Copolymer Adhesives Plant Expansion

Valdes Engineering Company provided detailed engineering services for an international corporation's $25MM plant expansion to increase production capacity. The plant produces vinyl acetate ethylene (VAE) copolymer adhesives by means of a high pressure batch process utilizing vinyl acetate and cryogenic ethylene. The project included the addition of new process equipment within a new building to increase the facility's adhesive production by 50%.

Valdes provided architectural design services for the 12,000 square foot process building and specified the major process equipment, including a high pressure reactor, heat exchangers, recirculation pumps, and a cryogenic ethylene storage tank. The detailed engineering scope included process engineering, piping design, pipe stress analysis, civil/structural engineering, instrumentation and electrical engineering along with project management services for this new facility. Intergraph PDS software was used to create the 3D design model, enabling the client to visualize the facility throughout the various design stages.