Uhde Shedden

Technologies

Uhde has extensive experience in undertaking projects based on third-party licences and has worked with a wide range of licensors including Albermarle, Axens/IFP, BASF, CDTech, Criterion Catalysts, ExxonMobil, Haldor Topsoe, KBR, Neste, Sasol, Shell Global Solutions International and UOP for delivery of refinery technologies. In addition, Uhde offers in-house process technology for specialized applications. Details of Uhde’s technology references can be seen on the Uhde website.
 

• Aromatics
• Crude Oil Processing & refining
• Lube Oil & waxes
• Ethers
• Olefins & Solvents
• C4 Olefins
• Hydrogen Production
• Oil Gasification

Aromatics
Uhde's Morphylane® process for aromatics extraction is one of the world's leading technologies for the production of high-purity aromatics. It is characterised by maximum product purity, high yields and extremely low energy consumption. More than 65 Morphylane® plants with a total annual capacity of over 14 million tones of pure aromatics have now been built. Uhde also offers almost the entire range of other technologies for aromatics production such as:
 

• reformate hydrogenation
• pyrolysis gasoline hydrogenation
• coke oven light oil hydrorefining
• disproportionation
• toluene dealkylation

For more information on these technologies, refer to the Uhde Aromatics brochure.

Uhde’s activities in this sector are demonstrated by the following recent Reference Projects:

 

• Benzene/Toluene Recovery Using Uhde Morphylane® Technology, Cepsa, Huelva, Spain
• Benzene/Toluene Recovery Using Uhde Morphylane®  Technology, Japan Energy, Kashima, Japan
• One of Uhde´s Largest Morphylane® Units for Shell Nederlands Chemie B.V., Moerdijk, The Netherlands
• Benzene/Toluene recovery using Uhde Morphylane® Technology, SK, Ulsan, Korea
• Two Major Projects for Aromatics Recovery from Coke Oven Light Oil, China
• Large Scale Aromatics Recovery Plant for BASF Antwerp, Belgium

Crude Oil Processing & Refining
Owing to our wealth of experience in the field of refining, we are familiar with most refinery processes, including catalytic processes such as naphtha and middle distillate processing, catalytic reforming, hydrocracking, fluid catalytic cracking (FCC), isomerisation and alkylation, as well as visbreaking, oil and residue gasification, gas processing / treatment and offsites such as utilities and tank farms.

Uhde’s activities in this sector are demonstrated by the following recent Reference Projects:
 

• Design Packages for Heavy Oil Hydrocracking and Direct Coal Liquefaction, BP
• Grassroots Refinery Conceptual Design and Feed, SRPC, Egypt
• Integration of a distillation scheme at Wilhelmshaven, Germany
• Visbreaker Units for Mangalore Refinery & Petrochemicals Limited
• Deep Thermal Gasoil Unit, OMV, Schwechat, Austria 
• New Crude Distillation Plant for Grupa Lotos, Gdansk, Poland

Lube Oil & Waxes
Today, Uhde is synonymous with some 100 years of experience and competence in lube oil and waxes technology. Our proprietary production technologies are:

 

• solvent extraction – deasphalting
• solvent dewaxing
• white oil hydrogenation
• wax deoiling
• wax hydrogenation
• lube blending
  

Uhde’s activities in this sector are demonstrated by the following recent Reference Projects:

• Lube Oil in Turkmenistan

Ethers
Uhde licenses processes for the production of ethers such as methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), ethyl tertiary butyl ether (ETBE) (including the conversion of existing MTBE plants to produce ETBE), tertiary amyl methyl ether (TAME), tertiary amyl ethyl ether (TAEE), dimethyl ether (DME) and recently the etherification of light naphtha. We have completed a long list of projects with a wide variety of different requirements using proprietary know-how or technologies licensed from third parties or customers - proof enough of our long experience.

Uhde’s activities in this sector are demonstrated by the following recent Reference Projects:
 

• Capacity Expansion of Oxygenate Plant, Germany
• An array of Projects at PCK Refinery, Schwedt

Olefins & Solvents
Uhde licenses processes for the production of olefins and solvents by processing propene, C₄ olefins and methanol.

The processes were developed in collaboration with the RWE DEA group, the process now being owned by SASOL, South Africa. Uhde is responsible for licensing the above processes exclusively on a worldwide basis.

These processes are:
 

• Direct hydration of propylene to isopropanol (IPA)
• Dehydrogenation of IPA to dimethyl ketone (DMK, acetone)
• Condensation and hydrogenation of DMK to methyl isobutyl ketone (niBK)
• Direct hydration of n-butenes to secundary butanol (SBA)
• Dehydrogenation of SBA to methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)
• Dehydration and condensation of methanol to high-purity dimethyl ether (DME)

C₄ Olefins 
In the field of olefin production, Uhde has developed the proprietary BUTENEX® process for the separation, by extractive distillation, of high-purity butenes from olefinic/paraffinic C4 fractions in ethylene and FCC plants. Furthermore, Uhde offers third-party technology for the extraction of butadiene.

Hydrogen
The move towards increased use of hydrotreating has brought about a demand for on-site generation of hydrogen. Uhde can provide technology and deliver complete plants for refinery hydrogen supply. Further information on Uhde’s activities in this sector can be found at the Uhde website.

Oil Gasification

Uhde is a leading supplier of gasification technologies which can be applied to, amongst other feedstocks, oil refinery residues. Further information on Uhde’s activities in this sector can be found at the Uhde website.