Middle-east's largest temperature control project completed

Dubai based Aggreko plc, a prominent global player in providing temporary power generation and temperature control services, has undertaken the Middle East’s largest temperature control project to date, providing a 25.2 MW chiller/cooling tower/generation package to the Equate Petrochemical Company during a scheduled shutdown and maintenance at their petro-derivatives plant in Kuwait. Established in 1995, Equate produces polyethylene and ethylene glycol at the plant, which is located in the Shuaiba industrial area.

When a 30 day shutdown for maintenance was scheduled for the plant, a number of services, such as the air separation plant (ASP), were required to continue running. These operations generally use the existing sea water system for process cooling. Since this system would not be running during the shutdown, Equate approached Aggreko for an alternative that would allow the ASP and other important operations to continue.

Aggreko supplied a 25.2 MW cooling package consisting of chillers, cooling towers and extensive hosing and other ancillaries together with a 4 MW / 415V generator package to power the cooling plant and other services. Installed seamlessly into the existing process cooling system at the plant, the package provided approximately 20% more cooling capacity than was actually required, a margin large enough to ensure sufficiently chilled water even in unusual weather conditions. To operate the package, Aggreko provided specialised service and maintenance engineers on site 24 hours a day throughout the entire shutdown project.

"Equate was looking for a complete temperature control solution and Aggreko was able to provide us with a package that allowed for uninterrupted work to continue at our plant for the duration of the project," said Mr Jamal Al Enaizi, Equate’s utilities production leader.

"The shutdown of our Shuaiba petrochemical plant was quite a challenge given the time frame and conditions on site. We found Aggreko to be the only power and temperature control provider in Kuwait with the capability and prior experience to confidently take on a project of this nature.” The company’s ability to mobilise equipment quickly and get it to the site was also a contributing factor, he said.