Gas Chemical plant (ГХЗ) was organized dated 1 November 2007 in accordance with the decision of the SNOS Company management board No. 624 dd. 07.09.2007 in connection with production necessity as a new structural division.
This new plant was developed by reorganization of two plants fertilizer production plant (ЗМУ) and Sintez plant. Gas Chemical plant has the following structure:
-workshop No. 5 - nitrogen, oxygen and compressed air production;
- workshop No. 34 - 2-ethylhexanol, o- xylene and ether (ether head processing)
-workshop No. 48 - phthalaldehyde and plasticizer production;
-workshop No. 51 - synthetic gas and hydrogen production;
-workshop No. 52 - butyl alcohol and n- butyl aldehyde production;
- workshop No. 24- urea production;
-workshop No.50 - urea production;
-workshop No. 54 - ammonia production.
Base products of gas chemical plant are as follows:
Butyl and isobutyl alcohols, plasticizer DOP, phthalaldehyde, 2-ethylhexanol, o- xylene, urea, liguid ammonia, aqua ammonia.
Phthalaldehyde, 2-ethylhexanol, o- xylene are mainly used in own production. Retrofitting of hydrogenation block in workshop No. 34 allowed to load plasticizer DOP production unit and approach a international market with a new product 2-ethylhexanol.
Butyl and isobutyl alcohols are applied in paint industry, butyl acetate production, plasticizer production, oil additive production, phenol-formaldehyde resins production, medical industry.
Plasticizer DOP is widely used in plastic production, artificial leather, polymer constructional materials, PVC paste production.
When in 2002 issues connected with Plasticizer DOP quality were dissolved, it gave start for its exporting.
Phthalaldehyde, 2-ethylhexanol are mainly used in own production. Retrofitting of hydrogenation block in workshop No. 34 allowed to load plasticizer DOP production unit and approach a international market with a new product 2-ethylhexanol.
Ammonia is used as fertilizer and as crude stock for ammonia liquor and hydrogen nitrate. Ammonia and carbonic acid gas interaction results in high-concentration fertilizer- urea. Additionally ammonia is applies in a range of other industries, refrigerating engineering, medicine.
Urea is used as a raw material for resigns, adhesives etc. production. In agriculture it is used as nitrogen fertilizer. Urea can be applies as feed additive in cattle breeding. Liquid ammonia is used in agriculture as nitrogen fertilizer. The histories of two plants make the history of a newly formed gas chemical plant:
The History of Mineral Fertilizer Plant (ЗМУ).
Nitrogen fertilizer production - ammonia and urea- by industrial complex No. 18 (Salavatnefteorgsintez JSC) was not covered by original design.
The availability of high pressure facilities met technical requirements for ammonia and urea at the complex. The a.m. facilities belonged to the former shut-down coal hydrogenation plant. Operating hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen production workshops constituted an integral part of process flow diagram of urea and ammonia production which also favored the above. Besides the availability of cheap feed stock (hydrocarbon gases) played a sufficient role.
Coal gasification units closed by then were redesigned for ammonia production and 1961 the first ammonia output was reached. From year to year the production unit increased its capacity.
In 1988 the large scale ammonia production unit АM-76 construction was completed (workshop No. 54).
Firs urea production was arranged on the production facilities basis of the former gas plant which was designed by construction department of the industrial complex. The workshop development faced a lot of problems, nevertheless after a few retrofitting works in 1974 the workshops gained its design capacity.
There was a strong domestic demand for nitrogen fertilizers. The existing fertilizer plants could not meet their demand for agricultural usage. Later on urea production workshops No.24-I, 24-II utilizing Holland technologies were put into operation.
Finally in 1975 the workshop No. 50, was commissioned and by 1984 fertilizer plant realized annual capacity of 860 kt/y. Economic conversion started in 1990 affected the fertilizer plant. Replacement one economical system by other caused heavy critical situation in the economy which resulted in sharp drop in production even to its shut-down.
In 1998 the economical default emerged and decision on the conservation of the ammonia and urea production was made in order to preserve its facilities. The 1990 marked the most painful period of the plant. New line in the history of mineral fertilizer plant was started by its transfer in January 1999 for lease holding to ZAO Bashkirskay Agrokhimicheskaya Kompaniya.
Dated March 1999 the fertilizer plant started the commercial output.
In December 20002 the lease agreement was terminated by leaseholder and fertilizer plant re-joined Salavatnefteorgsintez JSC.
From the beginning of 2000 dynamic works on production capacity increase, reduction of energy consumption and quality improvement of commercial products are in progress.
The History of Sintez Plant.
In the end 1950 the issue of organization of a new production unit was raised in connection with increased demand in butyl alcohol. Tacking into the account the availability of idle capacities of high pressure blocks in Salavat industrial complex the governmental decision on construction of butyl alcohol production plant was adopted. Branch office GIAP (Гипргазатомтоппром) in Dzerzhisk designed the project of butyl alcohol production based on technology of oxo synthesis over cobalt suspension catalyst in 1961. Design capacity is 30 kt/y of butyl alcohol of which 19 kt/y - NBA and 11kt/y - IBA.
The construction of a new project (workshop No. 21) started in 1961. However the workshop commissioning was delayed till 1966 due to difficulties connected with compressor station, high-pressure pumping station, synthesis block erection (initially start up of workshop No. 21 was planned for 1963). First commercial product was produced dated 6 April 2006; alcohol quality met the GOST requirements.
