BASF Ultramid® Polymerization Plant

In February 2012, BASF selected Fluor as its partner for the BASF Ultramid^® Polymerization Plant to develop pre-FEED and FEED packages, both of which were completed ahead of schedule. Fluor's scope included development of a cost estimate and preparation of the project permitting documentation for local government authorities. The project was then officially approved by BASF's Board of Directors and rolled over in December 2012, with Fluor as the engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPC) contractor.

The BASF Ultramid^® Polymerization Plant was the first contract awarded in China under the BASF-Fluor Asia Umbrella Partnership agreement announced in July 2011. The Fluor China team achieved mechanical completion of the BASF Ultramid^® Polymerization Plant in Shanghai on October 10, 2014, ahead of schedule with no LTI and under budget.

Client's Challenge

Located in the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park (SCIP), the facility is designed to produce 100,000 metric tons of high performance Ultramid^®. The new facility will be BASF's first polyamide polymerization plant in the Asia Pacific region, serving the strong growth markets for polyamide products in the engineering plastics, fiber, and film industries, particularly in China.

The BASF Ultramid^® Polymerization Plant was fast tracked, so BASF considered an early and successful startup a key factor for success.

Fluor's Solution

The Fluor team produced a detailed analysis of the project schedule to completely optimize the sequence of work. Also, in support of the tight construction schedule, the Fluor's Shanghai engineering team set a new record for Fluor in China for the production of piping isometrics. The BASF Ultramid^® Polymerization Plant is now being used by BASF as the benchmark for other projects executed by Fluor China, Fluor Philippines, and Fluor Malaysia. The BASF Ultramid^® Polymerization Plant included several tough engineering and construction challenges. The compact nature of the plant was a major issue in achieving the aggressive construction schedule.

The production building, which contains most of the process equipment, is 64 meters tall with a narrow footprint, and required sequential construction from bottom to top. The team also faced significant challenges with procurement, with some key suppliers not experienced with the fast track nature of international projects. The project included two production lines, a recovery unit, production conveyers, silos, a warehouse, waste water treatment, an office building, a tank farm, a cooling water tower, a 35-kilovolt substation, and a telecommunications system.

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Conclusion

The BASF Ultramid^® Polymerization Plant was named a 2015 finalist for Construction Project of the Year by the Platts Global Energy Awards. The project achieved 3.4 million safe work hours, without a lost time incident, by the time of Mechanical Completion.

The BASF Ultramid^® Polymerization Plant also received Fluor's 2014 Hugh Coble Project Excellence Award. The award is based on outstanding performance in several areas, including safety, value creation, and Client and community relations.