Successful Commercialization of SINOPEC’s Aromatics Package Technology

On December 27, 2013 the last one of process units – the isomerization unit in the 600 kt/a para-xylene project was put on stream at the Hainan Refining and Chemical Company at the first attempt to deliver massive paraxylene with a purity of 99.80% through adsorption and separation process. This event has symbolized the successful large-scale commercial application of SINOPEC’s package aromatics production technology.

The construction of this project was commenced in November 2012, with the mechanical completion in construction of major facilities finished on October 26, 2013. This project adopts SINOPEC’s independently developed adsorption and separation technology, adsorbents and isomerization catalysts, hydro-disproportionation of toluene in fixed bed and transalkylation technology, and novel catalysts. SINOPEC, relying upon the techniques and expertise of domestic major key equipment manufacturers, has been engaging in study of adsorbents and commercial application of grating, design and fabrication of large high-pressure heat-integration rectification column, and low-pressure steam based power generation pattern and other fields to realize domestic manufacture of large plate heat-exchangers, the adsorption/separation control system as well as the DCS computer control system.

Till now, the aromatics extraction unit and the disproportionation unit have been operating at full steam, with the adsorption/separation load reaching 91%, and the production of para-xylene (with a purity of 99.80%) reaching 80 t/h, while the output of ortho-xylene is equal to 20 tons/hour. The energy consumption of this project is by 100 kg of SEO/ton lower than similar domestic units, and such indicators as the load, the product yield, the energy consumption, and the product quality are in compliance with or exceed the design targets.