PDH Construction Sequence

16 March 2025 - Written by ML

1. Introduction

This report sets out a tentative sequence of Heartland Polymers(Heartland Polymers, 2025) Propane Dehydrogenation (PDH) plant and associated polypropylene unit construction process. Its aim is to draw very broad brush strokes as to how such a petrochemical plant is built and broad time timelines. It is a work in process that aim to refine as further experience of the industry is gained.

The video spans 3 years from July 2018 and starts at substructure level after substantial piling work had been completed and continues to the start of testing for the plant. If we allow for at least a year of site preparation and piling before the video starts and then allow time for testing of the plant’s units after physical construction it seems reasonable to assume at least a 5 year time frame.

The plant is owned by Inter Pipeline (which is itself a subsidiary of Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP.UN, CAD$40.24)) and is located in Strathcona county of the province of Alberta in Canada. The plant uses Lummus Technology’s1 CATOFIN process for propane dehydrogenation (PDH), with a capacity of 525,000 tons per year of propylene and integrated polypropylene (PP) production. The video depicts various stages of construction and operation, including workers assembling large equipment, aerial views of the plant, and specific components.

2. Building Work Sequence

The following sequence is suggested by Grok after examining a sequence of screenshots from the time-lapse video.

2.1 Construction

Table: Detailed phases, tasks, durations, equipment, and notes for constructing the PDH plant.

Detailed phases, tasks, durations.
Phase Tasks Duration Sequence
  1. Site Preparation
  • Clear and grade land
    - Drive piles for foundations
8–12 1
  1. Civil Works
  • Pour concrete foundations
    - Erect structural steel
12–16 2
  1. Equipment Delivery
  • Transport vessels
    - Stage equipment
4–6 3
  1. Major Equipment Installation
  • Install reactors
    - Erect columns
    - Set up furnaces
20–30 4
  1. Piping & Mechanical
  • Install piping
    - Assemble internal components
16–24 5
  1. Electrical & Instrumentation
  • Install wiring
    - Set up control systems
12–18 6
  1. Commissioning & Testing
  • Test systems
    - Prepare for startup
8–12 7
Plant and equipment required for sequence stages and notes for constructing the PDH plant.
Sequence Equipment Notes
1
  • 2–3 excavators
    - 1–2 pile drivers
    - 1 crane (50–100 tons)
Pile driving in Image 9.
2
  • 2–3 concrete pumps
    - 2–4 cranes (100–200 tons)
    - Steel crew
Supports heavy equipment (Images 6, 7).
3
  • 2–3 heavy-duty trailers
    - 1–2 cranes (200–500 tons)
Vessel transport in Image 2.
4
  • 4–6 cranes (300–1,000 tons)
    - 10–15 workers/shift
Lifting in Images 1, 3, 5.
5
  • 2–3 cranes (50–200 tons)
    - Welding crews
    - Hoists
Assembly in Image 8.
6
  • 1–2 cranes (50 tons)
    - Electricians/technicians
Supports operation.
7
  • 1 crane (50 tons)
    - Commissioning team
Near-completion in Image 10.
Note:
Durations account for potential weather delays (e.g., Canadian winters). Image references correspond to screenshots from the ‘From the Heart’ video.

Total Estimated Duration

  • Overall Timeline: ~80–118 weeks (~18–27 months), aligning with a 3–4 year project when accounting for weather delays (e.g., Canadian winters) and procurement lead times.
  • Critical Path: Major equipment installation (Phase 4) is the longest and most equipment-intensive, driving the schedule.

Equipment Requirements

  • Crane Usage:
    • Site Preparation: 1–2 cranes (50–100 tons) for material handling.
    • Civil Works: 2–4 cranes (100–200 tons) for steel and concrete.
    • Equipment Installation: 4–6 cranes (300–1,000 tons) for lifting large vessels (e.g., Image 1 shows 4 cranes for one lift).
    • Piping & Mechanical: 2–3 cranes (50–200 tons) for lighter lifts.
    • Commissioning: 1 crane (50 tons) for final adjustments.
  • Other Equipment: Excavators, pile drivers, concrete pumps, welding machines, and hoists, with crew sizes of 10–20 workers per phase depending on task complexity.

Sequence Rationale

  • Site Preparation (Phase 1) precedes all other work to ensure a stable base (Images 9, 4).
  • Civil Works (Phase 2) follows to build foundations for equipment (early steel frameworks in Images 6, 7).
  • Equipment Delivery (Phase 3) occurs as civil works progress, with staging before installation (Image 2).
  • Major Equipment Installation (Phase 4) is central, as reactors and columns are the plant’s core (Images 1, 3, 5).
  • Piping & Mechanical (Phase 5) connects units, requiring internal fitting (Image 8).
  • Electrical & Instrumentation (Phase 6) and Commissioning (Phase 7) finalize the plant (Image 10).

