[Haichuan’s Lessons from Other Places] The introduction of the stirred-tank alkylization process proved challenging to implement; Shanghai Petrochemical, in collaboration with local universities, overcame the difficulties associated with the long-term operation of such alkylization units

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Shanghai Petrochemical and local universities work together to overcome challenges related to the long-term operation of alkylation units. Recently, Shanghai Petrochemical and East China University of Science and Technology carried out joint research efforts, successfully overcoming the issues associated with the long-term operation of these alkylation units. The consecutive stable operation period reached the longest record since the units were put into use, which helped to increase the production capacity of these units. The sulfur content in the products was further reduced, while the octane rating of the alkylated oils increased by about 0.3 percentage points. By the end of May, the facility had been producing high-quality alkylated oil steadily on a continuous basis, with the output of such oil increasing by 75% year-on-year. It is reported that in 2020, Sinopec Shanghai introduced a stirred-tank alkylation process from the United States, and built the largest alkylation oil production facility in China – a plant with an annual capacity of 400,000 tons for producing clean gasoline components. Due to the industrial scale-up of the manufacturing process, the facility encountered operational issues shortly after it went into operation; it was necessary to adjust its load more than 10 times over the course of a year in order to ensure normal operation. In response, Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical and East China University of Science and Technology jointly carried out research efforts to determine the optimal process conditions. They leveraged their team strengths to innovate in material development, improving the efficiency of wash extraction and reducing the levels of sodium ions and methanol in the alkylated oil raw materials. Develop new dry separation technology packages to improve the desulfurization efficiency of products. Taking advantage of the first major maintenance opportunity for the unit last year, the problems that had accumulated and been identified during its operation in recent years were thoroughly addressed. In September 2024, the device achieved continuous and stable operation for the first time. In March 2025, after installing the complete set of raw material purification equipment, the facility achieved full-load, continuous and stable operation for the first time, and has remained in such operation to this day.