From 1963 butyl alcohol production workshop is included to Production No. 2 and 1966 it has been included in a newly organized Ammonia and Alcohols Plant. Soviet chemical and petrochemical industry development long-term plan for the period 1965-1969 placed an essential attention to synthetic fatty alcohols production.
Synthetic fatty alcohols production (workshop No. 34) by capacity 22, 3 kt/y was put into operation in December 1967. The project was designed by GIAP. In 1969 workshop No. 34 gained its design capacity.
Phthalic anhydride production within the plant Spirty (workshop No.48) was originated by directory of the Ministry of oil and chemical industry of the USSR under which it was requested to include such unit into the detailed project report for the third line of the industrial complex. Moscow project office Giprokhim prepaid the unit design by capacity 13 kt/y, the author of the process technology and catalyst is MNPO NIOPIK (МНПО НИОПИК).
Nerveless after the construction works completion in 1975 orthoxylene oxidizing contact apparatus faults did not allow to commission phtalic anhydride unit. The first output was produced in May 1976.
Own raw materials source of plasticizer - synthetic fatty alcohol and phtalic anhydride- underlay the organization of construction works in SNHK. Branch office of Giproplast (Гипропласт) in Novisibirsk developed the plasticisers DAP -789, 810, 8 and DOP (workshop No. 48) production by capacity 30 kt/y original design. In December 1976 first output of plasticisers was obtained, DOP production unit gained its design capacity in 1979. In 1993 the second production line of plasticisers based on titanium process was put into operation. The project office MP Magus (МП «МАГУС») of Novosibirsk elaborated the original design. Phtalic anhydride and dimerol were used as raw materials for production of DAP-8; and phtalic anhydride and back alcohol as raw materials for DAP- 0 production. The capacities gained by that time did not meet the demand for butyl alcohols. Consequently the decision on construction of a new higher capacity butyl alcohols production complex based on naphtheno- vaporization process by design capacity 170 kt/y was adopted. VNIPIneft (ВНИПИнефть) implemented the original design. Butyl alcohols production complex consists of two sections: synthesis gas and hydrogen production (workshop No. 51) and own butyl alcohols production (workshop No. 52).
The production complex erection was conducted in two construction stages. The said construction still on in 1979 the commissioning of the first stage was proceeded and by 28 December the first output of standard converted gas was achieved. Since 14 June 1980 synthesis gas production unit (workshop No. 51) and butyl alcohols production (workshop No. 52) complete PFD were put into operation.
Ether head processing technology of butyl alcohols production (workshop No.52) was developed in 1994 by NPO Lennefteckim (НПО «Леннефтехтим») in order to increase the butanol production and reduce butyl alcohol production residuals. The first lot of butyl alcohol sum recovered from ether head was obtained in workshop No. 34 in 1994.
First line of butyl alcohol production in workshop No. 21 proved unprofitable by that time and after 30 years work it was removed from operation in 1995.
In late 90-s after the break of stable economic relations and centralized planning Spirty plant got into difficult economical situation. Due to unavailability of raw materials - C7 - C9 fatty acids fractions - synthetic fatty alcohols capacities were removed from operation since 1st January 1995 and therefore DAP -789 production became impossible. In connection with C8-C7 fatty alcohols fractions production capacities removal at Ufa oil refinery which were used as raw materials for plasticisers DAP-810 production the a. s. production was shut down. Upon these conditions the necessity of plasticisers production arrangement in the shortest possible period of time based on a higher quality feed stock came into existence. Company management arrived to a decision to organize C8 alcohols production. Front end engineering design of C8 alcohols production on the basis of butanol and C7, C8 alcohols productions reconstruction was fulfilled by NPO Lenneftechim (НПО «Леннефтехим») in 1994, design correction - in 1995. Construction and installation works and commissioning works have been conducted for more than 2 years. In March 1997 3 production sections were commissioned and the first 2- ethylhexenal product - an intermediate product of C8 alcohols was produced. Due to underfinancing hydrogenation section construction was not finished and therefore the final product C8 alcohols could not be obtained. New market relations required from phtalic anhydrite production the usage of new business patterns. Earlier the whole amount of liquid phtalic anhydride was used for own production only. But the demand for plasticisers dropped sufficiently in connection with it workshop No. 48 capacities were not fully realized. Taking into view the fluctuations of market for plasticisers and to preserve the production capacities of phtalic anhydrate in 1997 flake phtalic anhydride unit was erected. Fa. Fitpade developed the process technology. The firs lot of flake phtalic anhydride was produce in April 1999.
Following decision of Company decision in July 1998 Spirty plant was integrated into mineral fertilizer plant (ЗМУ). All fertilizer plant workshops except workshop No. 5 were removed from operation due to unprofitability of the main urea product. The plant renamed as ZAUS (nitrogen fertilizers and alcohols production plant).
In 1998 the plant got into difficult economic situation due to low export costs for butyl alcohols which are the main source of profit. Alcohol production was reduced down to one operation line. Lack of orthoxylene raw material and insufficient volume of dimerol output did not allow to commission plasticisers production. In 1998 this production was in operation only one month. Throughout this period the issue of flexible process scheme development became of major importance. This new trend of plan development was aimed to transfer oxo synthesis products to 2- ethylhexanol produce output in workshop No. 34 by way of implementing the capacities of workshops No. 51, 52. Thus plasticisers production will have its own raw materials to effect profitable product.
In 1999 2- ethylhexanol from 2- ethylhexenal production was developed
using the process of dimerol recovery from bottom products of butyl alcohol production. This process provided DOP plasticisers production with high quality stock.
In June 2007 workshop No. 5 was integrated into mineral fertilizer plant.
