Sinopec’s internationally first IHCC process has passed the appraisal:

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Recently, the Sinopec “Ten Dragon” scientific research project – namely, the industrial application of the integrated process for hydrogenation treatment of catalytic cracking distillates and selective catalytic cracking (IHCC) for the production of more light oil – which was carried out jointly by Qingjiang Petrochemical, Sinopec Research Institute of Petroleum Processing (abbreviated as RIP), and Engineering Construction Company (SEI), was approved by an expert panel from Sinopec Group. The evaluation committee believes that the IHCC process represents an internationally pioneering technology, and it is of great significance for the petrochemical industry in addressing the issues of increasing crude oil heaviness and inferior quality, promoting the deep and efficient conversion of heavy oil resources, and increasing the production of light petroleum products. Industrial application results show that, compared with conventional catalytic cracking processes (i.e., the FCC process), the use of IHCC technology increases the yields of three high-value-added products—liquefied gas, gasoline, and diesel—by 6 percentage points when processing paraffinic atmospheric residue ； In the hydroprocessing unit for residue oil (i.e., VRDS), the yields of three high-value products – hydrotreated heavy oil, liquefied gas, and gasoline – increase by 10 percentage points, while the yield of coke decreases by 20% and the yield of dry gas decreases by 40%. In the gasoline production scheme, the yield of gasoline exceeds 50%. In recent years, with the continuous development of China’s economy and the growing awareness of environmental protection, the domestic market has placed increasing demands for lighter, higher-quality, and cleaner petroleum products. This creates a growing conflict with the fact that the crude oil supplied to domestic refineries is becoming increasingly heavy and of lower quality. Therefore, how to promote the in-depth and efficient conversion of limited heavy oil resources is a major challenge facing China’s refining industry at present. Currently, catalytic cracking technology is one of the effective methods for converting low-quality heavy oil into light oils. In conventional catalytic cracking processes and catalyst development, the goal remains to increase the one-pass conversion capacity of heavy oil. However, when processing low-quality feedstocks, attempting to boost the conversion of heavy oil solely by adjusting the catalyst composition and process parameters often results in a significant increase in the production of dry gas and coke, which undoubtedly reduces the yield of light oils from the feedstock. Since the yield of low-value products is relatively high, there is still considerable room to improve the yield of light oils. The existing residue catalytic cracking technology only has good capacity for converting heavy oil, while the current catalytic pyrolysis technology yields the highest amount of propylene. Therefore, relying on a single refining technology often results in compromising one aspect at the expense of another, making it difficult to optimize the hydrocarbon distribution and maximize petroleum products. Therefore, taking into account the characteristics of low-quality feedstock oils, the Institute of Petrology conducted a thorough review and analysis of the reaction chemistry involved in current catalytic cracking processes. Based on extensive experimental work, it proposed the concept of an integrated technology (IHCC) that combines selective hydrogenation treatment of catalytic cracking wax oil with selective catalytic cracking. The main idea behind this approach is to avoid aiming for the highest possible conversion rate of heavy feedstocks; instead, the one-pass conversion rate in catalytic cracking is kept within a reasonable range, thereby optimizing the production of dry gas and coke while reducing coke formation and, as a result, lowering carbon dioxide emissions ； The unconverted catalytic wax oil (i.e., FGO) is subjected to hydrogenation, followed by appropriate catalytic cracking techniques, in order to maximize the yield of high-value products. With the close cooperation of all participating units, in 2013, Qingjiang Petrochemical finalized the implementation plan for the IHCC technology and completed the engineering design as well as the device tapwork ； In 2014, the renovation of a catalytic cracking unit with a capacity of 120,000 tons per year and an FGO hydrogenation unit with a capacity of 20,000 tons per year was completed, and industrial tests on IHCC for paraffin-based atmospheric residue were carried out ； From June to August 2015, industrial tests of IHCC using VRDS hydrogenated heavy oil were conducted. During this period, the task force explored methods for preparing catalysts for industrial testing, investigated the adaptability and selectivity of specialized catalysts as well as the efficiency of the FGO filtration system in capturing solid particles, and determined the optimal operating conditions for the combined unit to produce more gasoline and more liquid products. The results achieved from the industrial testing of this technology are of great significance for China’s petrochemical industry in addressing the increasing heaviness and inferior quality of crude oil supplies, promoting the deep and efficient conversion of limited heavy oil resources, and increasing the production of light petroleum products ； At the same time, this technology can also effectively reduce carbon emissions and advance the implementation of energy efficiency improvement plans. This project has also developed a number of new technologies, including specialized catalysts, industrial equipment for the hydrothermal pretreatment of catalysts, and FGO filtration systems. To date, a total of 162 patents have been applied for for this technology, with 112 of them already granted. Among them, 97 applications were filed for Chinese invention patents, of which 92 have been approved; 8 applications were filed for invention patents in the United States and other regions, totaling 65 applications, of which 20 have been approved. This project possesses independent intellectual property rights and holds great value for promotion and application.