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Shell Polymers Monaca (SPM) is a 384-acre polyethylene manufacturing complex in Pennsylvania, the US.
Previously known as Pennsylvania Chemical Project, the complex is the first major polyethylene manufacturing facility in the north-eastern US.
The facility is owned by Shell Chemical Appalachia, a subsidiary of Shell.
The Final Investment Decision (FID) on the project was taken in June 2016. Construction commenced in April 2017.
After more than four years of construction, SPM commenced operations in November 2022. At peak construction period, the project involved approximately 9,500 workers.
SPM will produce around 3.5 billion pounds (1.6 million tonnes) of polyethylene per year. It is expected to reach its full production capacity by the second half of 2023.
The complex will cater to customers involved in manufacturing commodity and specialty films, pipe, blow-moulded containers, and injection-moulded parts.
It will employ 600 people in full time positions as well as generate several thousand employments in private industry and public services.

Shell Polymers Monaca details

Shell Polymers Monaca consists of three polyethylene reactors- two gas phase reactors and one slurry reactor, an ethane cracker, a combined cycle co-generation power plant, and a water treatment facility.
It also has large product storage with rail and truck loading facilities.
The project uses low-cost ethane from shale gas producers operating in the Marcellus and Utica basins.
The Ethylene Cracker Unit (ECU) includes 95 miles of pipe and more than 200 vessels. The cracker takes ethane and converts it into ethylene by heating, pressure, and cooling.
The complex houses a quench tower, the largest structure on the site and an important part of the cracker unit. The 2,000 metric tonne-tower is approximately 300ft tall and has a diameter of 29ft.
The purge bins, approximately 380ft high, are the tallest structure on the site and houses polyethylene units. The bins serve as holding tanks where polyethylene pellets undergo pre-finishing treatment.
Ethylene from the cracker unit goes to the polyethylene units which combines ethylene with a co-monomer (a related hydrocarbon) and a catalyst to produce polyethylene. The three polyethylene units have a combined annual production of around 1.6 million metric tonnes.
The power plant takes natural gas and steam to generate power for operations. It generates a total of 250MW per day, of which approximately one-third is exported to the grid.
Shell Polymers Monaca also has a cooling water tower which is more than 900ft long with 32 fans.
The administrative buildings at the site include office building, labs, and warehouses.
There is also a flare, a commons safety and environmental device found in a manufacturing facility. It functions like a giant pressure relief valve that channels and disperses pressure to a location for safe combustion and dispersal.
The combustion process of Flare reduces emissions by more than 98%.

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