【Haichuan’s Best Practices】Optimizing the operation of the disproportionation unit to reduce hydrogen consumption

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Zhenhai Refining & Chemical optimizes the operation of its disproportionation unit to reduce hydrogen consumption 2019-01-25 Source: Sinopec News Network In January, Zhenhai Refining & Chemical worked on addressing the issue of high hydrogen consumption in the reaction system since the unit was restarted after maintenance in 2018. By adjusting the reaction conditions, the hydrogen supply was reduced by 25%, alleviating the tight hydrogen balance throughout the plant. Last December, the disproportionation unit was put back into operation after maintenance; due to the installation of new catalysts, hydrogen consumption increased, further straining the already tight overall hydrogen balance in the plant. The Operations Department quickly formed a task force to strive to reduce the hydrogen consumption of the reaction system. They first compare the data from online hydrogen analyzers with laboratory test data to calibrate the online instruments. On this basis, in collaboration with the producer of disproportionation catalysts, the Shanghai Research Institute of Petrochemical Technology, the reaction parameters were optimized and adjusted to ensure the optimal performance of the disproportionation catalyst, while narrowing the upper and lower limits specified in the process sheet. The latest data show that, thanks to the careful adjustments made by the operators, the hydrogen consumption of the device has decreased significantly, even falling below the level before the maintenance – demonstrating clear results from these efforts. Currently, the disproportionation unit is operating steadily, and its staff are continuously optimizing and adjusting the operational parameters to keep the consumption of supplementary hydrogen on a downward trend. (Bian Jiangqi, Li Liang)