Thread Content
Recently, the Heavy Oil Efficient Catalytic Cracking (RTC) technology developed by the Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemical Technology (hereinafter referred to as the “Research Institute”) was tested and calibrated at Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Complex. This achievement marked a significant breakthrough in terms of achieving zero diesel output in the refining process, indicating that China holds a leading position in the fields of efficient conversion of heavy oil and integrated refining technologies. It provides a short-process, high-efficiency solution for addressing the surplus problem of refined petroleum products in the petrochemical industry and facilitating the transformation of refining companies toward greater production of chemicals rather than petroleum products. Technological original innovation: Achieving both high yields of low-carbon olefins and zero diesel production in one go. In recent years, with the rapid development of the domestic new energy vehicle industry and the optimization of the transportation structure, demand for diesel has continued to decline, leading to an increasingly severe problem of excess refined oil products. At the same time, the domestic chemical industry’s demand for basic chemical raw materials such as ethylene and propylene continues to rise, making \"reducing oil production and increasing chemical production\" a common concern for refining and chemical companies. To expand their profit margins, refining companies urgently need innovative solutions that can achieve two goals at once: eliminating diesel production while simultaneously increasing the output of low-carbon olefins. To address this pain point in the industry, the Shihe University of Science and Technology developed a \"molecular-level\" process route featuring deep coordination across the upstream and downstream stages at Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company. This process has been operating continuously and stably for over 4 months, successfully meeting all the specified performance criteria. Through a combined process of raw material pretreatment, directed pyrolysis, and product purification followed by further conversion, the China Institute of Petroleum Science maximizes the conversion of the catalytic diesel components that are inevitably produced in traditional processes into high-value products, thereby achieving a ‘zero diesel output’ on an overall basis. The two RTC units with a capacity of 3 million tons per year serve as the ‘heart’ of Zhenhai Refining & Chemical’s entire production process. First, the R&D team at the Institute of Stone Sciences utilized the main reactor of the RTC device to achieve deep cracking of heavy oil, thereby increasing the production of low-carbon olefins. The R&D team at the Institute of Petrology has developed the world’s first innovative high-efficiency and rapid fluidized-bed reactor. Thanks to its special internal structure, this reactor creates a reaction environment with near-full concentration, near-uniform flow rates, and uniform temperature, which greatly improves the efficiency of contact between heavy oil molecules and the catalyst. It effectively overcomes the problems associated with existing catalytic cracking technologies for low-quality heavy oil, such as poor mass and heat transfer efficiency and low selectivity in catalytic reactions. “RTC technology is the industrial catalytic cracking technique worldwide that achieves the highest propylene yield using low-quality heavy oil as raw material. The operating results of Zhenhai Refining & Chemical show that when the unit processes low-quality heavy oil with a slag inclusion ratio of 62.13% at full capacity, the ethylene yield reaches 4.99%, while the propylene yield is as high as 20.40%, far exceeding the design specifications. Compared to traditional processes, the propylene yield increased by more than 18%, while the coke yield decreased by 0.5 to 0.8 percentage points, effectively optimizing Zhenhai Refining & Chemical’s product portfolio. ”Wang Zijun, vice president and chief engineer of the Institute of Rock Mechanics, explained. Secondly, the R&D team at the Institute of Stone Sciences used the secondary reactor of the RTC device to \"digest\" the diesel components, thereby achieving \"zero diesel output\" in the heavy oil processing process. To this end, the R&D team at the Institute of Rock Mechanics specifically designed a secondary reactor system. One of the key functions of this system is to reprocess the light cycle oil (LCO) produced internally. This material is typically used as a component in diesel blending, but under the specific reaction conditions in the secondary reactor, diesel fractions such as LCO undergo further selective cracking, resulting in the formation of more low-carbon olefins (such as propylene) or light aromatics. This approach helps to reduce diesel production at its source, allowing the yield of diesel and slurry from a single unit to be kept below 20%. Coordination in the processing process: Upstream and downstream units work closely together to create a \"diesel-free\" production chain. A single flower does not make spring; it is impossible to achieve zero diesel output throughout the entire process using only an RTC unit. The R&D team at the Institute of Petrology carefully designed the processing route, ensuring that the RTC unit operates in close coordination with upstream preprocessing units and downstream reprocessing units, thus forming a closed-loop process of \"heavy oil processing → RTC unit → chemical raw materials\". In terms of coordination among upstream units, the R&D team at the China Institute of Petroleum Science first sends low-quality residue oil and wax oil feedstocks to the residue oil hydrogenation and wax oil hydrogenation units for pretreatment. This process effectively removes impurities such as sulfur, nitrogen, and metals from the heavy oils, improves the hydrocarbon ratio of the feedstocks, and significantly enhances their cracking performance. As a result, it provides a solid feedstock foundation for the RTC unit to achieve high conversion rates and stable operation over extended periods. Meanwhile, the slurry oil generated by the RTC unit is purified and upgraded; it is then returned to the residuum hydrotreating unit as a high-quality feedstock for further conversion, thus achieving a closed-loop and circular utilization of materials. In terms of coordination with downstream units, the R&D team from the China Institute of Petroleum Science achieved a \"seamless integration\" between the RTC unit and