GE Oil & Gas to supply compressors and steam turbines for large-scale ethylene plant in Saudi Arabia

The new GE-supplied compression trains will consist of cracked gas, propylene refrigerant and binary refrigerant compressors.

Saudi Chevron Phillips' existing petrochemical complex in Al-Jubail includes an ethylbenzene unit, cyclohexane and a world scale single-train styrene unit. Included in the current complex expansion are polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene units along with required utilities storage facilities, feedstock and product pipelines, and port facilities.

"GE is honored to be supporting Saudi Chevron Phillips on this world-class project as we expand our equipment installation in Saudi Arabia," said Joe Mastrangelo, General Manager- New Units for GE Oil & Gas. "The utilization of our steam turbine and centrifugal compressor technology will enable the new ethylene plant to handle all process requirements."

He added, "This project is a milestone for GE on several levels: it reinforces our position as a leader in supplying very large compressor trains, it signals our continued development of mechanical drive steam turbines and it underlines our increasing commitment to the downstream segment, in particular ethylene. The project also builds on our 35 years of experience in Saudi Arabia."

GE Oil & Gas is a world leader in very large compressor experience (up to 800 bar), with more than 3.2m operating hours accumulated by 80 units currently in operation worldwide.
The compressor trains for the Saudi Chevron Phillips project are being manufactured by GE Oil & Gas at its facilities in Florence and Massa, Italy. The equipment is scheduled for delivery to the plant site between April and June 2009.

WorleyParsons International, Inc. of Houston, Texas performed front-end engineering and design work on the project.

In addition to the Saudi Arabia project, previously GE Oil & Gas had been selected to supply compressor trains for two milestone projects in China that will feature the world's largest coal-based propylene plants.

The two projects are Shenhua Ningxia Coal Industry Group's plant in the Ningxia province of western China; and Datang International Power Generation Co. Ltd.'s facility in Xilinguola, Inner Mongolia. Both complexes will produce approximately 500,000 tons of polypropylene per year from coal when they enter commercial service in early 2009.