PROCESS ECONOMICS PROGRAM

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1 PROCESS ECONOMICS PROGRAM SRI INTERNATIONAL Menlo Park, California ABSTRACT Process Economlcr Program Report No. 4C ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER AND TERPOLYMER RUBBERS (March 1990) The annual worldwide consumption of ethylene-propylene copolymer and terpolymer rubbers has exceeded a billion pounds (450,000 metric tons) for the last 3 years, making them the fourth most popular synthetic rubbers at the moment. Plants have been expanded to meet future demands and new processes are being developed. In this report, we evaluate the process economics of two potential processes presently under development for commercialization: (1) a simplified suspension process for ethylenepropylene copolymer rubbers, and (2) a gas phase process for ethylene-propylene copolymer and terpolymer rubbers. We also update process economics for the production of ethylenepropylene-ethylidene norbornene terpolymer rubbers by a solution process, and a suspension process and the production of ethylene-propylene-l,4-hexadiene terpolymer rubbers by a solution process.

2 Report No. 4C ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER AND TERPOLYMER RUBBERS SUPPLEMENT C by WING SIEN FONG 1 I E 0 m A private report by the March 7990 PROCESS ECONOMICS PROGRAM Menlo Park, California 94025

3 For detailed marketing data and information, the reader is referred to one of the SRI programs specializing in marketing research. The CHEMlCAL ECONOMCS HANDBOOK Program covers most major chemicals and chemical products produced in the United States and the WORLD fwrochem/cals Program covers major hydrocarbons and their derivatives on a worldwide basis. In addition, the SRI D/RECTORY OF CHEMCAL Pf?ODUCERS services provide detailed lists of chemical producers by company, product, and plant for the United States and Western Europe ii

4 CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS... vii LIST OF TABLES... ix 1 INTRODUCTION l-l 2 SUMMARY... 2-l CONSUMPTION... 2-l PRODUCTION CAPACITY AND PRODUCERS... 2-l RECENT ACTIVITIES PROCESSES AND PROCESS ECONOMICS AN EP(ENB) SOLUTION PROCESS AN EP(HD) SOLUTION PROCESS AN EP(ENB) SUSPENSION PROCESS A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS A GAS PHASE PROCESS CONCLUSION INDUSTRY STATUS..,...I,.,... 3-l CONSUMPTION... 3-l Non-Communist Countries... 3-l Canada and United States... 3-l Western Europe and Japan PRODUCTION CAPACITY AND PRODUCERS Non-Communist Countries United States Japan RECENT ACTIVITIES PRICES Ill -

5 CONTENTS (Continued) 4 5 PATENT AND PROCESS REVIEW... PATENT REVIEW... PROCESS REVIEW... Dienes... Catalyst Systems... Solution Polymerization Processes... Suspension Polymerization Processes... ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS... PROCESS DESCRIPTION... PROCESS DISCUSSION... COST ESTIMATES... 4-l 4-l l 5-l A GAS PHASE PROCESS... PROCESS DESCRlPTlON... Polymerization (Section 100)... Recycle/Product Recovery and Finishing (Section 200)... PROCESS DISCUSSION... COST ESTlMATES... 6-l 6-l SOLUTION AND SUSPENSION PROCESSES... AN EP(ENB) SOLUTION PROCESS... Cost Estimates... Effect of No Catalyst Residue Removal... AN EP(HD) SOLUTION PROCESS... COST ESTIMATES... AN EP(ENB) SUSPENSION PROCESS... 7-l 7-l COST ESTlMATES iv -

6 A PATENT SUMMARIES A-l B DESIGN AND COST BASES... B-l DESIGN AND COST BASES... B-3 DESIGN CONDITIONS... B-3 COST BASES... B-3 Capital Investment... B-3 Production Costs... B-4 Effect of Operating Level on Production Costs... B-5 C CITED REFERENCES C-l D PATENT REFERENCES BY COMPANY D-l E PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAMS.I...,...,... E-l -v-

7 ILLUSTRATIONS PRODUCTION OF ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER AND TERPOLYMER RUBBERS IN THE UNITED STATES ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM *. E-3 ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS # A GAS PHASE PROCESS PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM m E A GAS PHASE PROCESS EFFECT OF PROPYLENE-ETHYLENE MOLAR RATIO IN REACTION MIXTURE ON PROPYLENE CONTENT IN ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER A GAS PHASE PROCESS EFFECT OF ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE WEIGHT RATIO IN PRODUCT ON PRODUCT VALUE. a A GAS PHASE PROCESS EFFECT OF CAPITAL-RELATED COSTS ON PRODUCT VALUE l 7 SOLUTION PROCESS FOR EPDM CONTAINING ENB PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM E-7 SIMPLIFIED BLOCK FLOW DIAGRAM OF A MODIFIED EP(ENB) SOLUTION PROCESS s SOLUTION PROCESS FOR E! DM CONTAINING HD PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM E-13 SUSPENSION PROCESS FOR EPDM CONTAINING ENB PROCESS FLOW DIAGRAM *... E-l 7 - vii -

8 TABLES 2.1 PROCESS ECONOMICS SUMMARY * ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE RUBBER CONSUMPTION IN NON-COMMUNIST COUNTRIES CONSUMPTION PATTERN OF ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE RUBBERS IN THE UNITED STATES...* ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE RUBBER PRODUCERS IN NON-COMMUNIST COUNTRIES.,...I PRICES OF ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER AND TERPOLYMER RUBBERS , ,....., ,,.. 3-l ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER AND TERPOLYMER RUBBERS PATENT SUMMARY...a...*... A TYPES OF PROCESSES USED IN PATENTS....., ,....., CATALYST SYSTEMS USED IN PATENTS , ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS DESIGN BASES AND ASSUMPTIONS ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS STREAM FLOWS *...* ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS MAJOR EQUIPMENT ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS UTILITIES SUMMARY,,...*..m..., ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT,,...,...,.I..., ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE COPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SIMPLIFIED SUSPENSION PROCESS PRODUCTION COSTS *... 5-l ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE TERPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A GAS PHASE PROCESS DESIGN BASES AND ASSUMPTIONS ix -

9 TABLES (Continued) 6.2 ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE TERPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A GAS PHASE PROCESS STREAM FLOWS ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE TERPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A GAS PHASE PROCESS MAJOR EQUIPMENT *.,...m ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE TERPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A GAS PHASE PROCESS UTlLlTlES SUMMARY *...* A GAS PHASE PROCESS TOTAL CAPITAL INVESTMENT ,., : A GAS PHASE PROCESS CAPlTAL INVESTMENT BY SECTION A GAS PHASE PROCESS PRODUCTION COSTS , ,, A GAS PHASE PROCESS DIRECT COSTS BY SECTION (THOUSAND SIYR) SOLUTION PROCESS FOR EPDM CONTAINING ENB DESIGN BASES AND ASSUMPTIONS SOLUTION PROCESS FOR EPDM CONTAINING ENB MAJOR EQUIPMENT * SOLUTION PROCESS FOR EPDM CONTAINING ENB UTIUTIES SUMMARY SOLUTION PROCESS EPDM CONTAINING ENB STREAM FLOWS *.....a..., ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE-ETHYLIDENE NORBORNENE TERPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SOLUTION PROCESS TOTAL CAPlTAL INVESTMENT * ETHYLENE-PROPYLENE-ETHYLIDENE NORBORNENE TERPOLYMER RUBBERS BY A SOLUTION PROCESS PRODUCTlON COSTS x-