Thread Content
Oil blending is the final step in the production of finished oil products by refining companies. It involves taking intermediate petrochemical products produced by various facilities, considering their different physical and chemical properties, as well as factors such as inventory levels and market prices, in order to determine the most scientific and reasonable blending ratio. This process ultimately results in gasoline and diesel products that meet **quality standards**. 1 Diversity of intermediate products: In the field of oil blending technology, it is essential for practitioners to have a thorough understanding of various blending ingredients. One must have a clear understanding of both the physicochemical properties of the blended raw materials and their specific production processes. Although there are various blending schemes and many blending processes, the fundamental factor in all cases is the selection and combination of the raw materials used for blending. Taking gasoline as an example of traditional petroleum blending, refining companies primarily use catalytic gasoline produced by catalytic units as the main raw material, combine it with MTBE, and add a small amount of metal-based antiknock agents to blend it into finished gasoline. Now, with the rapid development of the refining industry and the commissioning of various large-scale oil processing units, processes for the primary and secondary processing of crude oil, advanced processing of C4 hydrocarbons, as well as coal-to-oil processes, there are diverse options available for raw materials used in oil blending. In addition to traditional hydrogenated gasoline and MTBE, it also produces cut-back oil, raffinate, and reformed aromatics produced by the continuous catalytic reformer. Petroleum toluene, petroleum xylene, and petroleum mixed trimethylbenzene produced by the continuous reforming–aromatic extraction unit. Industrial octane produced by alkylation units in the field of advanced processing of C4 hydrocarbons, and isomerized oil produced by light hydrocarbon isomerization units. For diesel blending, there is high-cetane diesel produced by hydrocracking units. Aircraft kerosene is liquid paraffin produced via the coal-to-oil Fischer-Tropsch process. These intermediate products greatly enrich the raw materials available in the finished oil blending tank. Oil blending involves integrating these abundant oil resources in order to maximize their utilization. 2. Oil blending and plant production: The regulations for vehicle gasoline under Phase B of National Standard VI specify that the olefin content in the final gasoline product must not exceed 15%, which represents a 3% reduction in olefin content compared to the standards of National Standard VI A. Olefins in gasoline are primarily introduced by hydrogenated gasoline, which in turn serves as the main ingredient used in gasoline blending by refining companies, accounting for around 65% of the total. The olefin content in most hydrogenated gasoline is around 25%; if formulated using traditional methods, the theoretical value of olefin content in the final product is approximately 17%. Clearly does not meet the National VI B quality standards for motor gasoline. If the ratio of light to heavy gasoline is adjusted using a gasoline hydrogenation unit, and the operating temperature and pressure of the hydrogenation reactor are increased in order to reduce the olefin content in the hydrogenated gasoline, this will not only increase the complexity of operating the gasoline distillation tower but also the increased hydrogen consumption resulting from deep hydrogenation, along with the loss of octane rating, often result in costs that outweigh the benefits when conducting cost calculations. The olefin content in the final oil product can be reduced through oil blending; firstly, the proportion of hydrogenated gasoline in the blending mixture should be decreased, keeping it at around 45%. The excess portion is made up by adding some high-octane reformed gasoline, along with the tail oil or residue oil produced by catalytic reforming units, which is usually sold at a lower price. For the specific proportions and the physicochemical properties of the blending raw materials, please refer to the table. This approach not only meets the quality requirements of the new standards, but also makes maximum use of low-value-added oil resources. Compared to traditional blending methods, the net profit per ton of finished oil increases by approximately 15 to 20 yuan. It has brought tangible operational benefits to the enterprises. 3. Outlook: With the successive completion and operation of integrated refining and chemical enterprises with a production capacity of tens of millions of tons, such as Shenghong Petrochemical, Zhejiang Petrochemical, and Hengli Petrochemical, competition in the refined oil market will become even more fierce. Under the combined influence of various external factors such as safety in production, stringent environmental regulations, international crude oil prices, supply-side reforms, and new energy sources, the petrochemical industry will face significant opportunities as well as challenges. As the key factor ensuring both the economic efficiency of refined oil production and the quality of products in refining enterprises, oil blending will undoubtedly play a vital role in helping these enterprises save energy, improve efficiency, and enhance their core competitiveness in product marketing. Those who are familiar with crude oil used in local refineries or know something about oil blending can send a private message; WeChat ID: waxm0104