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Sophisticated technology package to preserve the environment

The technology provider was Dynea AS from Norway having been the Pörner’s partner for many years. The decision of awarding Pörner Grimma with the plant construction and using the Dynea silver catalyst technology was taken after a detailed commercial and technical comparison between all formalin technologies being available on the market. The main criteria were:

• Safe and failure-free operation
• Environment friendliness
• Investment and operating cost incl. the catalyst cost
• Operability and maintainability
• Deadlines
• Reliability

This is already the 11th plant successfully planned and put into operation by the Pörner Group and Dynea using the Dynea Silver catalyst technology. In the last decade formalin plants with a design capacity of more than 1 million tons per annum (37%) were built based on the safest and most cost-efficient, state-of-the-art technology.

Turn-key supply

Apart from the processing plant, which included a downstream thermal exhaust gas treatment and a heat recovery system, infrastructure-related equipment such as a methanol tank and a formalin double-walled tank, a formalin unloading facility and an extensive piping system to integrate the new complex in the existing infrastructure were supplied.

Efficient project management

The very ambitioned schedule of only 16 month after authority permits were released, could only be met due to the efforts and the excellent work of all involved project teams. The client was able to be formalin self-sufficient after the first commissioning by the 21st month of construction after signing the contract, and could therefore enjoy the commercial advantages of its new plant right away.

There were several milestones to be met of course. The compliance with strict environmental and safety regulations of the authority´s approval documentation shall be named as an example. The excavation and dredging works began in late summer 2010, and authorities approved the "early start of construction under BundesImmissionsschutzgesetz (BImSchG) §8" only six months after contract signing. This required have had an application completed before; containing all required documentation including a safety report. Pörner and Dynea delivered the required input for the Lanxess-Team in only four months and handed out the approved documentation on time after only six months.

Winter construction site

The solid construction works began in late fall 2010. Due to the unusual cool temperatures for this region for this time a year and the extreme snowfall that year, progress suffered a three weeks delay. An even bigger delay could be prevented by the winter work regulation (a heated tend), which allowed the team to catch up by spring.

Short 12 months after contract signing, the time-critical equipment with long delivery periods were supplied at site, such as the absorption column. On the night between the 10th and the 11th of March 2011 an unusual event could be appreciated in Krefeld as the special transport unit of 37 meter length and 3,5 m width slid safely and right on time trough the tight streets on the city.

120% Performance

In September 2011 began the first functional tests and partial acceptances. The cleaning of the plant took place in October and all remaining services, commissioning works, TÜV- acceptances/controls and remaining authority acceptances were completed in November 2011.On December 5th, 2012 the operating license was released by the authorities and on December 15th Lanxess declared the mechanical completion. Still on the same day at 15:30h did the first start of the plant successfully take place. The plant was optimized and configured at minimum load and shortly after run up to 120% capacity. 

By mutual consent with the client, the team-leaders decided to postpone the performance test for after the holidays due to the excellent work. This took place without any complications, whereas the guaranty, as well as the methanol and energy consumption fell notably below the expected values. The plant was finally handed over to the client on January 26st, 2012 and solemnly inaugurated on April 24th, 2012 and thereby declared as successfully completed.