Anticipating Growth of Downstream Commodities

The downstream segment is the one where Dow Oil & Gas has experienced the most notable technological transition for the past 50 years. Regina Oliveira, Commercial Director of Dow’s Latin American Oil & Gas and Mining division, explains that amines are a highly sought-after commodity in the downstream segment, and a significant difference can be made by using amines in a certain way to increase gas processing. With this in mind, Dow developed UCARSOL™, which uses sulfur to boost production without the need for expanding capacity. The supply of these types of amine is accompanied by the Amine Management Program, which allows Dow to track gas production and the quantity of resulting pollutants in order to then suggest a solution to the refinery operator to enhance production.

Dow relies on the assistance of various laboratories, of which the main one is located in Mexico, allowing the company to draw support from its local and global teams when needed. “Gas plants are already using UCARSOL™, and in fact, PEMEX is in touch with us through these plants. When it comes to refineries, we are working with PEMEX contractors in order to present our Amine Management Program for this region,” shares Oliveira.

Dow’s participation in Mexico’s downstream segment goes far beyond its product catalogue, as the company boasts a polyurethane plant in Tlaxcala. The plant, explains Oliveira, might be used to produce the HYPERLAST™, a polyurethanebased product used to provide thermal insulation for offshore pipelines. “We are challenged with providing the industry with a product that offers thermal insulation with resistance to high temperature and high pressure, thus preventing hydrolysis of the polymer in extreme conditions. This area has great potential in Mexico’s future, particularly due to the fact that production is local.” The Tlaxcala plant production was originally directed toward other polyurethane markets, but once Dow identified an opportunity for this in Mexico, the company worked on the plant to ramp up capacity in order to meet local needs.