Polyethylene Production Unit works at full rates

Polyethylene Production Unit works at full rates

Next year the team of PE production of «KARPATNAFTOCHIM» Ltd., will celebrate the 25-year Jubilee from the time of PE Unit commissioning.

During this considerable period some changes took place in the team itself, though there are still a lot of employees that were mastering the Unit and bringing it to design capacities. But in spite of years and all changes, the Unit, for which the General Contractor of building was German Company «Linde», still in our times, remains the example of production stability and high standard of labour. However, for the team of such production facility there were moments, when from some reasons was necessary to suspend the products output and to conserve the equipment.

– Sure the situation regarding reasons of shut down of all production plants of «KARPATNAFTOCHIM» within years 2012-2017 is well-known for everybody, – tells the Chief Deputy of ethylene and polyethylene production Yaroslav Shepida, – nevertheless even at the beginning of the year 2020 due to extremely unfavourable situation at the market of petrochemical products, when price for oil-and-gas feedstock was almost on the level of final products, we had to put out of service the PE Unit and to conserve the equipment.

– But this standstill was not long, wasn’t it?

– In March, 20 the Unit was restarted again and was in operation together with all production facilities of our Company. Their standstill at that time, as known, was scheduled and connected with necessity of purging and cleaning of heat-exchangers and other equipment.

Regarding the possibility of activity renovation for team that serves the PE Unit in the area of halide-derivatives of ethylene production, their polymers and co-polymers, the full value job of this team became possible only because of situation improvement on the market of polymer products.

– How did the start of Unit run after de-conservation?

– Owing to the effective work of process systems preparation of the Unit, the start of equipment was smoothly, as always, without problems. And though because of conservation of polymerization reactor and other equipment we had to make a number of additional starting operations, in some hours the Unit started working, and next day final products were produced.

Apropos, I would like to stress that besides of the above-mentioned;   this is due to the intense work and ability of the whole process staff, leaded by its Chief Volodymyr Deyneka, his deputies and heads of divisions. Efficient operation of PE Unit is also the merit of all specialists of divisions of Chief Engineer of our Company.

– How does at present the situation with output and sale of PE look like?

– The Unit works at full rates and I do not see any preconditions for decrease of this load.

We also do not have any problems with realization of polyethylene. Currently we load it on automobile transport and on railway platforms. And consumers of our products are enterprises of Ukraine, as well as enterprises of the near abroad and also countries of EU.

– Is it planned to introduce something in order to improve the operation of the Unit?

– We want as soon as possible to satisfy the market demands regarding the production of new grades of PE with wider geography of usage. Currently our polyethylene is mostly used in food industry and for manufacturing of different household goods. That is why our specialists of the Unit as well as the Management of Company make all efforts in order to arrange the production of new varieties of PE grades.

Interview was made by Anatoly GAYOVIY.

On the photo: Chief of Division Volodymyr Deyneka.