Making Texas Great: EPD Will Add A Second Propane Dehydrogenation Plant At Mont Belvieu -- September 29, 2019

First things first: the Montana "Indian summer" snowstorm. 

A summer without sunspots? Very possible. This article may be re-posted later. From nextgrandminimum, September 24, 2019:

Could summer 2019 go down in history as “the summer without sunspots”? From June 21st until Sept 22nd, the sun was blank–no sunspots–more than 89% of the time. During the entire season only 6 tiny sunspots briefly popped up, often fading so quickly that readers would complain to Spaceweather.com, “you’ve labeled a sunspot that doesn’t exist!” (No, it just disappeared.) Not a single significant solar flare was detected during this period of extreme quiet. [Comment: if I understand this correctly, we are currently near the end of Solar Cycle 24; the next cycle, Cycle 25 "is slowly coming to life."

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Another Petrochemical Plant In Texas

Mentioned in this post: LyondellBasell.

EPD will build a second propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant at its complex in Mont Belvieu, TX.

Propane: C3H8.

All single bonds.

So, if one is going to "dehydrogenate," one is going to remove at least one hydrogen. That will convert a molecule with all single bonds (-anes) to a molecule with at least one double bond (-enes). So what? From wiki:

Dehydrogenation is an important reaction because it converts alkanes, which are relatively inert and thus low-valued, to olefins (including alkenes), which are reactive and thus more valuable. Alkenes are precursors to aldehydes, alcohols, polymers, and aromatics. 

And propane dehydrogenation?

Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) is a process step in the production of propylene from propane. PDH is vital to the petrochemical industry: propylene is the second most important starting product in the petrochemical industry after ethylene.

So, back to the story: EPD will build a second propane dehydrogenation (PDH) plant at its complex in Mont Belvieu, TX.  Data points:

• 35,000 bbls of propane daily to produce upwards of 1.65 billion lbs of polymer grade propane (propylene?) per year
• long-term contracts between EPD and LyondellBasell as the anchor customer; other customers involved
• EPD has licensed Honeywell’s UOP Oleflex propane process to produce PGP

Propylene is the raw material for plastic polypropylene, which is a common component mainly used in the automotive and textile industries, for plastic films for packaging and many other products.