“The most important factor in acquiring self-sufficiency and reconstruction is developing scientific and research centers, directing facilities and comprehensive encouragement of inventors and committed experts of fortitude who are brave enough to fight ignorance and are free of exclusive scientific attitude towards West and East and have proven their ability in governing the country on their own.” Imam Khomeini

 

Research is a tool of competency and supremacy of societies in modern age and has an essential role in economic and cultural development of the society. Therefore, in Iran’s Islamic Republic system, research is of specifically great position. In this regard, Iranian National Petrochemical Company (NPC) established Petrochemical Research and Technology Company in 2002 and with a pioneering and comprehensive attitude has developed the research and technology network throughout the petrochemical industries and entrusted Petrochemical Research and Technology Company with the management of the aforementioned network.

With respect to this approach, Petrochemical Research and Technology Company is in charge of research and technology management in Petrochemical industries.

Accordingly and in regard to the 20-year Development Vision Document and in compliance with goal of Petrochemical industry, the vision of Petrochemical Research and Technology Company is to become a pioneering international centre in developing and trading technologies including:

·         Polymer

·         Catalysts required by Petrochemical industries

·         Chemical processes and products

·         Modern Technologies

This Company comprise of a central headquarters and three research and technology centers of Tehran, Arak and Mahshahr. The executive macrostructure of Petrochemical Research and Technology Company has been codified so that the headquarters is in charge of policymaking, planning, supporting and supervision of all research activities in Petrochemical industries, and Tehran research centre is active in the field of fundamental and applied research which Arak and Mahshahr centers are responsible for converting the conducted research to technology.

Each centre, based on its mission, has been equipped with research and technological infrastructure such as state-of-the-art laboratory and pilot facilities and equipment. On the other hand research centers of Petrochemical complexes in coordination with Petrochemical Research and Technology Company has formed an extensive network of research and technology development in the whole petrochemical industries which is active in resolving production problems and updating know-how and technology of production units.

Introduction of Tehran Centre

The location in the vicinity of reputable academic and research centers and the cooperation of these centers are of paramount importance. Tehran centre of Petrochemical Research and Technology Company is in charge of conducting lab-scale and bench- scale research. Being scaled up the achievements of this centre are studied and carried out in pilot plants in Arak and Mahshahr centers and in case of attainment of planned results they will be presented to be commercialized in industry. The commercialization department in this centre is capable of industrializing the achievements of conducted research. In order to carry out research activities, there are various laboratories including polymer, process technology, polymer catalyst, non polymer analytical and mechanical and physical properties laboratories. To verify laboratory results and to carry out reactor tests and scale up, there are various pilot plants and set-ups in workshops of this centre to be utilized.

Some of research facilities in this centre can be mentioned as follows:

·         Methanol set-up

·         PVM system

·         MEK / DME system

·         Olefin hydrogenation set-up

·         Ammonia set-up

·         LPG to aromatics system

·         Dehydrogenation set-up

·         Semi automatic and fully-automatic olefin polymerization systems

·         Various Mixing autoclaves in various dimensions

·         Feed purification system for olefin polymerization

·         Polymer forming machines

The first pioneering membrane Technology centre in the Middle East including flat membrane technology systems and membrane bio- reactor has been inaugurated in this centre.

Introduction of Arak Centre

The Arak Centre of Petrochemical Research and Technology Company is located in proximity to Shazand Petrochemical Company with the aim of increasing pilot-scale research capacity and complementary tests in advance of presenting the technology to the industry and preparing PDP. Some of the facilities in this centre come as follows:

·         Ziegler-Natta substrate and catalyst production pilot plant

·         HDPE pilot plant

·         Anti- Oxidant production pilot plant

·         Amine Recycling pilot plant

·         Gamma Alumina pilot plant

·         Co-precipitation catalyst production pilot plant ( Methanol, MEK, LTSC)

·         PP pilot plant

·         Erucamide pilot plant

·         Catalyst forming machines including tabulating, granulating and other relating equipment

Among the activities in this centre, Indigenizing and commissioning of a 1200 ton/ year HDPE pilot plant for the first time in the Middle East can be mentioned.

Catalyst support production pilot plants as well as acquisition of Methanol and MEK catalysts production know-how and preparatory production of this catalyst to be delivered to the requesting complexes are of other achievements of this centre.

There are well-equipped laboratories in this centre for complementary and reactor tests.

Introduction of Mahshahr Centre

Special zone centre is located in the neighborhood of large petrochemical production complexes with an easy access to various petrochemical feeds and process facilities. This centre has been considered for increasing the research capacity to the pilot scale.

Some of the facilities and activities in this centre are as follows:

·         PVM pilot plant

·         PET pilot plant

·         PVC pilot plant

·         Olefin Thermal cracking furnace

·         EDC pilot plant

·         Standard gas mix production pilot plant

·         RPB pilot plant

·         Methanol process pilot plant

·         PP-HDPE pilot plant

·         VAM and Ethylene Oxide super pilot

In parallel to other centers, this centre also takes advantage of well-equipped laboratories for complementary tests.

Achievements:

Taking advantage of young and experienced experts, Petrochemical Research and Technology Company, in addition to the existing planned strategies is codifying the future strategies keeping pace with global market changes so that in recent years, outstanding research achievements have been acquired followed by valuable technologies and know-how as a result of a prominent attention to research and technology in the structure of the company.

These including:

·         Commissioning of PVM production pilot plant for the first time in the world.

·         Acquisition and commercialization of MTP know-how in cooperation with Lurgi Company as well as Indigenizing and commercializing the technology.

·         Commissioning HDPE pilot plant in Arak centre

·         Indigenizing of Ziegler-Natta catalyst for polyethylene and polypropylene production

·         Formulation of the know-how of Olefin production and cracking

·         Ammonia process know-how in cooperation with HED Co. company

·         Amine recycling process know-how

·         The know-how of MTBE and propylene production process

·         The know-how of oxychlorination catalyst production process (by which this catalyst has been produced in a domestic Company and utilized in EDC unit of BIPC)

·         Methane Dry reforming catalyst production in order to avoid shut-down in Khozestan Petrochemical Company.

·         The know-how of Dehydrogenation catalyst production process for BIPC Company.

·         Methanol catalyst production process know-how

·         Replacement of the catalyst under sanctions in polyethylene  unit of Jam Petrochemical Company to avoid prolonged shut-down

·         A 500-percent growth in domestic invention patents in comparison with 2006 patenting 140 domestic inventions.

·         A 100-percent growth in international invention patents being granted patents for 4 international inventions.

·         Patenting and commercializing 3 specialist software

·         Completion and termination of more than 860 research projects

·         Presentation of 580 papers and publication of 15 books and organization of more than 100 seminars.

 

New approaches of the Company

The most important new approaches in three areas of policy making, planning and research and technology include:

1.     Updating transferred knows-how to the petrochemical industries.

2.     Indigenizing of transferred know-how in process and catalyst areas.

3.     Acquisition of the know-how for future development of petrochemical industry.

4.     Creating and boosting durable ties with academic and research centers in the country and orientating the activities towards developing future required technologies.

5.     Establishing and strengthening ties with consulting engineering companies in know-how based technologies.

6.     Creating proper research and technology infrastructure to take advantage of the elite in the country.

7.     Generating income for the company and the country.