Japan's Idemitsu Kosan installing high-efficiency naphtha cracking furnance

According to market sources, Idemitsu Kosan Co Ltd is installing a new high-efficiency naphtha cracking furnance to replace its two existing naphtha cracking furnaces at the site whereby the construction started on September 2018 and schedule for completion is by December 2020.

Based in Tokuyama, Japan, the cracker is currently able to produce 623,000 ton/year of ethylene and 450,000 ton/year of propylene. This project is part of the company’s Fifth Consolidated Medium-Term Management Plan, which calls for improvements to cost competitiveness through adoption of high-efficiency equipment. A source closed to the company informed that upon project completion, its energy-efficient improvements of ethylene production will be increased 30% compared to conventional cracking furnances.