Dow to Add FCDh Technology to Louisiana Cracker

Plastics, intermediates, and performance materials maker Dow plans to upgrade one its mixed-feed cracker in Plaquemine, LA with Fluidized Catalytic Dehydrogenation (FCDh) technology to increase the site’s on-purpose propylene production capabilities, a company press release announced Tuesday.

“Deploying FCDh technology supports Dow’s continued focus on delivering low-risk, low-cost and high-return projects while reducing the energy intensity and carbon footprint associated with conventional technologies,” Keith Cleason, vice president of Dow’s Olefins, Aromatics & Alternatives business, said in a statement. “Retrofitting our Plaquemine cracker will enhance asset utilization and leverage the U.S. shale gas advantage to meet growing customer demand for Dow’s differentiated polyolefins products.”

Slated for completion by the end of 2021, the retrofitted equipment will produce some 100,000 mt of on-purpose propylene. Production of propylene in the U.S. has dipped because operations are using ethane instead of heavier feed slates, according to Dow, and the new asset will help to fill a gap in domestic supply and demand. 

While Dow’s FCDh technology can be incorperated into existing crackers, it can also be used in stand-alone PDH plants. PetroLogistics II LLC licensed the technology this July for a stand-alone PDH plant it is building in the U.S. Gulf Coast. 

“Dow’s advanced FCDh technology is flexible, scalable, reliable, and more sustainable, allowing for use in multiple configurations in a range of capacities – stand-alone or integrated into crackers,” said Dow’s Chief Technology Officer, A.N. Sreeram, in the release.

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