Maleic Anhydride Expansion Project

Geismar, La.

Client
Huntsman Corp.
Completion Date Project Summary
2009
Services Provided
• Preliminary design
• Factored cost
estimate
• Site selection
• Basic engineering
• Definitive cost
estimate

• Procurement
Huntsman contracted Burns & McDonnell to perform
preliminary design, cost estimating and site selection
for the feasibility phase of the North American Maleic
Anhydride Expansion Project, and to perform basic
design, definitive cost estimating and procurement for
the final definition phase of the project.
Project Features
• New 100 million pounds/year grassroots maleic
anhydride production facility
o 10,000 horsepower axial flow air
compressor
o 35,500 tube fixed-bed, salt-cooled
reactor
o 15-foot, 6-inch diameter solvent
absorption tower
o 7-foot diameter vacuum distillation
system
o Solvent treating systems
o Batch distillation system
o 1 million Btu/hour incinerator with
waste heat recovery
• Ouside battery limits (OSBL) facilities to
support maleic anhydride unit
o New 15-kV power feeder
o New foundation fieldbus Distributed
Control System (DCS)
o Triconex emergency shutdown system
o Product storage and truck/rail loading
systems
 o Modifications to existing hazardous
waste incinerator
Project Background and Description
The scope of work included the preliminary design of a
100 million pounds/year maleic anhydride plant using
Huntsman’s fixed-bed/solvent recovery technology.
Several sites were initially considered for the plant, and
the plant design was customized for each site. Burns &
McDonnell defined OSBL requirements and prepared a
factored cost estimate for each site to assist in the site
selection process. After Huntsman selected the site,
Burns & McDonnell completed basic engineering and a
definitive cost estimate for the plant. Burns &
McDonnell also procured long delivery equipment
during this phase of the project.

The new facility will expand Huntsman’s North

American maleic anhydride production capacity from
230 million pounds/year to 330 million pounds/year.
The Huntsman technology produces maleic anhydride
through the partial oxidation of normal butane over a
vanadium phosphorus catalyst in a large, fixed-bed,
molten salt-cooled reactor. The maleic anhydride is
recovered in a solvent system and refined to finished
product grade in a batch distillation system.

Burns & McDonnell has supported Huntsman’s maleic

anhydride technology licensing program for over 14
years and has performed basic engineering on 12
facilities worldwide with a total maleic anhydride
production capacity of over 1 billion pounds/year.