Honeywell will be the main automation contractor for Abu Dhabi Polymer Company’s Borouge 3 petrochemicals complex in Ruwais, Abu Dhabi, Borouge said.

The US-based company has provided its technologies previously to Borouge for its Phase 1 project in 1999 and Borouge 2 in 2010. For Borouge 3, Honeywell has been awarded four contracts worth a combined $40 million over an 18-month duration.

Honeywell will provide its integrated control and safety systems to Linde and other engineering, procurement and construction contractors involved in Borouge 3. Installation of Honeywell Process Solutions’ control and safety systems, Experion Process Knowledge System C300, Safety Manager, and Advanced Process Control will allow for operational integration, improved production, increased safety and reliability, and maximum operability and profitability, according to the company.

The Real Time Information Management System will provide Borouge 3 with business solutions that streamline, centralise and optimise operations, allowing for further profitability and productivity, project officials said.

Borouge 3 will expand production capacity by 2.5 million tonnes, taking annual capacity to 4.5 million tonnes by the end of 2013. It will be fully operational by mid-2014.

Borouge 3 includes the construction of a third ethane cracker, two Borstar polyethylene (PE) plants, two Borstar polypropylene (PP) plants and a low-density polyethylene (LDPE) unit. Engineering firm Bechtel is providing management support for the project’s implementation.

The project also includes a cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) plant of capacity of 80,000 tonnes annually, which Borouge said will be a value-added complement to the LDPE unit.

EXPANSION SIGNIFICANT
“The expansion of Borouge is a significant step forward, both for the company and for the industry. We are looking to boost our production of polyolefins and add approximately 2.5 million tonnes per year of capacity. It is very important for us to work with the right technology partners, who understand our need for continuously efficient operations,” said Abdulla Ateya, a senior vice president for Abu Dhabi’s Borouge project.

“We chose Honeywell because we found them to have the most comprehensive portfolio of process control solutions available today. The local access to experts in the field proved to be an added advantage.”

Orhan Genis, vice president of sales, EMEA, for Honeywell Process Solutions, commented: “With the Gulf region’s share in the global petrochemical market expected to grow to 20 per cent by 2015, there is also a corresponding need for reliable, cost-effective processes, such as the solutions selected for Borouge 3, which can ensure that operational efficiencies are an integral part of the growth process.”