ExxonMobil Chemical recently completed an expansion that increased capacity to produce high-viscosity polyalphaolefins at its plant in Beaumont, Texas, by 20 percent. It marked the second capital improvement announced for the PAO plant in the past year.
Officials said the company undertook the expansion to accommodate growing demand for high-viscosity PAOs in synthetic industrial and driveline lubricants.
Through a series of process improvements and debottlenecks, weve extended manufacturing capabilities to provide customers ample supply of both 40 and 100 cSt PAO, PAO Marketing Manager Chuck Bullock said in a May 9 announcement.
The Beaumont plant has separate production trains making high- and low-viscosity PAO. Separate from the expansion of high-viscosity product, ExxonMobil has also undertaken an upgrade of the low-viscosity train. The latter project, which affects mostly 4 and 6 cSt stocks, is scheduled to be completed by August.