BAYTOWN, TEXAS - Chevron Chemical Co. announced Dec. 19 it will expand production capacity for linear low density polyethylene at its Cedar Bayou Plant in Baytown. Chevron said debottlenecking the plant will add 340 million pounds of LLDPE production capacity by the end of this year. The company said it will begin selling the new product from the plant in January 1996.
Chevron operates two reactors at Cedar Bayou, using the BP Chemicals fluid-bed reactor process. Each reactor can produce high density PE or LLDPE. One currently is dedicated to producing about 250 million pounds of HDPE a year; the other makes about 250 million pounds of LLDPE a year. Chevron also makes 600 million pounds of LDPE at Cedar Bayou, using a high-pressure autoclave process.
Robert F. Buesinger, business manager for LLDPE products, said Chevron will change the reactor mix between HDPE and LLDPE production after the expansion to meet market demands, but the firm is not disclosing its specific intentions.
When the expansion is completed, the plant will be able to produce 1.4 billion pounds of PE annually. Chevron also makes about 1.3 billion pounds of HDPE and LDPE in Orange, Texas.