the downstream hydrocracking units, thus overcoming the \"last mile\" challenge related to zero diesel production. “Although RTC units have significantly reduced diesel yield, a small amount of diesel fractions is still inevitably produced in the process. At this point, we introduce these fractions into the hydrocracking unit through process optimization. Leveraging the precise reactions in the hydrogenation unit, the components that would otherwise be used as diesel products are fully utilized and further converted into chemical raw materials such as naphtha and liquefied gas. ”Gong Jianhong, chief expert at the Institute of Rock Mechanics and director of the Second Research Laboratory, explained. Leveraging technological innovation and process optimization, the Shihezi Institute of Geology has achieved zero diesel output across its entire production process. It also significantly improved the energy efficiency of the device, achieving a \"dual improvement\" in both energy efficiency and environmental protection. The calibration results show that the steam consumption of the Zhenhai Refining and Chemical Plant is 8 percentage points lower than the designed value, and the plant’s overall energy consumption is about 15 kg (standard oil)/ton of raw material less compared to similar plants, resulting in significant cost savings and improved efficiency. At the same time, annual carbon emissions can be reduced by about 15,000 tons, providing a powerful technological engine that helps enterprises achieve green development and save on carbon tax costs. “The simultaneous completion of the calibration tests for the two units at Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Plant not only indicates that the RTC technology possesses full capability for stable industrial operation, but also demonstrates the maturity and reliability of the ‘zero diesel’ production model achieved through coordination between upstream and downstream units. ”Gong Jianhong said. Addressing industry pain points: Providing a “short-process” solution for the transformation and upgrading of refining and petrochemical enterprises. Through innovations in reactor structure and optimization of process flows, the RTC technology developed by SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing has enabled a shift in heavy oil processing from “extensive fuel production” to “precision-oriented chemical product manufacturing”. This technology not only effectively resolves the issue of low conversion efficiency of low-quality heavy oil in refining and petrochemical enterprises, but its flexible production model also enhances these enterprises’ adaptability to market demands. Thus, it provides crucial technical support for the transformation and upgrading of China’s refining and petrochemical industry. “The successful practices of Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Co., Ltd. provide a replicable technical model for China’s refining enterprises to pursue a transformation focused on reducing oil production and increasing chemical product output. Its significance as a model lies in its key innovations, such as the efficient conversion of low-quality heavy oil, a significant reduction in diesel production, and an increase in the yield of low-carbon olefins; these innovations have effectively addressed the structural contradiction between an excess of refined oil products and a shortage of chemical raw materials. They have also demonstrated the feasibility of technological self-sufficiency and coordinated development within the industrial chain. ”Introduced by Prince Jun. It is reported that the Institute of Rock Mechanics has filed 13 Chinese invention patents related to RTC technology, all of which have been granted ； 20 applications were filed for foreign invention patents, and 15 patents have been granted in countries and regions such as the United States, Japan, Singapore, and India; the core technologies are under independent control. In August 2023, RTC technology was included in the **“Catalogue of Technologies and Products Encouraged for Adoption in the Petrochemical Industry (Second Batch)” issued by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, becoming one of the 28 petrochemical technologies and products recommended for adoption by this ministry. In June 2023, a heavy oil catalytic cracking unit with an annual capacity of 3 million tons, utilizing the RTC technology developed by the China Academy of Petroleum Sciences, was put into operation at Sinopec Anqing Petrochemical. It became the world’s first fast-bed catalytic cracking unit as well as the largest catalytic cracking unit in China. After the implementation of RTC technology, the entire processing process and product structure at Anqing Petrochemical were significantly optimized. It became possible to switch flexibly between production modes for chemical materials and gasoline; in the gasoline production mode, the yield of gasoline reached 36.9%, while the yield of propylene still amounted to 15% ； Under the chemical feedstock production mode, the yields of ethylene and propylene are 4.34% and 19.14%, respectively, while the selectivity to lower olefins and light aromatics is approximately 50%. The internal rate of return on the project’s investment exceeds 13%; the yield of dienes across the plant increases by 6.63 percentage points, while the yield of aromatics rises by 9.20 percentage points. Complete conversion of catalytic diesel is achieved, providing strong support for Anqing Petrochemical’s transformation toward a model of reducing oil production and increasing chemical product output at lower costs. On February 26, 2025, RTC technology was included in the **Ministry of Industry and Information Technology’s first list of advanced and applicable technologies**. In this list, the Ministry highly praised RTC technology, stating: “The core strength of RTC technology lies in its innovatively developed rapid fluidized bed reactor, which is highly compatible with existing catalytic cracking units and refining processes. Refining enterprises can utilize RTC technology to construct new catalytic cracking units or upgrade their existing ones, thereby facilitating the transformation and high-quality development of fuel-oriented refineries into chemical industry-oriented ones.” ”To date, RTC technology has been licensed for 6 industrial plants, with a total processing capacity of 17.4 million tons per year. In the future, it will play an even greater role in ensuring the security of the petrochemical industry chain in China and supporting the transformation and upgrading of refining and chemical enterprises.