Food & polymer grade hexane from your existing isomerization unit.
A DWC Prime™ revamp adds a fourth, saleable C6 cut to your deisohexanizer while the unit processes more feed at unchanged RON.
Food & Polymer Grade Hexane
More products, more capacity, same octane
Most deisohexanizers were designed for isomerate octane, not product value. Valuable C6 components go back to the reactor in the recycle stream or leave in the isomerate.
A DWC Prime™ revamp turns the existing three-cut DIH into a four-cut column. The fourth cut is food grade hexane, polymer grade hexane or other C6 products, and the unit processes more fresh feed at unchanged RON.
From Three Cuts to Four in the Same Shell
A dividing wall inside the existing deisohexanizer adds a side draw for hexane products. No new column, no new foundations, no additional plot space.
| Conventional DIH | DWC Prime™ DIH | |
|---|---|---|
| Products | 3: light isomerate, heavy isomerate, recycle | 4: adds food / polymer grade hexane |
| C6 components | Recycled to the reactor | Sold as a premium solvent |
| Fresh feed | Base | 8–15% more |
| Isomerate RON | Base | Unchanged |
| New column or plot space | — | None needed |
Premium C6 Products From One Column
The fourth cut is configured to the products your market values.
Food grade hexane (FGH)
High-purity solvent for edible-oil extraction.
Polymer grade hexane (PGH)
Solvent for polyethylene and specialty chemicals.
Isohexane
For gasoline blending and petrochemical use.
Special boiling point spirit (SBPS)
Narrow-boiling specialty solvent.
World’s First Dual DWC in an Isomerization Unit
At CPCL’s Manali refinery in Chennai, India, DWC Innovations converted the deisohexanizer into a four-cut Dual Dividing Wall Column. Read the CPCL case study →
4 products from one revamped column
Light isomerate, heavy isomerate, C6 recycle and a new pharma / food grade hexane cut.
More isomerization throughput
Additional light-naphtha feed with no change to the reactors.
RON unchanged
On-spec isomerate continues alongside the new product.
Switchable product slate
The column can run in its original mode with no hexane drawn.
Food-Grade Hexane from your Isomerization Unit
See how a four-cut Dual Dividing Wall Column turns a conventional deisohexanizer into a high-value product machine — carving out food-grade and pharma-grade hexane while keeping isomerate octane unchanged.
- One shell, four clean cuts — light isomerate, hexane, recycle, heavy isomerate
- RON unchanged · 8–15% more feed processed
- World’s first Dual DWC in an ISOM unit — proven at CPCL, India
When This Revamp Makes Sense
You have a deisohexanizer
An isomerization unit with a DIH, or a new unit being designed.
C6 products have a market
Food, polymer or specialty hexane commands a premium locally.
Feed capacity is tight
The DIH or recycle loop limits isomerization feed.
You want a fast-return project
Revamp inside the existing shell, no new column.
Food Grade Hexane: Questions Clients Ask
What is food grade hexane?
A high-purity hexane solvent used mainly for edible-oil extraction and food processing, with tight limits on aromatics and other impurities.
Can an existing deisohexanizer produce food grade hexane?
Often, yes. A DWC Prime™ revamp adds a dividing wall and side draw inside the existing DIH shell, creating a fourth product cut without a new column.
Does hexane production reduce isomerate octane?
No. At CPCL the revamped column makes on-spec isomerate with RON unchanged while also producing the hexane cut.
Can polymer grade hexane also be produced?
Yes. Depending on feed composition and specifications, the fourth cut can be food grade hexane, polymer grade hexane, isohexane or special boiling point spirit.
What data do you need to evaluate our unit?
Feed composition, DIH operating data and drawings, target product specifications and current unit constraints. We use them in a feasibility study.
Could your isomerization unit produce more value?
Send us your feed composition and operating data. We’ll tell you whether a DWC Prime™ retrofit can add hexane products or feed capacity.