With the upgrade to National VI, what are the “bottlenecks” that everyone is facing?

This post was last edited by jh_zzhanc on 2018-10-29 at 13:58. The progress of oil product upgrading in China and its alignment with global standards: From 2000 to the present, China has achieved a quality upgrade in vehicle gasoline, moving from lead-free gasoline to National V standard gasoline； The diesel standards have evolved from being classified only into high-quality and qualified grades (with a sulfur content of no more than 10,000 ppm) to the National V standard, which requires a sulfur content of no more than 10 ppm. Europe implemented Euro III standards in 2003, Euro IV standards in 2005, and Euro V standards in 2009. China implemented National III standards in 2010 ； The National IV standard was introduced and implemented in 2014 ； This year (2017), National Standard V will be fully implemented ； In October, the National VI standard will be implemented first in the “2+26” cities. Starting from January 1, 2019 (with nationwide implementation beginning on January 1, 2021), all light vehicles sold and registered are required to meet the National VIa standards, while as of January 1, 2023, they must meet the National VIb standards. Our current high environmental standards urge that domestic oil quality requirements meet a high level. Starting with Standard III, China’s standards for upgrading petroleum products have been roughly the same as those in Europe; the sulfur content is similar in both regions: 150 ppm for Standard III, 50 ppm for Standard IV, and 10 ppm for Standard V, which matches China’s standards. Under the Euro III, Euro IV, and Euro V standards, the aromatic hydrocarbon content is 42%, 35%, and 35% respectively. China’s national III, national IV, and national V standards set relatively higher limits for aromatic hydrocarbons, at no more than 40% in each case, while standard National VI reduces this limit to no more than 35%. The olefin content standards are higher than those in Europe: no more than 35% for Stage III, no more than 28% for Stage IV, no more than 25% for Stage V, no more than 18% for Stage VIa, and no more than 15% for Stage VIb. The standard for olefins in Europe is no more than 18%, and China has stricter standards in this regard than Europe. Olefin content is a very important indicator that plays a significant role in preventing chemical smog. The benzene content is specified at no more than 1% under European standards, and at no more than 0.8% in both National Standards VIa and VIb. Are China’s diesel standards in line with international standards? Generally speaking, China’s diesel standards do not match those of Europe and global fuel specifications; some criteria have not yet been updated. In the global fuel specifications, the value for T95 has been reduced to 345°C, but this requirement is not yet reflected in China’s current standards. The upgrade standards for National VI gasoline are quite detailed, while the upgrades for diesel were implemented rather hastily. In this case, the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) has been reduced from 11% to 7%, but the diesel boiling range remains unchanged. This means that more intensive hydrogenation processes are required to meet National VI standards; for example, increasing reaction pressure and improving catalyst performance. All such measures will result in high costs. As future environmental standards will become stricter, demand for diesel may decrease, which will facilitate better control over diesel emissions. Which companies are currently able to supply gasoline meeting National VI standards to the “2+26” cities? At present, 7 companies under CNPC have the capability to supply National VI gasoline to the areas covered by these 2+26 cities. Among them, Hohhot Petrochemical, Dagang Petrochemical, North China Petrochemical, Jinzhou Petrochemical, Jinxi Petrochemical, and Liaoyang Petrochemical can produce gasoline that meets National VI standards, while Dalian Petrochemical serves as an alternative supplier of National VI gasoline for Beijing. The 11 enterprises of Sinopec located in the \"2+26\" cities, including Yanshan Petrochemical, Tianjin Petrochemical, Shijiazhuang Refining & Chemical, Zhongyuan Petrochemical, and Qingdao Petrochemical, all possess the capability to produce National VI gasoline. At the same time, some local refineries also have the capability to produce Tier VI fuels. Compared to other **, what are the characteristics of oil quality upgrades in our country? When compared with the oil quality standards of other **, our country has two features regarding oil quality: first, the pace of oil quality improvement is relatively fast; second, the National VI emission standards are among the strictest in the world. These two characteristics are closely related to the composition of gasoline pools in our country. Whether in Europe or the United States, compared with our country, their gasoline blending formulas contain less catalytic cracking fractions – around 30% in Europe and about 35% in the United States – while in China this proportion is very high, at 74%. As is well known, these types of oil contain a high level of olefins. Furthermore, the proportion of catalytically reformed oil in our country is not high; although this type of oil has a high octane rating, it also contains a high level of aromatics – 50% in Europe, 35% in the United States, and 20% in China. Isomerized oil and alkylated oil are ideal components for blending clean gasoline, and these two technologies have a significant effect on improving the overall properties of gasoline. Alkylated oils feature zero aromatics, zero olefins, low sulfur content, low vapor pressure, and high octane rating; therefore, alkylation technology has also become one of the key methods for refineries to produce Group VI gasoline. Currently, alkylated oils account for around 10% in Europe, 30% in the United States, and roughly 2% in China. :) Online materials

In National VI standard diesel for vehicles, the content of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons has been reduced to 7%, while in National VI standard gasoline, the contents of benzene, aromatic hydrocarbons, and olefins have been reduced to 0.8%, 35%, and 18% respectively