According to the company’s website press release on March 16, 2023, W. R. Grace & Co (Grace), a global leader in refining technologies and specialty chemicals, and Sohar University inaugurated a jointly operated DCR™ Pilot Plant at the University in Oman with a ceremony.
"It's very exciting to move this 15-year partnership between Grace, Sohar University, and OQ to the next level with the installation and commissioning of a Grace DCR™ Pilot Plant," said Grace CEO Bob Patel. "This significant investment expands the Grace laboratory from a purely analytical focus into the realm of world-class catalyst research."
The Grace DCR™ Pilot Plant, which is an important part of Oman’s Vision 2040, is a proprietary circulating riser pilot Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) unit and the leading, commercially available technology for small-scale FCC pilot units. As of today, 34 pilot plants have been licensed worldwide by major energy and petrochemical companies as well as research institutions. More than one hundred scientific and technical articles have been published based on data from DCR™ pilot plants.
The DCR™ Pilot Plant mimics processes present in commercial FCC operation and can operate at conditions outside of "typical" FCC conditions to analyze feedstocks. Oman energy company OQ and other regional refiners are able to maximize value from existing, new and unconventional feeds by conducting research using a pilot plant.
The ceremony was attended by Her Excellency Professor Rahma bint Ibrahim Al Mahrooqi, Oman’s Minister for Higher Education, Research & Innovation Sohar University Vice Chancellor along with Dr. Hamdan Al Fazari and various representatives from OQ and Grace, who helped celebrate the inauguration and show support for the project.
“OQ, Sohar University and Grace have a long-standing collaboration providing value to all stakeholders. The DCR™ Pilot Plant is a realization of this partnership and fulfills a key ICV initiative in line with Oman’s and OQ’s values” said Kamil Al Shanfari, Managing Director OQ RPI & Plastics.
The DCR™ Pilot Plant and Ecat Lab in which it operates are 100% staffed by Omani nationals, of whom 75% are women.
About Grace
Built on talent, technology, and trust, Grace, a Standard Industries company, is a leading global supplier of catalysts, engineered materials, and fine chemicals. The company’s two industry-leading business segments—Catalysts Technologies and Materials Technologies—provide innovative products, technologies, and services that enhance the products and processes of our customers around the world. With more than 4,500 employees, Grace operates and/or sells to customers in over 60 countries.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, that is, information related to future, not past, events. Such statements generally include the words “expects,” “outlook,” “believes,” “plans,” “will,” or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation: expected financial positions; results of operations; cash flows; competitive positions; and markets for securities. Like other businesses, Grace is subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause its actual results to differ materially from its projections or that could cause other forward-looking statements to prove incorrect. Factors that could cause such differences include, without limitation: risks related to foreign operations, currency exchange rate changes; public health and safety concerns; natural disasters and force majeure events; changes in laws and regulations; the cost and availability of raw materials and energy; Grace’s legal and environmental proceedings; costs of compliance with environmental laws and regulations (including those pertaining to climate change); cyberattacks; the economics of its customers’ industries; and shifting consumer preferences. Past results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on Grace’s forward-looking statements, which speak only as the dates originally made. Grace undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revision to the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or to update them to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of their publication herein.
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