(146a) Reinvention of Basf’s Butadiene Process - It’s All about Reliability

A reliable plant should at all time produce its products at desired quantity and quality. Looking into statistics, the root cause unplanned shut downs, reduced capacities or off-spec product are mainly problems with utilities, feedstock and operation. There are problems where process design cannot help, e.g. utility failures and lack of feedstock. Typical problems in butadiene service caused by low quality feedstock, insufficient protection from oxygen ingress into the process and operational upsets can be reduced by process design features. Though already having best features to ensure reliability, BASF has overhauled its process to further increase on stream times. The paper demonstrates, how by simple means as well as by sophisticated new process arrangements it was possible to control problems with poor feedstock, improve and simplify oxygen management, simplify operations and provide new type of alert system at increasing fouling risk.