May 2012, Vol. 239 No. 5

Projects

Chevron Phillips Chemical Expanding NGL Unit

Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP will expand the Natural Gas Liquids (NGL) Fractionator Complex at its Sweeny Plant in Old Ocean, TX. Construction will start shortly and the project is anticipated to be completed by February.

With the expansion, the NGL fractionation unit will increase capacity by 22,000 b/d or a 19% increase over current capacity.

“One of the main drivers for the project is the rapid development of natural gas, crude oil and NGLs from the shale formations in the region,” said Martin Dale, feedstock procurement manager for Chevron Phillips Chemical. “This expansion positions Chevron Phillips Chemical to take additional raw NGL product from the Eagle Ford and Permian basins and ultimately convert the NGL’s into products for consumer and commercial use.”

The NGL fractionation unit at Sweeny was built in the 1960s and is made up of two trains and has a capacity of 116,000 bpd.