3. Gut check

I think Grok’s suggested stage duration and completions is optimistic frankly. The site piling and site formation may have taken much longer. There is a great deal of steel work happening that is obscured. And the images and video are narrowly focused on shots of the plant and within the plant and so leave out what make be going on elsewhere. So heavy qualification is necessary. Adding time for additional piling work at start to get the site ready for superstructure and adding in time for testing suggests to me a time frame of 60 months is more reasonable versus the 27 suggested by Grok.

4. Output Product slate

Polypropylene Product Slate
grade_name melt_flow_rate application type
H1002NA 1.8 Extrusion homopolymer
H1003N 3.0 Extrusion homopolymer
H5001 0.8 Fibre homopolymer
H5002 1.5 Fibre homopolymer
H5103 3.5 Fibre homopolymer
H5104 4.0 Fibre homopolymer
H5104A 4.0 Fibre homopolymer
H5012G 12.0 Fibre homopolymer
H5218G 18.0 Fibre homopolymer
H5025G 25.0 Fibre homopolymer
H5235G 35.0 Fibre homopolymer
H3003 3.0 Film homopolymer
H3209 8.8 Film homopolymer
H7012 12.0 Injection homopolymer
H7012N 12.0 Injection homopolymer
H7020S 20.0 Injection homopolymer
H7035 35.0 Injection homopolymer
H7035E 35.0 Injection homopolymer
H7035N 35.0 Injection homopolymer
H7050E 50.0 Injection homopolymer
H7060E 60.0 Injection homopolymer
R1002 1.9 Extrusion randomcopolymers
R1302NS 2.1 Extrusion randomcopolymers
R1302N 2.2 Extrusion randomcopolymers
R3207SB 7.0 Film randomcopolymers
R3208 8.0 Film randomcopolymers
R7012NA 12.0 Injection randomcopolymers
R7020NA 20.0 Injection randomcopolymers
R7030NA 30.0 Injection randomcopolymers
R7035NA 35.0 Injection randomcopolymers
R7045NA 45.0 Injection randomcopolymers
R7050NA 50.0 Injection randomcopolymers
R7070NA 70.0 Injection randomcopolymers
R7085NA 85.0 Injection randomcopolymers

Product Characteristics

The product slate consists of 34 polypropylene grades, including 21 homopolymers and 13 random copolymers. These products serve four primary applications:

  1. Extrusion: Used for sheets, pipes, profiles, or blown/cast films.
  2. Film: Optimized for clarity, toughness, or stretch properties in packaging films.
  3. Fibre: Designed for spinning processes (e.g., non-woven fabrics or textile fibers).
  4. Injection: Suitable for molding items with varied thickness and specific flow properties.

Polymer Types

  • Homopolymers: Known for higher stiffness and good processability, ideal for applications requiring structural integrity.
  • Random Copolymers: Offer improved clarity and impact strength at lower temperatures, often used for enhanced aesthetics or sealing performance.

Melt Flow Rate (MFR)

A key characteristic is the Melt Flow Rate (MFR), ranging from 0.8 to 85 g/10 min (measured at 2.16 kg and 230°C). MFR indicates how easily the polymer flows when heated: - Lower MFR (e.g., 0.8–3 g/10 min): Suited for applications requiring higher mechanical strength and slower flow, such as extrusion. - Higher MFR (e.g., 20–85 g/10 min): Ideal for fast-flowing processes like fiber spinning or thin-wall injection molding.

5. Images from timelapse

Below are the photographs referenced in the workplan, showing key stages of the construction process.

Pile Driving for Site Preparation
Caption: Pile driving operation during site preparation (Phase 1).

Early Site Preparation
Caption: Aerial view of early site preparation with piles in place (Phase 1).

Advanced Construction with Cooling Pond Caption: Aerial view of civil works with a cooling pond visible (Phase 2).

Vessel Transport
Caption: Transport of a large vessel during equipment delivery (Phase 3).

Multi-Crane Lift Caption: Multiple cranes lifting a vessel during major equipment installation (Phase 4).

Aerial View of Vessel Installation
Caption: Aerial view of a vessel being installed (Phase 4).

Column Erection
Caption: Crane lifting a tall column during major equipment installation (Phase 4).

Internal Component Assembly
Caption: Workers assembling internal components during piping and mechanical phase (Phase 5).

Near-Complete Plant
Caption: Aerial view of the near-complete plant during commissioning (Phase 7).

References

Heartland polymers. (2025). https://heartlandpolymers.com/.

  1. Lummus Technology is jointly owned by Haldia Petrochemicals Limited (a company of The Chatterjee Group (TCG)) and investment funds affiliated with Rhône Capital. The joint venture acquired Lummus Technology in a $2.725 billion transaction in June 30, 2020 from subsidiaries of McDermott International.↩︎