The world’s first RTC process heavy oil catalytic cracking unit has been fully commissioned!

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On June 19, the standby main fan unit K102 of the 3 million tons per year heavy oil catalytic cracking unit in Anqing Petrochemical’s transformation project was successfully started for the first time, marking the entry of the catalytic cracking unit into the full operational phase. On that day, the personnel in the control room and those operating the backup fans on site worked closely together, carefully monitoring the operation of the units while simultaneously keeping detailed records of all their parameters. Through comparison of on-site parameters with those in the control room, it was found that the backup fan set operated smoothly, with all parameters meeting the requirements of the plan; the startup was successful on the first attempt, thereby laying the necessary foundation for carrying out airtightness tests on the catalytic reactor and regenerator in the next stage. The 3 million tons per year heavy oil catalytic cracking unit in Anqing Petrochemical’s transformation project represents the first industrial application of the RTC process technology developed by Sinopec. The project is of great significance as a model for addressing overcapacity in the oil refining sector, and for exploring the transformation and high-quality development of fuel-oriented refineries into chemical-oriented ones. It is understood that the heavy oil catalytic cracking unit at Anqing Petrochemical has a total of 3 main fan sets, namely two main fan sets K101A/B and one standby fan set K102. Once the backup fan starts successfully and the relevant airtightness checks and other procedures for the two units are completed, the K102 unit will be shut down. The two main fans, K101A/B, will then be started to begin the process of heating up the unit; it is estimated that the entire startup process will take more than 10 days. Regarding the Anqing Petrochemical Refining Transformation Project, it is understood that the total investment in this project amounts to 8.586 billion yuan. This project covers both the refining and chemical industries; among its components is a 3 million tons per year heavy oil catalytic cracking unit, which represents the first large-scale industrial application of Sinopec’s latest RTC (High-Efficiency Catalytic Cracking of Low-Quality Heavy Oil) technology. In order to address the issue of overcapacity in traditional chemical products such as gasoline and diesel, as well as to enhance the supply of basic raw materials like olefins and aromatics as well as new chemical materials, Anqing Petrochemical decided in 2017 to shift towards the field of refining transformation. The plan was approved by the company’s headquarters and was selected as part of Sinopec’s “Ten Dragon” scientific research projects. The heavy oil catalytic cracking technology used in this project is the world’s first industrial application of its kind, and it will effectively accelerate the transformation of traditional fuel-based refineries into integrated facilities for the production of new materials. This project is also a demonstration project for the high-quality development of medium-sized refineries. Anqing Petrochemical is one of the five major petrochemical bases in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It is an important petrochemical industry hub in the country, as well as the main concentration area for the chemical and new materials industry in Anqing City. Nearly half of the enterprises in this industrial park rely heavily on petrochemical resources. The annual comprehensive processing capacity is 8 million tons, with over 70 main production units.