Oil Patch Bits: Fluor ethane cracker project hits milestone

Fluor Corp. announced recently that it has completed the tallest lift on its U.S. Gulf Coast petrochemicals project for Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP. Fluor, in a joint venture with JGC, is performing the engineering, procurement and construction of a 1.5 million metric-tons-per-year ethane cracker and associated offsite components at Chevron Phillips Chemical’s existing Cedar Bayou complex in Baytown, Texas. Fluor direct-hire craft workers are executing construction for the project, which is the first greenfield cracker project in the United States in more than a decade and will be one of the largest crackers in the United States when completed. Over the past three months, Fluor has executed nine mega-lifts at the site by erecting the major pieces of equipment that will be used in the plant’s operations. Each lift was more than 275 tons, with three of the lifts weighing more than 500 tons. The final lift, to erect a C2 Splitter, used for olefin separation, that is part of the ethane cracker, was more than 250 feet tall and weighed more than 570 tons. Two best-in-class cranes were needed to lift the unit, which weighs more than 300 cars. All nine lifts were completed safely and on schedule. “Achieving this milestone is a testament to the dedication and commitment of our 2,500 craft workers currently at the site,” said Jim Brittain, president of Fluor’s Energy & Chemicals business in the Americas. Construction has begun on the world-class furnaces and aboveground piping systems.