Integration of oil refining and chemical manufacturing
Thread Content
As is well known, China relies heavily on certain types of raw materials for producing ethylene. In 1999, diesel still accounted for 22.5% of the raw materials used in cracking processes, while naphtha made up about 58%. Lighter raw materials such as ethane and LPG accounted for only 5.9%. This situation results in lower yields in ethylene production facilities, thereby affecting their production capacity and economic efficiency.| Raw Material | Ethane | Propane | Butane | Naphtha | AGO | VGO |
|--------------|--------|---------|--------|---------|-----|-----|
| Relative Raw Material Cost | 0.328 | 0.614 | 0.672 | 1 | 1.12| 1.115|
| Relative Utility Cost | 0.826 | 0.845 | 0.858 | 1 | 1.194| 1.327|
| Relative Energy Consumption | 0.660 | 0.760 | 0.915 | 1 | 1.160| N/A |
| Relative Cost | 0.892 | 0.826 | 0.805 | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| Relative Investment | 0.811 | 0.933 | N/A | 1 | 1.155| 1.211|
As can be seen from Tables 1–7, based on the costs associated with using naphtha as a raw material, other raw materials have lower costs in terms of raw material expenses, utility costs, energy consumption, and investment. Conversely, the heavier the raw material, the higher all these costs become. Therefore, reducing the weight of raw materials is a very important issue for lowering investment costs, cutting expenses, and improving a company’s economic efficiency. Light hydrocarbons from refineries originate from gaseous and liquid products produced by the refinery’s secondary processing units, such as dry gas, LPG, and distillate oils generated by units like catalytic cracking, thermal cracking, delayed coking, catalytic reforming, and hydrocracking. It is estimated that the more than 100 catalytic cracking units already in operation across the country generate 2,120 kt/a of dry gas alone. In addition to methane and hydrogen, dry gas also contains ethylene, ethane, propylene, propane, and C4 hydrocarbons. In the past, due to the lack of suitable recovery methods, these were burned as fuel; however, these light hydrocarbons are excellent raw materials for ethylene production plants. According to statistics from foreign consulting firms, many ethylene plants abroad use make-up feed; in North America, make-up feed accounts for 12% of all the feed used in such plants, while in other regions it makes up 10%, which improves the utilization rate of resources, increases the production of olefins, and reduces the production costs of ethylene. The pressure swing adsorption and purification techniques proposed in this paper separate low-boiling-point components in refinery gas, such as hydrogen, nitrogen, methane, carbon monoxide, etc., through the pressure swing adsorption process. Following this, purification techniques are employed to obtain an ethylene-rich fraction that can be directly fed into the separation section of the ethylene plant as a supplementary feed. The hydrocarbons present in this ethylene-rich fraction are sent back to the inlet of the cracking furnace after passing through the separation system, where they serve as raw material for cracking. Studies have shown that, based on the processing capacity of 18 MT/a in domestic refineries, combined with 70 (jkt/). The ethylene plant enables integration of refining and chemical manufacturing; in other words, the light hydrocarbons produced by the refinery are sent to the ethylene plant as raw materials. The overall energy consumption per unit of ethylene produced is reduced by 7% to 8% compared to a separate ethylene plant, showing that the integration of refining and chemical manufacturing yields significant energy-saving benefits for the ethylene plant. The companies that house ethylene production facilities belonging to Sinopec and CNPC all have refineries, such as those associated with the Yanshan, Qilu, Daqing, Yangzi, Guangzhou, Maoming, and Dushanzi ethylene plants. Therefore, the advantages of integrating oil refining and chemical manufacturing should be fully utilized to supply high-quality light hydrocarbons for ethylene plants, thereby improving the economic efficiency of the enterprise. More enthusiasts are welcome to share their insights
Isn’t it the case now that we advocate for \"using appropriate materials, choosing suitable substances\"? Isn’t it about promoting the comprehensive utilization of raw materials?!
"Be alkenic when it should be alkenic, be aromatic when it should be aromatic"
1. “Use alkenes when appropriate, and use aromatics when appropriate” is definitely correct. 2. Among the crude oils that China is set to import in the near future, Russian oil and Kazakhstani crude will account for a large proportion. Both types of crude have a high degree of light fractions, as well as an abundant supply of naphtha distillates, which will provide sufficient raw materials for the chemical industry. 3. As proposed at this year’s “Petroleum Refining Conference,” naphtha needs to be separated, and the principle here is to separate it into alkenes where appropriate and aromatics where appropriate. 4. In fact, integration in the refining and chemical processing sector goes beyond just that; there are many other aspects such as combined coking and CFB boilers, and the production of polypropylene from propylene. Currently, Sinopec has gone beyond mere integration in refining and chemical processing – it has achieved integration across entire refineries and ethylene plants. You should take the time to visit Zhenhai if you get the chance. :)