【Ten Years of Great Progress in Chemical Technology】The world’s largest catalytic gasoline adsorption desulfurization unit from 1992 to 2020: a 2.4 million-ton S Zorb unit

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Ten years of rapid development in chemical technology – praise for China’s prosperity and strength. This is just a starting point; more participation from everyone will make things even more lively. Haichuan becomes even better with your involvement; we welcome everyone to take an active part in the forum discussions. Be careful with fire risks as the heat increases in July. ------------------------------------------ On July 20th, Huizhou Petrochemical reported that China’s largest S Zorb unit, with a capacity of 2.4 million tons per year (a device used for catalytic desulfurization of gasoline), has been able to operate stably for 34 months thanks to scientific production control and preventive management measures. Its stable operation ranks among the best in the industry, resulting in cost savings of over 10 million yuan. The specialized adsorbent used in this device is expensive, and it easily becomes deactivated during use, resulting in economic losses. In September 2017, after the unit was successfully put into operation for the first time, Huizhou Petrochemical took measures such as strengthening raw material monitoring, optimizing various operating parameters of the reaction-regeneration system, and closely controlling the volume of air used for regeneration as well as the content of recycled hydrogen water. These actions were aimed at minimizing the water content and water vapor pressure in the reaction-regeneration system, thereby reducing the rate of adsorbent deactivation and decreasing adsorbent consumption. Through scientific production control, the adsorbent consumption in S Zorb units is much lower than the average level of domestic competitors. A total savings of over 50 tons of adsorbent has been achieved, resulting in cost savings of approximately 10.8 million yuan. There are a total of 31 program-controlled valves surrounding the locking hopper in the S Zorb unit; these valves operate frequently and under harsh conditions. In particular, the program-controlled valves on the four material legs tend to wear out and develop internal leaks, forcing the locking hopper to be shut down for replacement. This is a common challenge across the industry. Huizhou Petrochemical has achieved stable operation of the plant by optimizing process conditions and making unscheduled replacements of valves at various locations according to the specific operating conditions. Since 2017, a total of four program control valves have been replaced for the four leg supports, which is well below the industry average. The drain pipeline of the receiver in S Zorb units is continuously eroded by adsorbent powder, which can lead to leakage and fire accidents; this represents another industry challenge that hinders the long-term operation of such units. Huizhou Petrochemical has established 139 regular thickness measurement points at areas prone to erosion, conducts thickness measurements on a monthly basis as part of a \"health check\" process, keeps records of these checks, and takes preventive measures for the pipelines in advance. In 2019, five additional cameras were installed on top of the existing three to monitor various vulnerable areas; the risk list and emergency response plans were revised, and training exercises were enhanced – all these measures helped ensure the stable operation of the facility.