【Ten Years of Great Progress in Chemical Technology】053-2021: Successful industrial trial of the world’s first new supergravity alkylsulfonation technology

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Over the past decade, chemical technology has seen remarkable progress; let’s celebrate the prosperity and strength of modern China. By contributing our ideas, we can foster more active participation from everyone. HaiChuan becomes even better with your involvement – we welcome all to join in the forum discussions. Everyone should focus on safety and know how to handle emergencies. ********************************************* In response to the high demand for high-octane gasoline in our country, the supergravity research team led by Academician Chen Jianfeng has, since 2005, been working on improving the theoretical foundations and developing new technologies for carbon tetrahydrocarbon alkylation under supergravity conditions. This effort addresses the problems associated with traditional alkylation processes, such as excessive waste acid production and low octane ratings, which result from mismatches between mass transfer/mixing efficiency and reaction rates. The team has also uncovered the laws governing mass transfer/mixing in liquid-liquid heterogeneous systems under supergravity conditions, as well as the mechanisms by which these processes interact with the alkylation reactions； A new type of supergravity alkylation reactor that combines enhanced mass transfer/mixing with inherent heat removal was developed, and a new supergravity-enhanced process for the alkylation of C4 hydrocarbons was invented ； Through system integration, a new technology for hypergravity-enhanced carbon tetraalkylation has been developed. Through cooperation with the China National Petroleum Corporation’s Research Institute of Petroleum and Petrochemicals and Lanzhou Huanqiu Engineering Company, the world’s first 1,000-ton-class supergravity alkyl sulfate industrial test facility was built at CNPC’s Liaoyang Petrochemical plant, and it was successfully commissioned in 2021 on the first attempt. Through process optimization, compared with traditional similar technologies, the octane number of the alkylated oil produced by this technology increases by 2–3 units or more, while the acid consumption in the reaction is reduced by approximately 40%. This technology provides another valuable tool for upgrading the quality of China’s Class VIB gasoline and promoting its high-quality development, and it was included in “China National Petroleum Corporation’s Top 10 Scientific and Technological Advances of 2021”.