Development of an Integrated Process Plant for the Conversion of Shale Gas to Propylene Glycol

Propylene glycol is an important member of the glycol group and is widely used in the industry as a raw material particularly for producing polyester compounds, food additives, and antifreeze. In this research, a novel integrated plant is developed for the production of propylene glycol from shale gas. This integrated approach has the benefit of safer operating conditions because the intermediate propylene oxide, which is explosive, does not need to be stored and transported. Furthermore, there are potential economic benefits from integration. The overall plant is simulated in the Aspen Plus environment, and a variety of process conditions are tested at the steady state to optimize the production of propylene glycol. Heat-integration tools are utilized for energy-saving and capital cost reduction opportunities. A comparative economic assessment based on the existing plant information indicates that the use of process integration techniques has the potential to reduce costs significantly.