Uhde, a company that handles the plant technology business operations of ThyssenKrupp Group, has started the construction of the world’s first skid-mounted chlor-alkali electrolysis facility in Leuna, Germany for Leuna-Harze, a primary manufacturer of epoxy resins.
Uhde, UHDENORA and AkzoNobel developed the new concept, which presents an ideal replacement for the delivery of liquid chlorine.
As per the contract with Leuna-Harze, Uhde will construct a turnkey membrane electrolysis facility with a production capacity of 15,000 tons of chlorine per year. Uhde provides a range of services such as commissioning support, construction work, procurement, design and engineering and the process license. Commissioning is scheduled during the mid of 2012.
The plant design is based on the membrane technology of Uhde. Greater degree of consistency has significantly decreased the engineering work required for this type of facilities compared to traditional plants. The plant’s central skids are pre-manufactured, assembled and verified prior the delivery to the construction site, thereby reducing the erection work at the construction site. However, the peripheral sections of the plant are engineered separately in a traditional way and incorporated into the overall facility.