussions is the greatest encouragement. **********************【Ten Years of Progress in Chemical Equipment】Regular updates and summaries are available – feel free to join the discussions: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** The world’s largest MTBE plant has started operations ahead of schedule. Recently, the SABIC PKN MTBE project in Saudi Arabia, which was overseen by China’s Tianchen Company, reached an important milestone: it began operating commercially a month earlier than planned, marking the completion of the world’s largest production facility for methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). This represents a new model for cooperation between Chinese and Saudi enterprises. As the largest proprietary technology project resulting from the collaboration between Tianchen Company and Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), the project involves the construction of a new isobutane dehydrogenation unit to replace PKN’s existing facility, alongside technical upgrades to the upstream and downstream butane isomerization units, MTBE synthesis utilities, and auxiliary facilities. Upon completion of the project, MTBE’s annual production capacity will increase from 700,000 tons to 1 million tons, making it the largest of its kind in the world. This project not only completed the mechanical construction 4 days ahead of schedule, but also achieved material feeding and the production of qualified products one month earlier than planned, fully demonstrating Tianchen Company’s excellent capacity to fulfill commitments and its efficient execution skills. As SABIC’s first MTBE project to fully utilize its own patented technology, the key innovation of this facility lies in the integration of a next-generation isobutane dehydrogenation production process with the world’s largest capacity regenerative compressor. This technical upgrade will bring multiple benefits: by recovering the by-produced low-pressure steam, it is possible to achieve self-sufficiency in 10MW of electricity, while also reducing catalyst consumption by approximately 6,300 tons per year ； The continuous operation cycle of the MTBE synthesis unit has been extended from 8 months to 2 years; both the reliability of the equipment and its environmental performance are at the top level in the industry, marking significant advancements in the fields of green chemical upgrading and low-carbon environmental protection practices. During the project implementation phase, in the face of various challenges such as fluctuations in the international supply chain, extreme heat and sandstorms, and the difficulties associated with construction work in existing factories, Tianchen Company’s project team relied on its 12 years of experience in the Saudi market to adopt an innovative \"deep collaboration model for design, procurement, and construction,\" which provided a solid foundation for the efficient and orderly progress of the project. During the commissioning phase, all members of the project team worked in shifts across multiple teams, working day and night to cooperate efficiently with the owner to complete the individual commissioning of each process unit. Ultimately, the project not only completed material feeding ahead of schedule and produced qualified products, but also received high praise from the SABIC owner. The successful implementation of this project fully demonstrates the Saudi team spirit of \"hard work, teamwork, innovative approaches, and excellent service,\" laying a solid foundation for the company to strengthen its presence in the Saudi and Middle Eastern markets.