【Ten Years of Great Progress in Chemical Technology】The self-developed hydrodesulfurization catalyst for naphtha was successfully applied for the first time from 2014 to 2023

Thread Content

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 join in the forum discussions. It’s hot in July, so be careful to prevent fires. ---------------------------------------------- Recently, the naphtha hydrogenation arsenic removal catalyst PAN-201, developed independently by the Petrochemical Research Institute, was tested on an industrial scale in a reforming pre-purification unit. The arsenic content in the product was 0.8 ppb, which meets the requirement of ultra-deep arsenic removal with a limit of <1.0 ppb, and the unit operated successfully on its first attempt. Arsenides can easily cause permanent deactivation of precious metal catalysts. The arsenic removal step in the reforming pretreatment unit acts as the first \"shield\" for the reforming catalyst, preventing unplanned shutdowns due to arsenic poisoning and thus playing a very important role in ensuring the long-term stable operation of the reforming unit. Leveraging its experience in the development of catalysts for hydrogenation-based arsenic removal from gasoline, and taking into account the characteristics of naphtha, the Petrochemical Research Institute has precisely controlled the distribution of sites susceptible to arsenic poisoning on the catalyst as well as the rate of arsenic removal through rapid reactions. As a result, it has developed a catalyst for hydrogenation-based arsenic removal from naphtha that features low cost and high tolerance to arsenic; compared with similar commercial catalysts, this catalyst offers a 10% or greater increase in arsenic tolerance. The project team conducted a thorough analysis of the refinery reformate naphtha as well as extensive experiments, laying a solid foundation for the successful implementation of the industrial trials. During the technology application phase, the team’s technical personnel remained on site, closely monitoring every step of the process – catalyst production, presulfurization, loading, commissioning, and oil feeding – to ensure that all critical stages were well controlled, ultimately leading to a successful first commissioning.