Significant breakthroughs have been achieved in heavy oil processing technology, with the demonstration unit for super suspended beds operating successfully. Do you guys know about this?

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Shui Zhi Yi Fang 99, from Xueqiu; updated today at 10:07. A major breakthrough has been achieved in heavy oil processing technology: China’s first pilot unit based on the suspended bed technology was successfully brought online in its first attempt. On April 15th, a press conference was held in Beijing to announce the successful commissioning of China’s first industrially applicable pilot unit for mixed cracking treatment (MCT), which was developed independently. Developed jointly by Beijing Sanju Environmental Protection New Materials Co., Ltd. (Sanju Environmental Protection) and Beijing Huashi United Energy Technology Development Co., Ltd. (Huashi Energy), this device has been operating safely and stably for nearly 2 months since its first operation in February 2016. The overall conversion rate of the suspension bed unit is 96%–99%, while the yield of light oil is 92%–95%. This marks a major breakthrough in the key technologies and equipment for super suspension beds developed independently in our country, pushing it to the forefront of the world in heavy oil processing technology. Through innovative development and persistent effort, we strive to overcome the world’s challenges in heavy oil processing. As is well known, the trend toward heavier and lower-quality crude oil is continuing to intensify. According to CNPC’s estimates, the global recoverable reserves of heavy oil amount to 714.7 billion barrels, while those of oil sands amount to 709.5 billion barrels. The combined recoverable reserves of heavy oil and oil sands account for approximately 52% of the world’s total recoverable reserves. Furthermore, as the density, sulfur content, metal content, asphaltenes, and residue value of crude oil increase, there is an urgent need for cost-effective technologies to convert heavy crude oil and its residue into lighter products. Currently, traditional refineries use processes such as residue hydrogenation, catalytic cracking, or delayed coking to process heavy crude oils and their residues. These processes not only result in long treatment sequences and high costs, but also yield low amounts of gasoline and diesel. Suspension bed technology is expected to systematically solve the aforementioned problems, and as such has become a core technology that research institutions around the world and major international oil companies are focusing on developing. Due to the lack of effective breakthroughs and validations in the key technologies and equipment for suspended-bed systems, this technology has not seen any substantial industrial application in the oil refining industry, either domestically or internationally. Sanju Environmental Protection and Huashi Energy have formed a technical team that adheres to the principle of independent innovation and development. Through close cooperation and efforts spanning over 5 years, they have carried out systematic research on basic theories, catalyst development, reactor design, as well as the development of key unit technologies. They have also conducted pilot tests and scale-up trials, and pursued technological advancements for industrial demonstration units. A series of major technical challenges have been overcome, resulting in the development of a super-suspension bed hydrogenation technology centered around multifunctional catalysts, super-suspension bed reactors, and complete set of unit process technologies. To date, 23 patents have been applied for (22 of which are invention patents), with 12 of these invention patents already granted. At present, the industrial demonstration plant built based on core technologies uses full-range coal tar and asphalt as raw materials, and has been operating safely and stably for nearly two months; its conversion rates and light oil yields are among the best in the world. Increased efficiency, diversified raw materials, and enhanced **energy strategic security.** China faces a shortage of petroleum resources; in 2015, the country’s crude oil processing volume was 522 million tons, of which 335.5 million tons were imported, resulting in an external dependence rate of over 60%. As the national economy develops and consumption levels rise, overall energy consumption will continue to increase, and China’s reliance on imported oil will further rise. At the same time, the overall level of China’s refining industry still lags behind that of the world’s advanced countries; it is large in scale but not strong, lacking international competitiveness in terms of technology. The successful commissioning of the super-suspended bed MCT industrial demonstration unit has laid a solid foundation for improving efficiency and upgrading technology in China’s refining industry. Traditional heavy oil processing routes generally involve multiple steps such as fixed-bed residue hydrogenation, residue catalytic cracking or delayed coking, combined with hydroprocessing of gasoline and diesel. However, using the super-suspended bed MCT technology to process residue to produce clean gasoline and diesel can simplify the process flow and reduce investment costs. Taking a 1 million tons per year heavy oil processing plant as an example, the investment required for adopting the super-suspended bed MCT technology can be reduced by 10%-20% compared to that of traditional heavy oil processing technologies. Traditional heavy oil processing technologies yield low amounts of gasoline and diesel; for example, the yield of gasoline and diesel from catalytic cracking is 65%-70%, while that from delayed coking is only 50%-55%. By utilizing the super-suspended bed MCT technology, the yields of gasoline and diesel increase by more than 20% compared to traditional processes, which can significantly enhance the economic benefits of enterprises. At present, China’s catalytic cracking and delayed coking capacity amounts to 200 million tons. If this technology is applied across the board, it would enable an increase in gasoline and diesel production of over 40 million tons per year, which is equivalent to creating another large oil field or reducing crude oil imports by 12 percentage points. In addition to conventional crude oil, the super-suspended bed MCT technology can also be used for the processing of unconventional crude oils (extra-heavy crude oil, oil sands, shale oil), as well as heavy and low-quality feedstocks such as residue, catalytic slurry, tar, and asphalt. Venezuela has abundant heavy oil and Canadian oil sands asphalt resources, but due to their high density and viscosity, it is difficult to transport and store them by pipeline, resulting in low prices for direct exports. By adopting the super-suspended bed MCT technology, it is possible to lighten the material on-site, thereby overcoming challenges such as difficult transportation and high processing costs. This can expand China’s sources of crude oil imports and support a strategy for diversified crude oil supply. The successful development and widespread application of the MCT technology in super suspended bed systems are of great significance for ensuring China’s energy security and enhancing the market competitiveness of enterprises, bringing about significant economic and social benefits. rotate