Why are more hydrocracking units being added to new refineries, while catalytic cracking is even being phased out?
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Why are more hydrocracking units being added to newly built large refineries, while catalytic cracking is even being phased out?
Hydrocracking can provide feedstock for reforming and ethylene cracking, while catalytic cracking can only produce gasoline and diesel – that must be one of the reasons.
Gasoline demand is declining; hydrocracking can produce naphtha or diesel
Hydrocracking is an improvement on catalytic cracking technology. He carries out catalytic cracking under hydrogen-rich conditions, which can suppress the dehydrogenation and condensation reactions that occur during catalytic cracking and prevent the formation of coke. With operating conditions of pressure 6.5–13.5 MPa and temperature 340–420 °C, high-purity products free of olefins can be obtained, and the liquid yield can exceed 100% (due to hydrogen being added to the oil molecules). In the past, it was less common because hydrocracking requires sophisticated equipment and involves high investment; now that there is sufficient capital and technology available, people naturally opt for better processes.
In recent years, as automotive fuel efficiency has improved, new energy vehicles have developed rapidly, and there has been an increasing demand for a better quality of life among consumers, the global demand for petroleum products has slowed down, while the demand for petrochemical products has accelerated. Against this backdrop, refining companies are shifting from focusing on large-scale production of refined oil products to producing more high-quality oils and petrochemical feedstocks.
Transitioning from a fuel oil-based enterprise to an petrochemical enterprise by adopting a full hydrogenation process to produce more petrochemical raw materials and downstream products, thereby improving the enterprise’s profitability.
The full hydrogenation process is environmentally friendly and follows the chemical industry approach
It should be to pursue a chemical industry path and achieve refined development. . Generally, the ordinary fuel-based route is too short, leaving little room for development. There is a high demand for aromatic compounds nowadays
Whether in terms of the complexity of the process operation or catalysis
The goal of integrated refining and chemical production is to engage in the chemical industry, not just oil refining. Hydrogenation processes can provide raw materials for subsequent basic chemical manufacturing, while oil refining is merely a by-product; after all, it is still the three major oil companies that sell gasoline and diesel
Let’s talk about what type of process packages are being used in hydrocracking these days